Now I have Stepped in It!

[TomW]

Now I find I am giving a "class" at the local food Co-op on making your electricity from scratch.

I have no experience at this kind of thing so I stand here with my hat in my hand seeking advice on how to do it. I feel I understand the technical aspects but am clueless on how to prepare for a 2 hour introduction to making electricity yourself.

I will try to cover the basics of how power can be made at home with some information on use reduction, storage and construction basics.

The overall plan is to give at least one on the basics and then, if the interest is there, build a kit or 3 with a group at some future date.

I will be using Hugh's books as resources. Both Windpower Workshop and his Axial Flux Alternator Windmill plans

Any advice will be appreciated, especially advice from  experience.

This is just me trying to spread this disease and I will not profit from it other than the satisfaction of disseminating the information and stimulating some interest.

Thanks.

TomW

[hiker]

well its one thing building a wind gen--and another on explaning how you did it...

good luck...

[Trivo]

Well Tom this is right up my alley.

I am not sure of the demographics of your audience as in Australia we don't have food Co-ops and I am assuming it is a group of local people that meet regularly.

I have had a bit of experience in the field of seminars, teaching and translation of technical information to a language even a placebo (mentally challenged youth of today) can understand.

The biggest problem is that people, like your self, have a vast knowledge of the fundamentals of all sorts of things and have trouble communicating the information to people with little knowledge in a form that they can understand so I will offer a few thoughts

1. Even the thickest idiot will love and understand practical demonstrations. maybe ED can donate one of his Educational Three phase turbine Kit.
   
2. A lot of the audience won't be there to learn about anything but will be interested in what you say if they are not bored with a lot of technical information.
   
3. The main reason for this kind or talk is to spark the mind of the audience and find people with an interest in the subject and then LATER you can pile the Tec stuff on them in a different environment.
   
4. If you can give actual examples of functional projects in there local areas including photos or even physical models it will work well.
   
5. Get the audience involved in experiments they will love it. eg: if you can have an alternator on a bike and get the audience to pedal it to see who makes the most voltage, of course after you have explained the VERY basics of how it works first as this places the seed that grows in there mind and this is the aim of the talk.
   
   

If you want to run anything buy me and can give me more info on the type of people that will be there I will love to help.

Trivo

[ghurd]

I believe Trivo is correct.

I have to 'sell', the idea and the product, to people who do not know an ohm from a watt.

And I have learned they don't really want to know.

They want to 'see'.

Nothing lights up there eyes like a PV to an inverter to a wall-wart to a cell phone that beeps and says 'charging'. Modern science and all its wonders.

Maybe some small strong magnets, and pictures.

Or 2 heavy duty 24V stepper motors, one opened to see the coils and magnets, the other with a fan blade and a few red LEDs.

They have some interest or they wouldn't be there, but try to avoid scareing them with too much complicated information.

Good luck!

Just 1 cent,

G-

[jimjjnn]

TomW,

 I think I would get in touch with Windstuff Ed or Dan Bartman and see if they can't help you out.

Pictures and photos are a good way to go to show the whole process from start to end. An intro with a mill that is built on hand so that it can be a hands on experience will help. Then, show them with photos and pics how you put it all together in stages.

[jimjjnn]

Put together kits like Ed's that is already pre welded and have your molds and hardware all setup so that they can build the stator and mag rotors. BEWARE THO!!! There is always at least one clown that will play with a couple of magnets and get hurt so it may be wise to keep the mags in a safe place until ready to glue them on. Close supervision at this point is critical. You could also use ceramics instead of neos. That way is safer and it still can work well as you tell them about neos and all the warnings too.

[nothing to lose]

Pizza is fun and every one likes food, that will interest them

I agree with everyone else. I never tried power type seminairs but have done little things like computer stuff. Most people don't want to learn how to do anything they just want it to work

 Hands on stuff is good. If you can't build something on site, maybe you can have various parts, small working model to spin and light lights or something. To demonstrate building a working daul rotor type maybe, have a coil winder, a wound coil, some wire, couple loose magnets etc.. for people to look at and play with. Mags should not hurt people, maybe lower powered ones to play with, one strong one stuck to steel they can try to get off to see how tough they can be. Most people think of toys when you say magnet! They don't think break fingers!!

It depends on alot of variables what you really want to do. As someone suggested building a machine on site. That is great if you can, but probably not going to be able to if this is a quick 2-4hr thing.

Again seeing is beleaving, so if you have a 300 watt mill turning to power a 150 watt inverter running a 100watt bulb and a 15watt CFL they will see it all work, and when they touch the bulbs they will understand what you meant about lighting and heat and power use also for conserving energy or wasting it.

 Kinda like someone I am re-building  one of my used Pcs to sell to. They only wanted their modem working in the old system they have when they first called me. They got internet service, computer can't find the modem when they try to dial out.

 So what's this got to do with seminiars?

It shows people are not interested in how to do something, they just want to do it.

 This person should have been able to install new drivers for the modem, but didn't want to bother trying. I was going to waste my time free over the phone to help them, they didn't want to try.

 So now they are buying a system! Was to far for me to drive just to find out maybe they wouldn't have a needed disk or something when I got there and they don't know what modem they have etc.. so I won't try to fix it either.

In doing a seminar How to make DVD's, no one wanted to learn to make a DVD! I had a class set up and planned several hours of basic and advanced stuff. REALLY, "How to MAKE DVDs", but all they want to do is steal somebody elses. Turned out to be a 1hr class. Install ripping software, shrink, burn. Duhhh, really learned something didn't they

So much for my capture settings, authoring, editing, chapters, menus, ect... plans.

Every one had fun, I made money, we had pizzas, everyone was happy, we left early :<

That was back before the set top DVD recorders were out and no-one thought Dual layer DVD R would ever exist.

[kitno455]

yeah, takes a certain type to teach. i happen to be a computer programming teacher at times, and find it difficult to avoid becoming too technical at the outset.

my advice, leave hugh's books at home. in fact, i would not focus on wind power at all, give them an overview of the problem, (without blowing things out of proportion), and an over view of the solutions, starting with the fact that before 1940's major portions of this country did not have grid.  reduce, reuse, recycle, typical power consumption, etc 45 min max.

then whip out examples, brochures, etc of commerial products, be sure to include prices, and show capabilities in terms of how much power they make v/s the amount common appliances need. do the cost/bene analysis on those watts. 15 min max.

last hour? "gee, wouldn't it be great if we could get those benefits without the arm and a leg?" then whip out (or point out, they could have been running all the time)

how car parts, old alternators, surplus motors, auto torque converters, scrap pipe, wire and magnets, etc. can be turned into wind gennies, water wheels, solar collectors, sterling engines, electicity.

or, you could just cover what you know. if you are blowing smoke, the students will know, and they will ignore you, even if your basic point is correct.

be comfortable, drink a beer first. it shows.

allan

[Gary D]

Tom, I've never met you however,I have great respect for your knowledge. If nothing you say or show doesn't get through to at least one person, I'd be very surprised. Give yourself some credit... you ARE doing what you'll be talking about every day!! So YOU are an expert at what you know. Talking to a group of people isn't my thing either, but if you break it down, they are all one person each... and if you can show any interested person your personal setup, you will definately be planting a seed. It's up to Them to grasp it and want to grow (learn).... no expert here, just wishing you Good Luck.

Have fun, life's too short to worry.  Gary D.  

[TomW]

To every one of you who have commented:

Thank You!

The advice was very good and I will use aspects from all of your comments.

It started out as a "build an alternator" workshop but has quickly evolved into something much more general with the hope that it will spark enough interest to do an actual build workshop at some future date.

I have 3 of Ed Lenzs' educational 3 phase "Lenz Turbine" kits ordered and on the way. A big thanks to Ed for knocking some off the top on the cost of those and shipping them immediately.

I will have some copies of Hughs books onhand in case anyone wants to buy one to read at home. Thanks, DanB!.

I intend to complete one of the kits from Ed so it is a working unit I can drive with a fan charging a cap and running some device but as yet unsure what device. I will also have a kit that has the main components assembled but in pieces so there will be plenty of touchy feely stuff to play with as it were. I will also have my personal "Danbilt" 3 phase alternator head on a stand so they can see how one of those is built. Probably stick a handle on it so it can be cranked and light up some bulbs or something. Plenty of analog meters for more visual stuff. I can even bring a couple SLA batteries and a smallish inverter to run some ac stuff from batteries.

The good thing is I probably will either know or have met most of the folks who will attend. Small rural community thing. Or maybe thats not a good thing?

I think we will leave the gory details out and just look at it in the simplest of terms. Things like see how much work it is to light this light bulb by hand. Try to make it fun and informative without dumping tons of data on the unwilling. But most of all make it fun.

Again, a big Thank You! to Ed and Dan for their generous support, and to those who responded to this Diary.

Cheers.

TomW

[Tom in NH]

All these ideas are great. Reading them made me think of the classes I prepare for in the school where I work and of this quotation attributed to William Glasser:

"People learn 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what is discussed with others, 80% of what they experience, but 95% of what they teach to others."

I hope you remember to give them a handout of the web address for the Otherpower board. Good luck!

-Tom

[ghurd]

Remember to try everything a day before.

Red LEDs take very little V and A to show some light.

Maybe 2ma at 1.4V?

Or 0.003 watts each.

If something goes not as planned,

They still light up!

Oooo.  Ahhh.

Like a plan "B".

Just in case.

Bet it is 'funner' than you think.

G-

[jomoco]

Be very very careful Tom, you might give somebody an idea that will lead to a cleaner brighter future for us all!

jomoco

[TomW]

Well, folks;

Due to scheduling I will not be giving this presentation until July 21 of this year.

Plenty of time to prepare some interesting stuff but by then my "DanBilt" should be flying and I won't have it for a demonstrator.

Just wanted to post an update.

Thanks again for the advice.

Cheers.

TomW