Up and flying

[New Thorndale]

The tail is inspired by the cameleon that comes to the tree outside my office in the week of my birthday, We don't see him any other time.  We live one and a quarter hours drive from Johannesburg on a smallholding where we are off grid.  We started small, candles and one 12W panel,  I built a Lister generator with a 6hp 1950's lister, and have installed a solar borehole pump.  We have two 80w solar panels, but they are a high theft risk item in this part of the world (South Africa).  I started the turbine in 2003 and was pleasantly suprised when I saw hughs Durika machine as it is very similar, I ordered the book which arrived 5 days later (usually it takes about a month here) and found his coil specs (I used 50 turns of 1.8mm -#13AWG)worked best.  My magnets 16 on each rotor of 50x25x15mm (2x1x5/8) are spaced closer than hugh as my rotor diameter is smaller, but turning by hand it seemed to produce identical specs.  

I used old borehole pipes that are 50mm (2")internal diammeter, my tower is 12m  (39feet)high.  I was woried it was a bit bendy but when it was the 6mm guys hold it nice and straight.  We are on rocky ground so digging big anchors was really difficult,  I dug a 50cm (20")square hole and then hammered 3 fencing standards into the surrounding ground, creating a foundation that is combination concrete anchor and combination dead man.  

I have used 16mm wire from the alternator to the diodes and the total run is 33m (108') I have 6 60a bridge rectifiers connected in parrallel, I suspect that this is overkill, and am busy getting Hughs charge controller to work.  At present I just shut the Turbine down when the batteries are full.  

[cr8zy1van]

Gooiedag!

Ek hoop U verstaan Afrikaans! Dit is goed om van iemand in Suid Afrika te hoor. Die generator lyk baie goed! Laat my weet waar julle is, ons het nog steeds n plaas buite Middelburg maar bly vir die laaste 12 jaar in Amerika. Hoop om van U te hoor.

[New Thorndale]

Ja,  Ons is net buite die dorp van Magaliesburg, ons boer nie, maar het 'n mooi uitsig van die berge.  Beste wense Paul

[Experimental]

   OK -- but you are going to get this comment in english !!!

   Very nice, and we love your tail !!! Well done, Bill H......

[TomW]

New;

Well I am only able to speak 2 languages [English and Bad English] so My comment will be short and sweet;

DAMNED FINE LOOKING BIT OF WORK!

I don't usually say this to guys but nice tail.

Cheers.

TomW

[New Thorndale]

Thank you, English is my mother tongue, which I can also speak badly, so thanks for the comments. The tail was the quickest, easiest and fun part, but visually has the most impact.  I hope I got the weight, size and tail boom lenght correct, we have had strong gusts, and I think I saw it start furling but couldn,t be sure, and I need a new battery for my home built anemometer.  Paul

[dinges]

Ek verstaat ook :-)

And I'm not even South-African. Though I have been asked several times, when speaking English, whether I was... Something to do with a heavy Dutch accent and a 'rolling r'.

Grtz,

Peter,

The Netherlands (incidentally, not very far from Middelburg (NL), not SA, of course)

(thanks guys, now I've got the song 'Bobbejaan klim die berg' in my head and can't get it out).