Low budget dual rotor

[(unknown)]

Hello all RE friends.

Ive been reading this forum for over 3 years and find it the best informational site out on the web for RE DIY projects. Thanks to all for your contributions.

I'm a 46 year old, disabled by doctors orders, HVAC contractor.

Little did I realize how much I had to learn to be able to build a good working turbine. Ive built 2 garbogens and decided I "needed" (LOL) a axial flux mill next. I don't need a off grid system but something rather to toy with, as this has become my favorite hobby. So after months of planning and a bunch of emails (Thanks Glen) I started building my mill with only hand tools. No welder, milling machine, or lathe at my disposal so I worked with what I had. I did pay a guy $5 to weld on my tail hinge pin.

I came home one day with 2 square chunks of plate steel, one piece was 3/8" thick the other 1/4" thick. I got the ol skill saw and 3 metal cutting disk blades and started whittling the steel into shape. I made 2- 9" rotor disks out of the 1/4" plate and trued them with a bench grinder and rotors mounted in bearing blocks to hold it secure. This took hours. I cut the body of the mill to a shape I had in my head and started putting together a dual rotor, 8 magnet, 6 coil turbine following basic plans I had from Mr Piggots 2003 information.

Beings money (or lack of it) was my biggest issue I had to use the least expensive poly for my stator and wrapped 6 coils of #20 150 turns. Then I made my stator form and poured my stator. I made my stator a bit different trying to keep the magnetic flux as far away from my stator bolts as possible. I wired it with 2 coils paralleled each, then the 6 coil ends to 3 bridge rectifiers. Regular old steel bolts was to be used to hold this stator. Cost effective only for me.

After a month of building on and off again, I ended up with a 300 watt 24v mill running a 5'7" dia blade that I just put on the pole yesterday. Believe it or not, the wind did blow. Only 7mph by local weather stations but my mill took off putting 25 watts into 2 125AH batteries. Within seconds the wind picked up to around 9mph and my batteries went from 26.5v to 28.2v, my resistor dump load was handling the rest. Again, thanks to GHURD for the inexpensive resistors. I'm using a Tristar 45 to route power to batteries and dump load in diversion mode. I have no 24v inverter yet so Im hoping on that for the future and then I can start putting this power to use.

Mr Flux had been contacted while I was building this unit, we needed his expertise and knowledge. I wanted to send a special thanks to him as well for his willingness to help. I sit here typing, looking out the window and watching my mill turn.

.

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm249/Southbuck7/IMG_0732.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm249/Southbuck7/IMG_0730.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm249/Southbuck7/IMG_0679.jpg

What a joyful Christmas Day. God Bless you all and thanks.

Fused

...and not "quite" as con-Fused

AKA Doug

Hope this is what you wanted. TW

[Fused]

TomW you out there? I need help deleting the double post half of this. Sorry, had problems with trying to insert pictures and I guess I screwed it up. Merry Christmas!

[Fused]

Ive been reading this forum for over 3 years and find it the best informational site out on the web for RE DIY projects. Thanks to all for your contributions.

can you remove this line at bottom? this is also double posted..........and my last posts trying to fix this? Thanks TW

[Dave B]

Tremendous, a great story and inspiration to others wondering about starting such a project with limited resources. Good luck with your projects in the future also, we have to believe now there will be more.

  Dave B.

[oztules]

Nice project and great looking results. This is what windmilling is all about.... good clean fun.

I have noticed that the concentration of flux between magnet plates is such that there is very little stray flux to avoid re: your steel stator bolts in close proximity to the disks.

Many happy hours to be spent just looking at it.... and fiddling with it..... endlessly.

Good stuff

oztules

[Fused]

Thanks guys, the kind words are appreciated.

My first build of this mill had 1 magnet rotor and 1 steel plate with fake magnets of steel bar stock cut to the same size as the magnets. At that time I could hang a washer off my stator bolts while turning the rotors. After I removed the fake magnets and installed real magnets it was just as you said and the flux was concentrated well enough that the washer would no longer hang off the stator bolts. Its all a fun learning process.

Fused

[fabricator]

That's pretty darn cool, I'm a tin knocker myself, although we tend to be more into the heavy metal.

[SparWeb]

Thanks Doug for telling the story.  Especially for mentioning how accessible and satisfying it has been for you.  You don't have to spend a lot to get started and you can always improve pieces later.

Enjoy!

[captain nodge]

As usual im really inspired by all you guys and your acheivements,ive only

been on this site for a couple of months and have a mountain of information

saved,admittably a lot of it is beyond my station (thank you ghurd lol)

Idid originally come on here to figure out how to re wire a 24v dynamo

i think i will now abandon that idea and have a go building from scratch

nothing to large yet as i live on a old trawler and idealy need something that

i can attach to my steel mast,i have 2 factory built 300watt turbines which i have

had for 12years (i have had to rebuild one at least twice and the the other once as their stators burned out)being totally off grid, and using when no wind,, a diesel genny,

so i need something in the region of a 3foot blade 500 700 watt 12v turbine that works in a 20 ~30 mph wind

I have about 800amphrs of fla batts that are 3years old now and are getting less

and less efficient not too bad though considering use everyday through a 600watt

pure sine 12v inverter,

Anyway my original posting here was to say thanks guys (and galls ive noticed)

for a great site, thanks to all the help and inspiration, and im looking forward

to building my own homebrewed power.

Nice one Fused for building a cool looking turbine from shallow pockets, look forward to seeing how much lecky you get from it

ALL THE BEST TO ALL IN THE COMING NEW YEAR

CAPTNODGE UK

[ghurd]

Looks Great!

Let us know how it goes with more wind.

G-

[Jerry]

Hi Doug.

Great build. Is that a LAU shaft to hub adaptor I see on the outer disc?

I use alot of those in my projects both dual rotor and motor conversions.

HVAC guys have tons of great hardware available. Its amazing how much of it goes into the recycle dumpster.

Your on a role now, keepem coming.

Jerry

[Fused]

Yes Jerry that's the hub adapter, got the idea of using it from you. I installed a steel spacer between rotors for added strength. Worried set screws were not enough to hold 16 2x1x1/2" mags apart. So far no problems at all. Little sucker has batteries up to max voltage within 30 seconds above cut in speed. Too lazy to stay in barn checking amps, when I checked with 18v cordless drill attached to shaft I get 4+amps at 400 rpm into batteries. Flux had said to make sure I get it to furl at 300 watts so there's plenty to play with yet.

Thanks for your comments guys, its all appreciated.

Fused

[Fused]

I just had to add....

Yesterday I finally had good wind, wind reported was to be 10-20 mph. Watching my gauges I seen 8 amps at 28.3 volts. It normally runs in the 1-3 amp range in average low winds but it was great to see it jump when the winds picked up. My 300 watts max is not at all out of range, Ive had stronger winds but never at the right spot at the right time to actually watch it. What fun it is to see your work perform.

Thanks again to all for this great forum.

Fused