rough cost of an axial flux generator?

[strider3700]

I'm wondering roughly what the cost of building a hugh piggot style generator for a 6' or 8' turbine would cost these days.  Assuming we order the metal parts, the wire and the magnets for our host site here does anyone have a rough idea on the total cost when you include things like the resin, the bolts, bearings,...  basically everything but the blades and tower?  

The reason I'm asking is my previous attempts where successful in the sense that I did get power but where also disappointing in the sense that it would take days to charge an AA battery.  So I'm trying to decide do I track down a 30V ametek for $50-70 or do I take my time and build it right.    

Jamie

[DanB]

I think if you buy everything off our site (and there are cheaper places to get magnets) that we have to offer - and have us build the blades, and the stator and do all the metal work it could be as much as $1100 -  1200.  If you go 'cheaper' - make your own rotors (or use brake rotors) and do all your own work I expect you could get in under $300 for a complete turbine.  

[vawtman]

Dan hit the nail on the head.

 Some guys could do it for free from residue from other projects.(fun though)

 Its not cheap if you cant build or fix.But for some its not worth the bother.

 Never had a car or truck in the garage in 30yrs of driving.

 Mark

[strider3700]

sorry if I wasn't clear.  I'm not looking for a bolt together kit or anything it's just that the metal parts are outside of my tool range. I can weld and I figure with some time I can knock out the stator once I track down the resin and wire but things like the rotor disks are well outside of my tool capability unless I get creative with the bench grinder and minigrinder.  Even then without a drill press I'd be worried about screwing the holes up and having issues.  So I'd guess I'd pay someone to make the rotors but I have no clue how much something something like that would cost to have done.   I see I can buy them on here  but I'm sure shipping on metal disks would likely make it not worthwhile.

I will very much be following the piggot plans for a first attempt based on what the magnets and wire are likely to cost.

[cyplesma]

ok, I'm going to say this, but let me show you some pics.

I have to take them first, but I was able to do some things late last friday, and did some testing sunday (had to visit some relatives saturday).

I actually have a perfect sine wave, I haven't been able to get the voltage up to 12 volts yet by turning it by hand and I can only get it going about 160 rpms by hand, but with the right blades (still need to make, I will be using pvc).

but let me grab my camera and see what I can show and tell.

.

[cyplesma]

now not many people (if any) will recommend you build a wind mill this way, but due to my materials on hand / budget in pocket.

I'm using a 20 inch bike frame to mount a 16 inch bike wheel.

I'm using small wedge neos I bought from wondermagnet a few years back. (yeaup almost about to put them to use)

I respoked the bike wheel

I screwed small slotted angle iron onto the bike wheel.

glued the magnets (16) onto the slotted angle iron

right now I have 12 coils (14# - 43 turns) tie strapped to a 1/4" piece of plywood

I mounted a piece of angle iron behind the plywood.

I am using a commercial grade 3phase diode rectifier to convert from 3 phase ac to dc

I'm hoping just the link shows and not the pic it's kinda big, having a little trouble with my digital camera. and the software to reduce the picture size.

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/4112/rotormountedovercoil.jpg

here's a couple more

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/4112/3phasediode.jpg

two unused connectors are for the DC out.

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/4112/twophasesinewave.jpg

this is two of the three phases (currently star)

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/4112/statormountingtestwirehookup.jpg

this is the mounting of the laminate behind the coils.

if the pics do show in this post I am sorry.

8 )

[cyplesma]

oh including test equipment, inverters, batteries, (mostly from ebay) I've spent 400.00 - 600.00 so far (I have some automotive repair fiberglass resin handy but not sure how soon I'll use it), but what I'm learning now to be able to build a few more reduces the cost on the next ones.

yes that is plural.

8 )

[coldspot]

cyplesma-

"the software to reduce the picture size."

I use "Irfanview" a great pic tool and free down load!

Many here also use it!

[Capt Slog]

Here's mine:-

Discs, 2 of 10" by 1/4" thick steel with a central hole cut and supplied...£20

Magnets N42 1" diameter 3/8" thick   24 of.................................£25

Wire 1kg (two spools) of 16 swg enammeled copper...........................£14

Resin and glass fibre tissue, about 750ml..................................£15

A few fittings and tools I didn't have.....................................£10

The blades I cut from a piece of pipe I asked for from a builders skip......£0

All the rest salvaged, scavenged or lying about in the shed............. ...£0

Total......................................................................£84

 or around $170

[luv2weld]

strider,

the answer is going to depend on you and your resources. Are you going to

buy every nut and bolt?? Do you already have some 3/8" bolts lying around??

Is there an auto salvage yard close by that you can visit to get the hub??

Do you plan on buying a hub and spindle from a local trailer dealer??

These are all things that we cannot answer. The only way to get an answer

that you can accept and live with----is for you to answer it.

Get a pencil and tablet and make you a shopping list.

I have this---

I need that---

etc.

Then start "window shopping". I can get the resin here for $5.75. The other

place had it for $6.50. Everywhere you go, take your notebook with you and see

what they have that's on your list. "Hey, they don't have 1/2" threaded rod,

but they do have 9/16" and it's cheaper than the other places 1/2 inch. I can

make that work."

And if you have to order something, don't forget the

shipping. Most of the time, shipping and local taxes are about the same, unless

it's something that's really heavy.

Which brings us to the problem you had with the rotors----we can't

advise you because we don't know where you live. Why don't you email the folks

that are nice enough to host this board and ask for a shipping quote???

Or use this link and call them on the phone.

http://www.forcefieldmagnets.com/catalog/shipping.php

When you get the prices on everything that you need, add them up----then you'll have

your answer.

Sorry if you think I insulted you, but this is a "no win" situation. We just

can't give you the answer.

Ralph

[winddreamer]

for a 10' dan B design it cost me about 180  

I really think it all depends on your skills  it cost me about 140 for 24 1x2x1/2 n42 magents by the time I got them to canada

 and $40 dollars for the mag wire was my only cost. / the mag wire is now up to 7 dollars a pound though...

anyway  I have to say I am really impressed with the power output..

the summer storms that we have been having have been making lots of power...

I am now using 6 35a bridge rectifiers  because I burnt out the three I started with (:

have fun building

wes

[Volvo farmer]

Off the front page and into the Newbies dungeon?

There must be something wrong with me. I thought this was a great topic for the front page. Hundreds of people come here with an interest in wind power and get to read a discussion of what it might actually cost to do such a thing if they want to DIY  or buy a kit, or something in between. I thought it was great advertising for the water jet cut parts sold by our hosts as well.

Sure, it fits the newbies topic, but the way this place is laid out, I'd think one in twenty new visitors would ever figure out how to read it. We've got the "Front Page", "Everything", and then this place where new people interested in wind power get their posts hidden from the public eye.

I just don't get it.

[TomW]

Gee, The story is set to "always display" [thats front page essentially]. It is a fair assumption the subject is of interest to Newbies as they get involved. I never actually use the front page so I don't know if it actually shows there but "always display" should make it do just that.

How would you do it?

Back to the impossibility of pleasing everyone and making a decision based on what you think is right.

T

[strider3700]

When I put the story together I specificially picked newbies as the section to put it in.  Not sure what determines what goes on the front page.  Either way I agree this is probably of interest to most newbies like myself

[strider3700]

Thanks things like this and winddreamers post was exactly what I was looking for.  I had no idea if I was looking at $100 or $1000 to build from scratch and how the prices would break down.  As is pointed out below yes I can go window shopping to price out many of the items but things like metal disks being cut and drilled for me I had no idea what that's going to cost.  Now I at least know a quote of $100 is me getting screwed over.

Thanks for all the help guys.

[Volvo farmer]

I apologize. I just don't understand how this forum software works and jumped to conclusions. Please let me explain.

I am not logged in at work, I see this neat posting on the front page because that is what is displayed if you're not logged in.

I come home (where I am logged in) and want to see if there's any new additions to the posting. I have "everything" set as my preference. The posting is not there. I click on "Front Page"... I just saw it there two hours ago. It is not there. So I go searching for it and find it in "Newbies".

If I log out, there it is again on the Front Page.  

None of this makes sense to me. Why would something be -on- the front page if I'm not logged in and -not- on the front page if I am logged in?

How would I do it?

Well you asked.

phpBB

[RP]

Volvo,

The problem is that you have "Everything" as your main page.  There was a discussion about this a few months ago when the Newbies page was created.

In fact "Newbies" stuff is not included in the "Everything" page (it's the only thing that isn't).  Even while logged in if you click on "Front Page" at the top of the window, you'll see this thread listed at the top.

Hope this helps.

rp

[TomW]

Strider;

This is a great post asking about the resources required to get one built.

At risk of going even further off topic.

Stories by default only display "in section". Editors or admins can bump any story up to front page status based on relevance, interest, or whatever.  They can also switch the section a story is in to a more appropriate section.

Just the nutshell version of how we try to do things. Skim off the cream for front page display but some days its just skim milk so its a moving target kind of thing.

Cheers.

TomW

[Capt Slog]

Beware.

I was quoted £50 each for those steel discs at two companies I contacted. The chap I went to took an interest in what I was doing; he combined my job with another (reducing the set-up costs) and charged me as a cash deal with no invoice.

Shop around.  Hope you get on ok.

[jmk]

 You should know that it will cost you more than grid power. Most people find out that it's a hobby after they get into the middle of it. With the price of copper wire, along with inverters and controls it is expensive. I spent $1,000 on my batteries alone and its the smallest bank I could build for a 24 volt system. They say the life span is only 5 - 7 years too. I built the tower and mill pretty much from the scrap yard and bought all the wire, batteries, cables, and controls new. I spent almost $5,000 on my system. It's Hugh's 12' turbine on a 54' tower that's 210' from the house. Plus if you have trees in your wind site your power is going to sporadic and the pay off will be a lot less. For me the batteries alone will never pay for themselves. All though it is great fun to make your own power, plus it works as back up power too. Another thing is time dedicated to it. It took me a years time of spare time to build it. You have to spend time to maintain it too. It has to be for someone who likes it as a hobby I think.

[Mary B]

As someone pointed you to me the magnet rotors don't have to be round, they could be an octagon shape which will only require straight cuts. Mark the center and center punch it and do your layout from that point and you should be ok.

[cyplesma]

yeah, it's definitely not for the "set it and forget it" mindset.

even commercial systems need their required attention I mean preventive maintenance.

just like all those robots that have replace workers. company doesn't have to pay for break time but they do pay for down time and retooling.

[Jason Wilkinson]

I am sorry i did not total the cost of my project  but just to mention the cost of the main important components. mag & rectifiers $600.00+,tower & guy wires $600.00+

stator around $200.00  Two 12" rotors about $60.00  blades? i'm on my 4th set of blades. 1st set at 39" to get the "feel" of carving, 2nd carved "perfect but too small for 12" rotor, 3rd set came crashing down, 4th set is now 45' in the air. After spending over $1500.00 i still have to look at batt and inverter. But i can say this it's not the cost   it's the JOY of doing it  the JOY of seeing it turn in the wind,knowing that your own hands did it. So to all i say let not the cost deter you  GO FOR IT.

    Jason from Barbados W I.

[GlutealCleft]

This is probably common knowledge, but if you're looking for enamel wire, look around and see if there's a source of old, used - even dead - CRTs in your area.  Some of them have pretty substantial amounts of enamel wire in the degaussing loop.  It's kind of hit-and-miss as to which have more (and which have the size you want), but you might get lucky and find a business getting rid of a bunch of the same model, or something like that.

Time and patience can pay off in finding things cheaply or free!

steve