I saw their listings on E-bay. If I recall, It looked like a radiator fan or so bolted to a permanent magnet motor, with no furling. I am not sure how the blade set was attached, but if it is a set screw, they don't work as well as crimp type connectors. I'm not sure of the power curve of the permanent magnet motor that they use, but the blades aren't very impressive to me. You could pull more power from the wind with a decent set of airfoil blades providing that they match the alternator(generators) power requirements.
You can make a new mount if you have the materials and the tools, it is not as difficult as you might think. I made a crimp type mount for Ametek motors out of some aluminum stock using a circular saw (carbide tipped blade), a drill press, drill bits, and a tap and die to thread a couple of holes. I don't have any pictures where I am at, so it might be kind of difficult to follow, but below is a written description of how I did it. I will post pictures if you would like when I get the chance.
I used the saw to cut about a 2" length of rectangular aluminum bar stock, 1.5 by 2 by 2 or so, Then I drilled a 5/8" (I think) hole about 3/4 of the way through on one of the 1.5 by 2" facings, then I cut a slit in the aluminum about the same depth (inch and a half or so) the long way across the same facing that intersects the middle of the 5/8" hole. I drilled two holes sized for a 1/4" 20TPI tap all the way through the block across the slit I had cut. I redrilled the top half before that hole intersected the slit with a slightly larger bit and threaded the bottom half 1/4" 20 TPI, and then drilled three holes in a triangular pattern on the face oposite the 5/8" hole and threaded them 1/4" 20 TPI as well. That way I can bolt a flat circular piece to the end of the shaft by drilling three matching holes for the triangle. I made 4 of them at the time for some Ametek Motors, and they work well. They are probably not very balanced by themselves, but I balance the whole assembly once the blades are on. They grip very well when tightened down, and thus far I have had no failures with the mounts.
Originally I had used set screw type fittings, basically an aluminum rod with a flat on one side with a threaded hole to mount the blades, and a hole and a set screw on the other. I had the blades come off a few times on very small setups, and DANB had suggested that crimp type connectors worked better for holding them on. Thus far empircal evidence shows me that this is correct.
I don't know how it performs with the radiator fan blade it came with, but you might just bolt it onto a new mount. If it didn't do much then you might want new blades.
Options for new blades would be to:
Carve your own - Best because if you know the power curve of your alternator (how many watts it takes to spin it to a given RPM) which you can estimate from the power output when it is spinning at a given RPM, you can carve blades of a size and shape that the blades pull the right amount of power at the right rpm based upon what power is available for that wind speed and diameter. This however takes a bit of knowledge, and a bit of work. See the pages on making blades on this site. Also, for some simple blades from PVC pipe, search for Zub-Woofers on this site. There are lots of detailed instructions out on the web for carving blades from wood, PVC, and many other materials.
Buy blades that are a reasonable match for your machine, depending on the alternator, possibly Jerry blades or others. Unless your motor is a low torque high rpm type, which I doubt, I would stay away from aluminum blades as aluminum does not elastically deform much, and metal fatigue would likely show up during high winds when the blades are under the most stress. Think throwing knives. I would probably also stay away from the thin, high TSR hornet style blades commonly sold on E-Bay touted as beaking the 'magical' 1500rpm barrier because the permanent magnet motor you have will most likely require more torque to start than they would likely provide in low winds, which are prevelant most areas, most of the time. You likely need a lower TSR wider airfoil to better match that motor, but I do not know for sure, I am just guessing based on the fact that they were running it with a radiator fan. (I have made and sold small wooden blades on E-Bay in the past, but I have none available at present, and even if I did, I do not know if any I make would work with your alternator, the largest being 18".)
I am sorry that you were taken in by false promises of someone out for a quick buck. I've been ripped off before as well and hate it when that happens. It gives wind power a bad name, when it really is practical for quite a few applications. Rich Hagen
