Wind vs Electronics

[tecker]

 Having the stuff to put together a unit of the kinds that are on these threads   most think is competent . Maintaining that unit is with out a doubt a function of staying open to the faults of a system and implementing changes (always a  learning experience). It's obvious from the postings some posses skills that are a cut above . I think though the true bond we all share is a commitment to independence it seems to cross all boundaries . This more than any one thing is the catalysis to finish and implement the facilities that are basic to life or maybe just creature comforts .

Independence seems to carry most away from a close ordered society only to start a preparedness that looks quite similar .  Trade offs I guess . Knowing the odds are lessened

As far as weapons go here's hoping they remain a creature comfort and a collectors dream.

[Phil Timmons]

Sure, but folks down there cannot even come up with normal names for animals.

Let alone trying to cross-breed your engineers.  

Nothing good will come of your heretic behavior.

[dyslexicbloke]

Round mags .... mmmm

I posted this some time ago, and only got ridiculed, all be it gently.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/8/12/14931/9129

It is only a concept but considering the extreme lack of engineering and total lack of any tolerances to speak of I was pretty happy with there results of my tests.

Yes two mag rotors would improve it by much more than 50%, but then I would need a much higher powered rotor.

Laminations might help but probably not much, see useful comments on eddy currents, it is something that will need to be played with

Magnet and coil spacing and layout work well, its simple to wind, only 3 coils wound 2 in hand. Despite the comments about overplayed coils I still believe this is the way to go for small machines. When all said and done if you can extract sufficient power to limit the speed of your rotor, what else is there.

Take a look at this, which is getting raved about (Great building job I think)

It is a recent post about a commercial unit with virtually no lams, one layer of steel wire sits below the ring of coils, something I might try when I rebuild mine from plastic sheet. The coil layout looks exactly as you would expect in a comertial motor / alternator, which is exactly what I was trying to emulate with my version, the difference being I didnt need to use a big complex winding machine or spend a week doing the job.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/7/15/143921/757

Its worth considering that a round or square coil is not an efficient coil because it has as much inactive winding as it does active. That said a long narrow coil has better proportions but needs more expensive magnets, once again how much power are you hoping to get, there loads of extremely successful commercial units delivering less than an amp to charge batteries.

I am planning a VAWT because it is silent, important for UK urban planning, and will well handle the sort of wind you get blowing over roves in an urban environment.

No it wont extract as much power fro any given wind condition as a well designed HWAT but it also wont shake its self to bits yawing back and forth 10 times a minute and will actually benefit from wind that is accelerated as it passes over the pitch of my roof.

Don't be put off by people who think anything under 10' foot is a joke, we don't all have the space to even consider that sort of project and remember a great many highly successful designs, of all sorts of things, exist commercially because they are practical and easy to manufacture at a reasonable cost, not because they are necessary the best possible solution to the problem in its purest sense.

Al