Most people who've purchased those in the past got them super cheap, or were in the learning phase too. They are good just for learning and will in fact hold up for a while , if kept to their limits.
Most you'll see have either 4-blades or 3-blades between 6 and 4 foot if my bubble memory is working today
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20AMP! O-boy! might be a good time to look into the two books from the Dans and Swind<sp?
Both are really the best way to get into these larger mill sizes.
Cheers
Bruce S
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lol-yeah, I see your point... So I would be better off with something producing more in the 75-100amp range or is that weak too?
So for a successful DC Motor Turned "Wind Genny", I would need something that is rated for more in the 20amp+ range from the factory or what?
My dc treadmill motor was good for 16.9 amps and ~120 volts, but they come in all different shapes and sizes. Anything over 10 amps would do pretty good. The rpm/volt ratio is the key, as you want a motor that is less than 25 rpms/volt in my opinion. Mine is 33 rpm/volt and it doesn't start producing power til ~17 mph, which I never get those types of wind. I would think that a ~5-6 foot diameter 3 blade set up would be good for ~50 watts in a nice breeze. My peak was 173 watts in maybe 30 mph winds with 4 ft diameter blades. The brushes aren't too happy up past 15 amps.... 20 amps and smoke will start pouring out in about a minute.
Of course, if you want to go with a smaller blade diameter, you can go with a higher rpm/volt, but start up, friction, and cogging becomes a big issue.
So your motor wa "rated" for 16.9amps?
I would have a 14.4v Cut-in at just under 59rpms... Which is good from my understanding... BUT, if I'm not able to produce the Amperage... then I guess it's nothing to write home about. Sooooo, let me ask this. (see, questions!) If I'm simply using my Bird to charge a Bank of Batteries in conjunction with a Solar System... would this be adequate and more Appropriate of an application?
So lets say that my main source of charging would be the Solar panels (however that may be setup..?) and on days that it was to much overcast, which seems to go hand in hand with more wind, is this something more to focus on? Like I said, I'm looking to "try" and lower the electricity consumption of my breeding program setup.