Author Topic: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine  (Read 5071 times)

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Elfiend

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Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« on: January 13, 2015, 06:47:39 PM »
Hey everyone, wind energy newbie here, wondered if I could get some advice on which of the following would be the best route to go or if I should find a more effective motor to build my first wind turbine.

1) GS 2hp Permanent Magnet Motor Ratings 15 Amps 130 VDC @ 6600 RPM
2) Baldor DC Industrial Treadmill Motor 3hp 15 Amps 180V 3200 RPM

If I calculated correctly the 1st motor I posted would need to spinning at about 609 RPM's to produce 12V and the 2nd one seems more promising since it would produce 12v at 213 RPM's or so. I think the 1st one needs to spin way too fast so what would my options be to make a wind turbine out of it? Gearing it? Amplifying voltage circuit? In an ideal world I would like to put out 24v
The installation site would be an off grid farm that is on top of a small mountain that always has constant wind/breeze and its occasional high speed gusts. I believe the 1st motor (GS) is brushless and the 2nd one (Baldor) has brushes. If I can generate useful electricity I will definitely look into getting more motors/ building more windmills. The GS motor seems a little more simple, with just the positive and negative cables. The Baldor  has a few more cables  (Green, White Black on one side and thinner Red Green Black plug on the other) . I can only get a very low voltage reading when I spin it by hand out of the plug side, with no reading coming out of the back end (thicker cables). The person that gave me the motor mentioned that the brushes need to be replaced so I thought that may be the issue but I unscrewed the plugs holding them down and they seem fine with quite a bit of carbon left. I am new to dc motors/ wind energy so sorry for the dumb questions. Maybe someone has more experience with the industrial treadmill dc motors and can help me test it out with my multimeter (The numbers seemed great but  I know that brushed motors aren't the top choice, got it for free so figured it was worth a try).  It is from a Landice Treadmill you can see it in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2BZpKNWVEA  . If not it is very similar to the one in the video.
I have access to another PM treadmill motor with the following specs: 2.65 hp130vdc 18 Amps at 6700 RPM but I figured it would also need higher RPM's to produce a usable voltage (I did get about 4 Volts spinning it by hand).  I also have a small radiator fan motor laying around. I spun it around with a drill and got a little over 4 volts DC but I don't think I can do anything with that low of voltage but correct me if I am wrong. Oh there's also an old alternator sitting around if I could use it for anything.
Again I apologize if some of these things have been asked over and over. I have tried to read up on different diy windmill forums for a couple weeks. Cross posting on a few websites to see if I get more feedback. I do have a small solar system set up that I plan on adding to as budget allows, this should serve as a compliment to that since every time I go to the farm it is pretty windy although I haven't collected wind data over a period of time. Thanks a bunch

Elfiend

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Re: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2015, 06:51:12 PM »
Sorry about the block format. I copy/pasted

gww

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Re: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2015, 07:12:28 PM »
el
Welcome.  I have never built a turbine that was free even when using free stuff.  The wire, towers, dumploads and charge controllers and batteries.  My honest opinion is that unless you really like playing and don't mind loseing cause you think of it as a hobby, you should put all your resources to solar.  Even with solar you will lose money if you could have used the grid.  there are special times like a couple leds as a private camp site or something where an extention cord won't reach.  How ever if you want to do it you will power more with just solar.  With solar you can add more panels (sometimes) through the same wire you have with the panel you start with. The charge controller just shuts the solar down when the voltage gets too high.  When that happens in wind you have to keep the turbine loaded.  I like your second motor best but I wonder how long brushes last in a wind turbine situation.  If you do solar you will need racking and such. 

These are just my thoughts after taking 10 microwaves apart, making ceiling fan turbines with $40 bucks worth of walmart magnets.  making a belt driven turbine with a motor simular to yours.  Making hugh piggot desine turbines that atleast work "so far".  The tower alone is a really big task. 

If you decide it is worth it anyway.  I like you second motor out of the two you have and if you find an old smart drive in an old whirlpool washing machine that could work without to many mods.

If it looks like you are going to have to spend money, You might try hugh piggots desine.

Good luck
gww

TDC

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Re: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2015, 08:54:52 PM »
Hi, Elfiend, another newbe here. There is a LOT to learn.  As a newbe I spent countless hours binge reading this forum and other sites. Forget car alternators.  A google search of this forum gave me for 477 hits for treadmill motor.  http://www.fieldlines.com/index.php?topic=148454.0   
I can't give good advice for motor choice,  I would suggest you build an axial flux generator.  Some older but free plans. http://www.scoraigwind.com/download/index.htm
Required reading...  http://scoraigwind.co.uk/        http://www.scoraigwind.com/      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hugh+piggot
I think gww made some good points. A good first step might be deciding how much power you need and how much you are willing to spend.

Mary B

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Re: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2015, 05:07:09 PM »
Keep an out out for the ECM style motors that are used in heating and cooling systems. Easy to separate the coils into three phase, or rectify each phase separate or... they are permanent magnet, 1750rpm is typical. Testing the one I have 12 volts is easy to reach also. Will the bearings stand up to wind gen use? Unknown I am thinking of belt or chain driven for my use off a yard art wind turbine that emulates the old water pumper windmills

SparWeb

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Re: Choosing a motor for my first diy wind turbine
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2015, 01:25:06 AM »
Sounds to me like you want to try it just for the fun of trying.  That's the spirit!  Welcome to the forum, too.

I think you'd have more luck with the second motor.  The small wires may be a tachometer - but there could be surprises in any motor.  I've found that the Baldor website is searchable enough that with determined poking and prodding you can get at a datasheet that lists your motor (sometimes even proprietary numbers can be found) and maybe some of the specs.  A datasheet may also give the kind of use the motor is intended for, which may help you understand the spare wires.

The one drawback - those brushes.  It limits the life of the motor.  Consider how many hours a treadmill will run (1 hour per week?!) versus a wind turbine (turning constantly in some cases, 50/50 in my case).  The brushes will wear out quickly.  You could look at getting the simple motor outfitted with blades and into the air fast, for just a few months, to get some experience.  Then plan to use what you learn to build better with a better generator for the long-term turbine that you intend to last for years.
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