Creation of a electricity FAQ?

[Sponge]

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if there wasn't room for the creation of a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) regarding creation of electricity. Maybe there is already such a thing, and I have looked completely over it.

There is such an incredible amount of knowledge on the pages, but some of the information needs to be kinda... extracted. Some information can only be found in maybe one or two project pages. I'm thinking of items like:

• Difference between thin wire and thicker wire, while keepin the same amount of windings
  
• Amount of magnets and coils: Is it  the best to keep the amount of coils the same as the number of magnets?
  
• What is a reasonable airgap?
  
• A few example cases (many turns with low RPM, or many? thicker wire, or less thicker. Think about Skippy's alternator, which is different compared to a normal HAWT)
  
• How to prevent really bad things from happening (with magnets, tools, you name it)
  
• What to do with the generated electricity (rectifiers, etc?)
  
  

Well, I think that should given an impression of what I mean. For example, I'm working on a simple Savonius. I need to light up a few leds, I figured I need like 100 windings, but for low-rpm I might need way more? I cannot find the relation between RPM and windings on the project page - If there is such a relation.

Maybe it's an idea to create something like this. Either a special page, or using a simple FAQ like system or Wiki, where everyone can edit their own information. (like  http://www.gpwiki.org).

Well, it's just an idea . Hence it's in the Rants & opinion section.

Regards,

Sponge

[TomW]

Sponge;

Excellent idea, really!

Problem is nobody seems to take the initiative to read them, everyone seems to want to be spoon fed answers.

You can see it on this forum. Simple often answered questions asked repeatedly. Just the nature of the internet, I guess.

I say go forth and make it happen.

T

[Norm]

  As you go thru these postings ...day by day

and just one floppy disk can hold hundreds of

shortcuts...1.44 meg?

  You can have seperate catagories on seperate

disks even...

               ( :>) Norm.

[benjamindees]

I cannot find the relation between RPM and windings on the project page - If there is such a relation.

My understanding is that there is a linear relationship between RPM and voltage, as well as a linear relationship between windings and voltage.  This is probably simplistic, as it ignores resistance.  But something like rpm * windings = voltage.

[Sponge]

Glad that you like the idea! I can simply host anything without much of a problem.

The question is, would it be more FAQ based (questions, answers) or wiki based?

For an example of a FAQ system:

http://www.phpmybackuppro.net/faq/ (just one of the references found on http://www.phpmyfaq.de/referenzen.php)

Or, wiki based, like the earlier given example (www.gpwiki.org or www.wikipedia.org) where everyone can simply add and edit whatever he or she wants. I'm sure you guys have heard about the success of most wiki's like wikipedia .

I definetly do not want that a split occurs of forums (Just like some of the programming once, what a mess to search in all those forums!), so it's a wiki site only.

My opinion would be that a wiki suits it the best, where everyone can add what she wants, whenever she wants. So if someone is writing a little bit about coil spacing, the author of that famous coil spacing picture can put it there too .

Regards,

Almar

[TomW]

Almar;

Well the wiki concept seems to be too open to be useful and could lead to lots of erroneous data included as "fact".  Beyond that concern I think anything would be better than nothing.

I think Dan would gladly link to such a resource from here.

It would be a monumental task to undertake but the more info made available the better I think.

Just my opinion.

T

[Sponge]

Well, I'm one of the moderators at the Game programmin wiki, and some people add some odd text sometimes. But you can simply revert to a previous edit.

And I agree about the info thing . I'd like to 'squeeze' some 'common' information into a central place .

Also, some pages can simply be 'protected' so other people cannot modify it anymore. Well I guess we can just see how it works out .

[richhagen]

I agree with TomW that it is an excellent idea.  Perhaps even a simple table, or perhaps a table for each of the major variants such as dual rotor axial flux HAWT, motor conversion Hawt, VAWT types.  Include fields for specific parameters as well as comments so that people can see the trends in performance and compare two mostly similar mills for the results.  The biggest problem aside from entering the data would be keeping erroneous data out of the table.  Rich

[wooferhound]

well ,  There is a FAQ already started here on the board. It's in the top right-hand square on this page under the 'MENU' heading. Needs a bit of adding to though. I frequently link into it to provide some of the more simpler answers. Perhaps that area could be modified so that anybody can post a Question/Answer combo. It might even be nice to let other users add to the information in the form of comments (wiki style sorta).

[veewee77]

I, myself, LOVE this forum just as it is! It is a one-stop information gold mine for anyone wanting to do this stuff.  I know some get upset when a new guy asks a stupid question that has been answered before in this forum, but we all have to remember that we were all born naked. We didn't just pop out of the shoot and create the perfect windmill that produces all the power we need and is immune to high winds, heats all our water, cooks breakfast and feeds the dog.

So a new guy asks a seemingly stuid question. . . perhaps he is earnestly seeking an answer and if he doesn't know anything, it may be a legitimate question to him.

I was there, too, and I asked some pretty dumb questions, looking back on it then, but they were earnest questions to me then.

I still have many questions about things and sometimes I just sit back and watch the forum go by and end up seeing the same thing asked by another guy and it is the answer to my stupid question.

If we change this forum and add a wiki or whatever, it will actually get harder to get a new guy 'on the ball' because the information will get spread out thin, and could actually scare them off.

The information on this forum is powerful . . . literally. And if a new guy asks a stupid question, and if you feel like answering him, do so, but if you don't or the question seems dumb to you, don't belittle that new guy.  Reference a past article or something, or just ask him to search the site himself.  I know several times I have seen a dumb question asked and someone replys with a link or other info and I go read it and find a 'nugget' of info that I hadn't even though about, that wasn't even related to my stupid question, but was great food for thought about something else.

Let's keep it here if we can, guys!

I'll shut up now. . .

JMO - YMMV

Doug

[ja2tn]

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT answer!!  Learning is a perpetual, never ending, ongoing process!  When, as a newbie, you delve into the archives and see the amount of information covered there it can be intimidating to someone with little or no previous knowledge of the subject matter contained.  Enough to scare good, solid R.E. candidates into thinking this stuff is just to complicated, no wonder R.E. isn't mainstream.  With a little patience, as sense of being a mentor [which, like it or not, is what you real knowledgeable folks are to the rest of us] tomorrow's R.E. junkies can be born.  This is what it is going to take to mainstream R.E., by which in turn we will all benefit by the lower price of parts and materials and the extra $$$$$ into the research as it becomes more and more marketed, which will make those we only dream of now commonplace.

Doug, your answer was profound and right on the money!!  GOOD ANSWER, GOOD ANSWER!!

[aogden]

I'm for the wiki! I do not think it would diminish the forum.

From the wikis I've seen the concept works well. Allowing dynamic content is good, erronious content gets removed. The big benefit is there are so many brilliant participants of this forum it would be ashame not to make it easy to include their input.

Just establish some simple guidelines, state the purpose, breadth of content, limit posting to forum registrants and let it flow.

My 2 watts worth!

Adrian

[Sponge]

Well, I am the kind of person that also searches everywhere on the net, before asking . The problem is that so many information is unfinable through the search engine. Although the Google version does a better job at this though.

Don't see it like a seperate site, it's just an extension ofwhat Otherpower.com already is. People can put information there whenever he or she likes. And I think it miht attract more people if some of the more basic things are somewhat clearer.

My current windmill project is going to be an interesting project, which I'm pursueing mostly because it 1) has never done before, and 2) might attract more people to make their own windmills.

I'd think we should just see what happens, and if it causes negative influences, we could just remove it again...

[ghurd]

I like this site the way it is.  I don't even know what wiki is.

I had NO problems at the beginning, maybe because I have a fairly heavy background in electricity.

My problems came later for me.

1) There is a gap in tech info. It seems to go from slapping blades on an TDM, to a brief look at very simple conversions and Wooden mills, to full blown complex machines.  That is great for someone making a copy of a working machine to get real power.

But I am just playing around.  New ideas or very small designs, mostly toys.

2. Never knowing, or not remembering, the proper terms for a decent search.
   
3. Kind of a lack of formulas in a central location for those who want to try something different.  I looked for a LONG time for a couple.
   
   

With #1 & #3 that made for a steep learning curve, for me at least.

No solution for #2 except keep reading.

Seems like a 'Newbie Corner' with just a couple pages would help.

Like 'The Right Hand Rule', magnetic flux acting with and without laminates and a second rotor, Hugh's winding formula with a simple discription, Betz Limit, TSR / wind speed / RPMs relation, Single and 3 phase, and maybe a simple chart with power available in 5, 10, 15 and 20mph wind for a 2, 4, 6, and 8 foot blade set.

Wow. That list got long.

It is all covered on the internet, but not often related to homebrew.

But it shouldn't take much space. All the information is already here, and with some great drawings I might add!  Sometimes it is just hard for a newbie to find.

For example, search for Hugh's formula, but use terms a newbie would likely be using, like don't use his name, etc.  That's hard to find!

A 'newbie corner' for some basic understanding what is going on, instead of 'build it just like this', or 'this worked for me', or 'we figured 37 windings per coil, and we were right.'

All my dumb questions, and I suscept most other peoples too, were because we just could not find a relative post.  Not because we didn't look.

I feel I should add a big Thank You to all the guys who took the time to answer my dumb questions, help with my dumb ideas, and to the guys who run the board.

G-

[Experimental]

         Yes, I agree with Tom on that, and I am an example of the spoon fed part!!

        Having built many small PMA,s, often, only modifying, by adding magnets to armatures, or using existing coils -- I overlooked, the timing factors, between coils and magnets !!

      But in my defense, being old, and intimidated by computers, looking for answers in the forum was at times -- real frustrating !!

      One source of info, would be helpful, problem being, how to word, what to look for !!

     Most answers, are already here, finding them, can be frustrating!!

     But, I have to thank the creators of this forum, and it,s contributors, for all the help I have received... Bill H......

[Wolvenar]

Everyone seems to forget about:

 http://www.reresource.org  

 Creating reresource.org was an attempt by a number of IRC users at one point to accomplish just what is being asked about in this story.  

It is the beginnings of a compilation of info that a person can look up for a particular interest related to RE.  Along with the database of other info there is a dictionary section that can be linked to.  

In fact there is a test version of a html generator that you can put in your story, posts, etc, and it will kick out an html version with hyperlinks to words that match its dictionary.  

There are a number of calculators, and formulas, will be and is beginning to include tested and verified plans on building RE related stuff (like zubbly's conversion procedure used with his permission)    

It's not full of pretty pictures on every page
 (however any page in the site can have 'em)  
 The idea is to make it fast for everyone, a nice change of pace for modem users.  

Seems like it started well, then everyone lost interest.  

It would be very likely more work can be done to make it more eye pleasing. But at this point just kinda wondering if its worth the effort.  

 Is this lacking popularity because of lack of information, bad layout, not getting the word out, or does everyone expect pretty pictures these days?  

Cory