Maplin's flogging a VAWT!

[DamonHD]

Goodness: the end must be nigh!

Maplin, the UK's bricks-and-mortar consumer and electronic store is now selling a VAWT:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=396269

Claimed start-up 8+m/s, max power 50W, built in BMS/regulator of sorts it seems.

Regardless of likely actual output, if I had any wind at all here to speak of I'd try one out.

Rgds

Damon

PS. In other news, just got my hands today on a sample 720lm/7W LED lamp, ie better-than-CFL efficiency....

[Bruce S]

Hey its telescoping even  ;
I have a cousin living in London going to university I may just have to have her pick one up for me.
Says free shipping , I wonder if that includes the colonies 

Bruce S

[TomW]

Quoted top line of description:

Ideal for motor homes, camping, marine and outdoor use

I can't imagine an indoor use.

Just seems silly.

Tom

[Bruce S]

I think the quote in the PDF of 35mph being a "breeze?" interesting.
Damon, you guys have a breeze at 35mph? we call that gusting.

Bruce S
 

[DamonHD]

We don't get breezes like that around here, often!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6274377.stm

Rgds

Damon

[Beaufort]

Start up at 8-10 m/s (18-22 mph)?  Are they nuts?  It's just going to sit there idle most of the time and then it will eek out a few watts up to a mighty 50W at 35 mph?  Maybe this would be useful at the North pole when solar is out of the question and the winds are gale-force for months on end.  Just having this type of thing for sale gives wind power a bad name.  And furthermore, it's clearly made in China.  Great.

I'm sure I could get way more out of a big Foster's can mounted to a junk PM motor.  Upgrade to a pony keg and output doubles.  Maplin should sell that as a package so at least you get the beer before you put it up in the air.  That would go over well in the UK, no?

Ok, back to reality.  Some of us are working on "real" commercial products that are actually useful (and not made in China, thank you).

[wpowokal]

Jaycar here in OZ started flogging those a while back, they leap onto the cheep Chinese wind turbines some time ago, think I will save my money though.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570&CATID=50&form=CAT&SUBCATID=855

allan

[ghurd]

Yikes!

On a better note, a few days ago I ebay'd a HK 4 x 1W LED warm white 3000~3500K 60º 340Lm 350ma 12V MR16 bulb for $8.58 including S&H.
The 3x1W and 4x1W 12V E27s had less impressive numbers related to ºK, Lm/W, and 2Θhalf.
I will let you know what I think in about 10~12 days, if someone reminds me.

G-

[Bruce S]

Yikes!

On a better note, a few days ago I ebay'd a HK 4 x 1W LED warm white 3000~3500K 60º 340Lm 350ma 12V MR16 bulb for $8.58 including S&H.
The 3x1W and 4x1W 12V E27s had less impressive numbers related to ºK, Lm/W, and 2Θhalf.
I will let you know what I think in about 10~12 days, if someone reminds me.

G-

Do let me know how well they work out, are these the same that hooks right into the track lighting? Lot Cheaper than buying from online.
Bruce S

[DamonHD]

Here's the start of my mini review of the new 7W GU10 lamp: http://www.earth.org.uk/LED-lighting.html#AuroraV5

Rgds

Damon

[ghurd]

Do let me know how well they work out, are these the same that hooks right into the track lighting? Lot Cheaper than buying from online.
Bruce S

Not sure what all they fit into, but they fit into an adapter!
Bulb- ebay #330465441266.
Adapter- ebay #170460376366.

Pretty sure they, or someone, had the same bulb with E27, but I couldn't find it again after 2 hours of looking so I took the easy way out. 
G-

[dnix71]

Damon, I noticed that maybe the GU10 format isn't the best for LED substitution because halogens need the heat and LEDs don't. That twist lock style is also used on self-ballasted clf's here in the US, but they are only low wattage. I bought 2 porch lights with 13 watt cfl's like that, made by Phillips. Home Depot quit selling them after a short time, which made me unhappy. They were the only porch light with a true photoswitch, and had a 30 second delay, which keeps the cfl from short cycling in cloudy/overcast weather.

[DamonHD]

Yes, the GU10 (and MR16 low-voltage) format is indeed quite LED-unfriendly, you are right.

But lots of people have them already, and many of the housings (such as mine) are open so shouldn't overheat:

http://gallery.hd.org/_c/light/_more2010/_more09/low-energy-LED-7W-cool-white-6000K-GU10-720lm-38-degree-beam-angle-ALTLED-Aurora-V5-sample-closeup-4-DHD.jpg.html

Rgds

Damon

[ghurd]

Yikes!

On a better note, a few days ago I ebay'd a HK 4 x 1W LED warm white 3000~3500K 60º 340Lm 350ma 12V MR16 bulb for $8.58 including S&H.
The 3x1W and 4x1W 12V E27s had less impressive numbers related to ºK, Lm/W, and 2Θhalf.
I will let you know what I think in about 10~12 days, if someone reminds me.

G-

Do let me know how well they work out, are these the same that hooks right into the track lighting? Lot Cheaper than buying from online.
Bruce S

Update / hijack about my 12V AC/DC ebay bulb.

The light output appears kind of narrow for 60º, but not too bad.
The color is very nice.
Draws 0.35A.
The lamp was on when I connected it to the battery, and it makes a considerable spark when connected.   

I am a bit concerned with the heat.
It looks similar to Damon's open frame bulb, with a forward (not touching) plastic lens.  The open frame is AL and fairly heavy.
15 minutes operating, pointing straight up in an open table lamp, from a very old 7AH SLA at 12.1V at the end of the 15 minutes...
Non contact thermometer.
Ambient temp, 68.8ºF.
Lens, 127.8ºF.
Temps in the base, possibly inside, outside, every side, 131.0 to 133.4ºF.

After an hour, I managed to get a high reading of 135.5ºF.
G-

[Bruce S]

G-
Except for the amount of heat, that's pretty much in line with those blinding bulbs Rich has.
Are the bulbs frosted or clear? curious about how they keep the LEDs from being so blinding versus using defused LEDs.
Thanks for the update.

Bruce S

[ghurd]

Totally clear and diamond textured, like a fluorescent cover.
It does the job.  Blinding if looked directly into, but not like looking into a laser.

The heat sink is, uh, "less enormous" than Rich's kilogram of AL heat sink.

I was pleasantly surprised the rated 350ma was the exact draw.
G-