Trying to make this wind turbine work with washing machine motors

[gsw999]

So I have been trying to make a turbine from washing machine motors with limited success, it's designed for two rotors is nearly all recycled stuff, has a bit of a wobble , anyways my question is does anyone else run a turbine off one of these cheap $10 solar controllers , also has anyone had severe wobbles to try and sort out , I have made a video , any ideas how I can make it better, I am a novice but would like this to make some better power.

If the video is not allowed please delete the post

https://youtu.be/9sGn1NN4d4o

Thanks

Gavin

[SparWeb]

Videos are great, thank you for posting!

Wobbles worry me, do they worry you?

[Mary B]

Ouch that wobble will break welds, destroy towers... a tiny vibration you could live with, that is horrible! Is one blade a lot heavier? Out of round bearings the shaft runs on?

[hiker]

Great to see a New Build..what’s with the wobble on the back gen,,..with it hanging on the very end of it all it has a lot of leverage to amplify the wobble,,balance out that back gen..just my observation

[tanner0441]

Hi

I didn't think solar controlers used a dump load, solar panels don't have isues running without a load when the battery is fully charged.

Brian.

[electrondady1]

looks to me like the back alternator is not squarely fixed to the bottom shaft . you can see it running out at low speeds.

[DamonHD]

Hi

I didn't think solar controlers used a dump load, solar panels don't have isues running without a load when the battery is fully charged.

Brian.

Solar controllers *can* use a dump load, but as you say it's not usually necessary and therefore I think rare.

I'm using a series of *small* dump loads in my off-grid system, some even just software, to soak up otherwise discarded energy.  I have been tweaking the setup again the last couple of days, having told myself that I wouldn't!

https://www.earth.org.uk/note-on-site-technicals-47.html#2021-04-05

Rgds

Damon

[Vortechs]

Hi Gavin, I have a micro-hydro running one of those washing machine motors as a generator. It's been going for nearly 18 years 24 hours a day non-stop so they're hard wearing. One issue I have had with it is the bearing nearest the drive end of the shaft has a habit of slipping on the shaft, leading to wear and a slight wobble. Needs some serious loctite to hold it on there, I think 368 is what I'm using now. Have you checked the bearings and journals?

[Adriaan Kragten]

I have written a note about the use of a direct drive motor of a washing machine as a generator for a wind turbine. The name of the note is: "Modification of the winding of the PM-generator type FP-640". This note can be copied for free from my website: www.kdwindturbines.nl at the bottom of the menu KD-reports. I don't know if you are using the same motor but the note may give you some useful information.

[gsw999]

Videos are great, thank you for posting!

Wobbles worry me, do they worry you?

Hello mate the wobble worries me yes but I have got to the bottom of it , when I bodged the tower up out of scrap I concreted a car wheel along with a tyre at the bases on either side this tyre had gone bad and the posts that connect to the guide ropes were bouncing, I also have to balance the blades which  may or may not be tricky , the tower is getting better it's a long term project a hobby, cheers.

[gsw999]

I have written a note about the use of a direct drive motor of a washing machine as a generator for a wind turbine. The name of the note is: "Modification of the winding of the PM-generator type FP-640". This note can be copied for free from my website: www.kdwindturbines.nl at the bottom of the menu KD-reports. I don't know if you are using the same motor but the note may give you some useful information.

Thankyou I will check this out , great website b.t.w have visited a few times.

[gsw999]

Hi Gavin, I have a micro-hydro running one of those washing machine motors as a generator. It's been going for nearly 18 years 24 hours a day non-stop so they're hard wearing. One issue I have had with it is the bearing nearest the drive end of the shaft has a habit of slipping on the shaft, leading to wear and a slight wobble. Needs some serious loctite to hold it on there, I think 368 is what I'm using now. Have you checked the bearings and journals?

haha that is really cool !!! This was a kind of one off design , the turbine shaft has a gear wheel on that drives the gear wheel connected to the rotors, I welded the bearings too much  that is why the rotors don't seem perfectly aligned.

[gsw999]

looks to me like the back alternator is not squarely fixed to the bottom shaft . you can see it running out at low speeds.

yes , it's an experimental design which I over welded and it pulled one of the rotors out of alignment , I just decided to go with it as no spare funds at the moment.

[gsw999]

Hi

I didn't think solar controlers used a dump load, solar panels don't have isues running without a load when the battery is fully charged.

Brian.

Solar controllers *can* use a dump load, but as you say it's not usually necessary and therefore I think rare.

I'm using a series of *small* dump loads in my off-grid system, some even just software, to soak up otherwise discarded energy.  I have been tweaking the setup again the last couple of days, having told myself that I wouldn't!

https://www.earth.org.uk/note-on-site-technicals-47.html#2021-04-05

Rgds

Damon

Thanks I will check that link out !!

[gsw999]

Hi

I didn't think solar controlers used a dump load, solar panels don't have isues running without a load when the battery is fully charged.

Brian.

It appears this particular one does , which is handy for all sorts of reasons, most of them only seem to have a light on / off function where you can set how many hours per day you have a light on for.

[gsw999]

Ouch that wobble will break welds, destroy towers... a tiny vibration you could live with, that is horrible! Is one blade a lot heavier? Out of round bearings the shaft runs on?

It's mainly a problem with the tower which I have remedied by re concreting the bases either side, and also I made the blade hub from an axle bearing and three heavy plates , it won't break as it's welded real good but yes the wobble is crazy especially at below 100rpm when it goes 150+ it's much less severe, still highly undesirable.

[gsw999]

Great to see a New Build..what’s with the wobble on the back gen,,..with it hanging on the very end of it all it has a lot of leverage to amplify the wobble,,balance out that back gen..just my observation

I had it all planned out but welded too much and it pulled the whole thing out of shape and basically ruined it but as my shed burnt down half way through the build I carried on with it as had lots of costs rep[lacing tools, the design is very original I think I have a twin rotor ( blades ) turbine that I made from an electric bike motor

[makenzie71]

I'm curious how you have the coils arranged?  You have two motors up there but seem to only be pulling <100w.  These motors should be good for 500+ watts.  I've seen 700+ from just one.  I've got one that's doing 650v at 2amps also.  With those big blades and two stators you should be getting a lot of juice out of it.

[gsw999]

I'm curious how you have the coils arranged?  You have two motors up there but seem to only be pulling <100w.  These motors should be good for 500+ watts.  I've seen 700+ from just one.  I've got one that's doing 650v at 2amps also.  With those big blades and two stators you should be getting a lot of juice out of it.

It's a long story I messed up with the rotor welding and ended up having to "skim" the stators just to get it to spin as it wasn't true anymore , there may be other reasons , how many rpm is yours doing to hit that power? I more built this because I want a turbine that I can put different size gears on , I am veering towards an axial flux as they are better , I think , cheers !!!

[makenzie71]

I don't have a way to measure RPM on the turbines in the air and my meter doesn't handle frequency well so I don't really know how fast they're turning at peaks...probably 750~1000rpm.

[gsw999]

I don't have a way to measure RPM on the turbines in the air and my meter doesn't handle frequency well so I don't really know how fast they're turning at peaks...probably 750~1000rpm.

Crikey thats fast , that would be why they are yamming out the power, I would shut mine down once it starts going anywhere near 300 , it's just too scary , but fun, you have tons more wind than I get where I am , it's hard to measure the speed I can only approximate by filming with a camera 60fps or above, cheers.

[makenzie71]

I'm pretty sure you're doing more than 300 rpm in your video.

But really did you do anything to your coils or are they just as they came out of the washing machine?

[gsw999]

I'm pretty sure you're doing more than 300 rpm in your video.

But really did you do anything to your coils or are they just as they came out of the washing machine?

No I rewired the coils split the whole thing into 3 if that makes sense , I think it was the 3x4c formation , as I said The bending of the whole thing kind of ruined , but I learnt a few things in the process.

[MattM]

3 phase?

[gsw999]

3 phase?

yes mate