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The $140 Wind Turbine
Do It Yourself (E4E) Instructions
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Page 3 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Table of Contents THE $140 WIND TURBINE: .......................................................................................................... 5 HOW IT WORKS: ............................................................................................................................ 7 E4E PARTS LIST AND COSTS: ................................................................................................... 9 Generator: ................................................................................................................................... 10 Mounting: .................................................................................................................................... 24 Batteries: ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Tower: .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Caution: ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Suggested Additions: .................................................................................................................... 46 Page 4 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine THE $140 WIND TURBINE:
Because of the high cost of sustainable technology,
the Do It Yourself movement is now becoming
popular. In order to help you build your own
affordable wind turbine out of recycled materials and
cheap buys, we have assembled an instructional
manual.
Wind power is a long-term investment that will stay
with you for many years. You can save even more
than you would from buying a retail wind turbine
system that could cost thousands of dollars, by
following the instructions in this guide and
constructing your own turbine out of affordable
materials.
We have provided you with many ideas, ranging
Page 5 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine from the best types of generators to the shaping and
cutting of your own blades. We have provided you
with diagrams that detail construction methods, as
well as images that depict how the turbine functions
overall, because there are many crucial elements to
wind turbine construction and production.
Page 6 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine HOW IT WORKS:
Wind turbines share five common attributes:
1. Generator
2. Blades and Hub
3. Mounting
4. Tower
5. Control Panel
Page 7 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine The wind turbine in our example will provide a few
hundred Watts of power. It wasn’t designed to
produce enough electricity to power an entire house
alternatively, farm, but its incorporation within an
existing electrical system can significantly lower your
energy bill by taking pressure off of household loads.
Page 8 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine E4E PARTS LIST AND COSTS:
(Approximate figures)
Page 9 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Generator:
One of the most critical parts of the wind turbine is
the generator. The responsibility of the generator is
to take the power from the blades and turn it into
usable energy. The generator produces direct
current (DC) and will power DC appliances or AC
power when an inverter is used. We will talk more
about inverters later in the guide.
The above picture is of the 30 VDC Ametek motor
that we used. There are several DC motor options
Page 10 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine available, without going through the complication of
building your own generator.
A motor rated for 325 RPM at 30 Volts, when used as
a generator, can be expected to produce 12+ Volts at
a reasonably low RPM. Your motor should have the
following:
¾
High DC Voltage
¾
High Current
¾
Low RPM rating
We suggest one of the following options for a motor
choice:
¾ Permanent magnet alternators (more expensive,
but they are designed for wind turbine use).
¾ Old computer tape drive motors (surplus relics
from the days when there were big reel-to-reel
tape drives).
Page 11 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Electric lawn mower motors.
¾ Floor buffer motors.
¾ Servo motors.
¾ All Ametek motors (30, 38, or 99 VDC work
particularly well).
NOTE:
Car alternators and AC motors have been used for
wind turbines. However, we have found that they
generally don’t work very well and we do not
recommend either of them. We advise that you go to
the manufacturer's website and research the motor's
specifications, before you make a final decision about
which motor you will use as your wind turbine
generator.
Page 12 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine If you’re browsing Ebay, asking the seller if he has
tested the motor as a generator would be a very good
idea. Alternatively, if he hasn't you can ask him if he
would test it for you. If a motor that can be used as a
generator is selling cheap, you can buy it and test it
out by chucking it into your drill press (or lathe), and
turning it on while it's attached to a load.
If it handles the load, you will have no problem using
it for your generator. If it doesn't handle it, you can
resell it on Ebay and get your money back.
Page 13 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Blades and Hub:
Blades are another crucial element to a wind
turbine’s functionality, converting energy produced
by the wind into kinetic energy.
Below is a guide to constructing your own blades.
You may also watch the E4E instruction video from
the member’s area, which will explain everything.
¾ Acquire a 6-inch wide, 24-inch long PVC
pipe.
¾ Quarter the piece of pipe around its
circumference, cutting it lengthwise into four
pieces (diagram on the next page).
Page 14 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Cut one blade, using it as a template for the
others (standard measurements provided).
Page 15 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine The wide part of the blade is what will help the
windmill start spinning. The blade comes down to a
narrow 2” tip, as this will allow the windmill to spin at
high speeds.
After the shape is cut, you need to do some sanding/
grinding. Make the leading edge rounded and
smooth. This will allow the wind to flow over the top
of it easier. You need to angel the trailing edge until
it is sharp. This will reduce the drag from the blades
as it spins around. To angle the edge you can use an
angel grinder then a sander to remove any rough
parts.
The below diagram shows what parts of the blade
need to be shaped and grinded.
Page 16 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Now we need to drill a couple of holes. Bolts will go
through the holes and attach the blade to the hub.
The below diagram shows the placement of the holes
when our hub design is used. If you plan to use your
own hub from scrap metal than simply mark out the
holes to suit your hub.
Note: It’s a good idea to have the hub ready before
drilling the holes in the blades. This way you can
confirm the holes on the hub match the holes on the
blade.
Page 17 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine After you have finished one blade simply, use the
same above steps for the next two blades. You can
use the extra piece of pipe and make a spare blade if
you like too.
When your blades are all shaped, you should give
them a sanding. This will help the paint stick to the
pipe. Now that the blades are made its time to work
on the hub.
We have determined that three blades is the optimum
number – according to our extensive research. In
addition to confirming our research, it is common
practice for most commercially made turbines also
use three blades. Even numbers of blades often
suffer vibration issues. Single-bladed turbines must
have a large counterweight opposite the blade to
Page 18 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine keep them balanced. By adding more blades, the
return on your investment is diminishing. We found
that the expense and complexity go up quickly, with
an improvement of performance only marginal.
Adding more blades tends to increase torque, which
also comes at the expense of speed.
You will rarely see a wind turbine with more than five
blades, because generators like to run fast. Where
torque is important issue, you may see turbines with
many blades, i.e. pumping water on ranches.
However, they don’t make good electrical generators,
unless their output is geared way up to create the
speed.
Assemble the blades to the hub now. Before you drill
holes in the blades, it is important to assemble the
Page 19 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine hub, so you can be sure they line up accurately with
each other.
¾ Use a scrap disk of Aluminum that is 5 inches
diameter and ¼ inch thick.
¾ Bolt together a toothed pulley to fit on the shaft of
the motor, being sure the hole fits the motor
attachment nice and snugly.
¾ Drill holes in the hub in order to be able to screw
the blades to the hub.
Page 20 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Attach the hub pieces together -- then connect
the blades.
Page 21 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Once assembly is completed, the balance needs to
be checked as follows:
¾ Mark each blade with a number.
¾ Assemble the blade/hub unit on a stable support,
i.e. a hole.
¾ Spin the blades 10-15 times.
¾ For each spin, make note of the number on the
bottom blade.
¾ After spinning, take note of the blade that ends
up on the bottom every time. What that would
mean is that it is heavier than the others are.
This could play havoc with the entire turbine’s
productivity.
Page 22 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Unbalanced:
The heaviest blade’s curved edge can be sanded
until you achieve balance by repeating the same
testing process.
¾ When you are convinced that the blade/hub
structure is balanced, you will need to attach a
dome-shaped vent cap for protection.
Page 23 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Mounting:
Create a mounting for turbine mobility. Here is how:
¾ Strap the generator to a piece of 2” X 4” wood
using metal hose clamps. You can get these
clamps from any automotive store.
¾ Cut a 4” diameter PVC pipe, making a shield for
the motor to protect it from the weather.
¾ Form a tail to keep the blades turning into the
wind, using a piece of heavy sheet Aluminum (tail
shape varies by preference).
Page 24 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Above is our mount. The generator and tail are
attached. Make sure that your blades are functional
and always facing into the wind. Create a bearing
that allows for ample mobility in the wind current.
Here’s how:
¾ Attach a 1” iron floor flange, centered 7 ½” back
from the generator-end of the 2” X 4”.
Page 25 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Screw a 10” long iron pipe nipple to it.
(Displayed below)
Page 26 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine The above shows the newly constructed head and
base of the wind turbine, before final assembly.
Following is how the final assembly is done:
Disassemble the generator and tail. Completely coat
all wooden parts with UV protected latex paint. To
protect it from harsh weather, three coats are ideal. Page 27 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine .
The above photo shows the finished head unit, with
the generator, blades, and tail attached.
Batteries:
In order to collect and use the power that your new
wind turbine the following steps are required:
¾ A charge controller.
¾ A blocking diode that prevents power from the
batteries from being wasted by the spinning of
Page 28 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine the motor/generator. If no diode is used the
energy from the battery will actually flow back
towards the generator and will spin the motor in
the opposite direction. This means you would
have just built a big fan that uses power and not a
power generator.
¾ You will need one or more batteries to store the
energy produced by your generator. The number
of batteries will depend on your system
requirements. You can use our solar calculator
to find out what size battery bank you will need.
The solar calculator is available on the members
download page.
¾ A secondary load for the turbine to dump power
into when the batteries are fully charged.
¾ Power Inverter.
Page 29 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine You might assume that car batteries would be good
to recycle for use with the wind turbine. However,
they are not a good choice for a wind or solar power
installation. If discharged too deeply, they become
damaged. Car batteries are specifically designed to
deliver a quick burst of power in order to start the
engine. They are not meant for deep discharge and
repeated recharge.
Recycled golf cart batteries and other types of deep
cycle batteries are better for wind turbines and over
usage will not damage them.
Whether you build your own or buy one, a charge
controller is crucial for your wind turbine. The charge
controller will handle the following:
Page 30 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Monitors the voltage of the battery(s) on your
system.
¾ Either send power from the turbine into the
batteries to recharge them, or dump the
power from the turbine into a secondary load
when the batteries are fully charged (to
prevent overcharging and destroying the
batteries).
Without a charge controller, your battery would
overload from an abundance of energy, and its life
will be greatly decreased. A controller will interrupt
the system so that it doesn't over-charge, making it a
necessity for your wind turbine. Without a controller,
you would have to slavishly watch the voltage on your
batteries, connect, and disconnect them manually
from the turbine.
Page 31 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Above is the inside of our charge controller, which we
chose to construct ourselves. However, you can
purchase a charge controller either online at EBay or
at electrical stores. Please check the Earth4Energy
shopping page for links to available charge
controllers.
¾ Speak with a licensed electrician with regard to
the size gauge of wire to make sure that your
turbine's performance is at its maximum, and
Page 32 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine before wiring everything together. Voltage output
from a wind turbine varies wildly depending upon
wind speed. Connecting directly to the wind
turbine, without a battery bank and charge
controller in the system, could cause damage to
the inverter or an appliance being powered by
your wind turbine. The voltage is smoothed out
for the inverter's best handling, by the load from
the battery bank, providing power when there is
little or no wind.
Page 33 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Your wind turbine should function as it illustrates in
the diagram presented below:
Page 34 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Tower:
Now is the time for you to construct a sturdy tower
that is able to support everything you have created
thus far.
To assemble the tower upright:
¾ Use a 10 ft long piece of 1 ¼” conduit.
¾ To test, anchor the pole to four wooden stakes -driven into the ground – with nylon rope.
Page 35 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine The photo above shows where and how the guy-lines
should be attached close to the top of the tower.
¾ Use chain-link fence brackets as tie points for
your guy-lines.
Page 36 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ To keep them in place, use a steel hose clamp at
either end of the stack of brackets.
Page 37 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Later, for a more permanent turbine establishment:
¾ Replace the wooden stakes and nylon rope with
steel, and cement the tower into the ground.
The photo above shows the base of the tower, staked
into the ground. A wire from the wind turbine exits
from a tee below the conduit tower.
Page 38 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Cut off both ends of an old extension cord (for a
connection between the turbine and the
controller).
¾ Put spade lugs on both ends.
It is fairly easy to thread the wire through the tower,
but you may need to use a fish-tape or string line in
order to pull the cord through the conduit.
¾ Grease the pipe on the bottom of the head, and
slide it into the top of the conduit.
Page 39 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ When the wind begins to blow, the turbine head
will snap around into it, and start to spin quickly
until the output voltage exceeds the battery
voltage and the blocking diode drop (which is
around 13.3 volts, and depends upon the state of
the battery charge).
Page 40 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Photo shows controller, battery, inverter, and
associated electronics, wired to a turbine.
¾ When maximum voltage is exceeded, suddenly
the load of the turbine is dumping power into the
battery.
Page 41 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine ¾ Once there is a load to power, the voltage from
the turbine only goes up a small amount when
wind speed increases.
¾ RPMs are only slightly increased as wind speed
increases.
¾ Remember: More wind = More Current into the
battery = More load on the generator.
Page 42 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Above is a close up of all of the electronics involved.
The meter is showing the wind turbine producing
13.32 Volts. An electric shaver and battery charger is
providing loads on the system, through the AC
inverter.
To halt the turbine's blades so that maintenance can
be executed, or when high winds are turning the
blades far too fast, you will need to be able to shut it
Page 43 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine down. To accomplish a shutdown you can short the
turbine output, making it safe to work with.
Page 44 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Caution:
¾ Be extra careful during maintenance. If the winds
change direction, the whole head-assembly can
swing around.
¾ For the most part, the wind turbine created in this
guide is not loud. It can be overheard, however,
when the wind is blowing hard, by those situated
in close proximity.
¾ There is no big tendency for the cable to twist up.
However, using your turbine continually may
cause the cable to become twisted. The only
way to untwist the cable is to disconnect the
wires at the bottom of the mast, and manually
untwist them.
Page 45 of 46 The $140 Wind Turbine Suggested Additions:
Following is a list of additional items you may be
interested in, If you wish to invest a bit more time and
money into your wind turbine:
¾ Add meters to monitor battery voltage and
charge/discharge current.
¾ Add tachometer to track the speed of the
turbine's spin.
¾ To increase reserve storage capacity you can
add more batteries.
¾ To increase power production a second wind
turbine or solar panels can be added to the
system.
Page 46 of 46