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Thread ID: 63679	2005-11-19 06:26:00	Power Generator For Computer	The_End_Of_Reality (334)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
405810	2005-11-21 18:08:00	This is where living next to a creek would be great Yes it would be. But I am not :(	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
405811	2005-11-21 19:46:00	Although I am starting to think that generating my own power will be a little to hard at the moment. But I would still like to hear your ideas. A friend of mine is from Delhi, India, and he says that they still have power cuts over there due to the number of people illegally tapping into the power lines. So there you go. :D Sorta dangerous, but a way to get free power. :lol:	Strommer (42)
405812	2005-11-25 01:32:00	Sorry . . this is gonna be a little long, but I promised to send this info along ASAP . It's about the wind generators I built and some of the info you asked for . . . . I got a few scans ( . msn . com/ForNewZealandersToSee/shoebox . msnw?Page=4" target="_blank">groups . msn . com) of my original drawing that I used to build the first four generators . . . they are squirrel-cage type and are nondirectional, mounted as they are in a horizontal position . That's where they can get air from any direction! The drawings came out upside down in the page . . . I don't know why! I sent them there in the right position . . . sorry! They are the last 3 pixs on the last page (pg 4) . Click on the icons that represent the drawings anyway . . they are there, but have to be opened . These generate enough electricity to run everything I need right now, and might run another full home too . Since the differentials are from manual transmissioned vehicles, they have close to 4 . 60:1 ratios, which works very well for driving the 24 volt generators at a good clip . I have not had any troubles with the lubrication even in the first prototype . . . and it's been steadilly running for almost 4 years now . . although I do squirt a little 120 # gearlube into the gears thru the fill port . So far . . very very good! The turbines are 8 feet in diameter, by 6 feet tall each and there are two turbines on each differential where wheels and tires would normally be mounted; I welded the spider gears together so that both wheels run the same speed though . I made flat steel plates that match the bolt pattern of the axle flanges and I have tried to run them with just one wheel . . they work, but the losses are too high to keep it that way . I guess if I had 12 foot high wheels, it would be even better . The whole assembly as it stands generating is about 25 feet off the ground, and in the area of accelerated (I think so anyway) airflow . There are some narrowed areas where the winds gather some velocity by being forced thru a narrow point . . . I mounted 3 of the generators in various places in that area . I have since found that about 1/3rd of the way into the channel is about the best . The fourth generator is out in a more open area and it works right along with the others, but a little slower . This last unit has it's own batteries that are not on the grid with the other three . The turbines turn at 450 +/- rpm in a 5 mph wind, and at the gear ratio of the differential (backwards, remember!) that works out to about 2,000 rpm for the generators . Plenty enough, but it was really a sight to see the first one get up to speed . . . . I thought of all the welds and bolts and assembly areas that were going to be flying all over the landscape . . . but it didn't happen . . . I DID have to re-balance that first run though . Hearing 500+ rpm from those wheels was kinda neat . . . in a fearsome way . I didn't worry too much about balance other than just grossly so . I used the "heavy side will fall" technique and attached common wheel weights to the wheels until they refused to roll in either direction by themselves while mounted on an axle jig assembly . . I did this at each stage of the building of the turbines . . each wheel half, then again with the blades installed . There isn't any trouble with wobble yet . . . but that could change in a really high velocity wind which does not happen there very much . The mounts are large diameter common water pipe (galvanized, double heavy), 25 feet long and buried about 6 feet into the ground . . . er . . . rock! (The dirt here's not soft . . it is still in the formulative stage from it's beginning in ocean bottom sediment and granite), and I think the poles are too big and overkill for the job . I did add two more supports to each main pole, thinking a triangle was steadier than a mono-footprint . I just welded brackets to the differential housing that are then bolted to the support(s) for the ease of removing the whole assy if I ever have to again . The wheels are totally dis-assembleable too with some bolts and nuts . I get approximately 500 watt/hours from each generator; that's at 24 . 8 vdc . Creating 60 cycle 120 volt AC (US standards) results in some losses, but then air's free anyway . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Basic parts involved: 4 24 volt dc generators from assorted diesel over-the-road semi tractors . 4 24 volt voltage regulators, non-electronic . 8 turbine wheels, 6 feet high (width, side to side), 8 feet in diameter, 2 with 6 airfoils/vanes, 2 with 8 airfoils/vanes . 12 6 volt wet-cell type deep lead/acid batteries, with the three latter made generators banked together in 24 volt groups of 3x4 batteries; there are 4 more batteries on the original generator by itself for a total of 16 batteries . 4 auto differentials, one might be an old Datsun pickup truck; all from manual transmissioned vehicles for the near 4:1 to 4:60 (up ratio-ed) speed to the generators . 2 24-volt-dc-to-120-volt-60-cycle inverters for use by US standard appliances . (Keeping the inverters close to the batteries and generators reduces the cost of heavy wires from the batteries to handle the power call . The generators require only 8 gauge wire to charge the batteries . 120 volt AC is happy in 10 gauge wire from the supply to the end-user, about 40 feet away . ) The batteries are built into the ground at about 4 feet below grade to minimize temperature changes and freezing . The inverters are happy with the coolness from the ground and run very nicely at about 140 degrees F at load . The whole power supply is actually in an 18x20 foot metal and wooden shed, and the batteries have their bottoms on some oak planks that are set directly on the ground with a heavy plastic sheet between them and the ground . Rodents have not been a problem yet . I tried to think this all out in late night dreams (yeah!) and not hurrying to get it done . I made very few drawings, relying on what materials were available and easy to procure . I then gathered all the parts necessary to built two units, and then proceeded to build only one each time . The only "tricky" part was the driveshafts from the differential flanges to the generators . I solved that by finding "high nuts" the same pitch and thread as the input shafts on the generators (standardized, all of them!), and then using old steering couplers from Ford Pintos or Mercury Capris as the flex link . I just welded u-jounts to the shaft on the other end to mount to the companion flanges on the differentials and they work great . I can send another drawing for that if someone likes . So far, after almost 4 years of constant running, 24 hours a day, there have been no real disasters or down time from equiptment failures . . . just my inquisitiveness on a "noise" the Datsun differential made . . and it was just an axle bearing . . . not bad for a unit that had 200,000 original miles on it . I did worry a lot about lubrication . . but with some well-aimed grease shot into the fill hole of the differentials, there has been no bearing or gear failure . . again . . YET! I try to lube them every month or so . . but I have not been there for a few months and my neighbor tells me they are running just fins and no noise . We are having Thanksgiving day today . . . . many turkeys met their maker (and eaters) today . . . . wish we had our own yet . . . . . . but that's for later when we can grow our own again like a few years ago . :lol:	SurferJoe46 (51)
405813	2005-11-25 22:31:00	Sorry..this is gonna be a little long, but I promised to send this info along ASAP. It's about the wind generators I built and some of the info you asked for.... Wow that was a little long :eek: but thanks for sharing your invention and telling i detail how it was build :) it sounds like it works very well :thumbs:	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
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