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BadDraw
02-26-2013, 06:15 PM
So, I've been thinking of a way to produce a wind turbine to work on a car battery. My thoughts were if I took a fan, like one from a small 10" box fan, and took out the blade and attached it in a way that it will freely rotate in the wind. Now I was tryin to think of a way to take a car alternator and some accessory parts for the alternator like the stuff to make sure that the battery is charge but not per charged and stuff. Now I was thinking if somehow making gears to turn the alternated or some sort of pulley system. What are your thoughts? I put this here so together we could make a working idea. I've done some research and this is what I thought would work

ElevenBravo
02-26-2013, 06:18 PM
1) Search VAWT, the better design that will work regardless of the wind direction
2) Entertain the idea of winding your own coils
3) Search for wind turbine treadmill motor
4) You cant just "hook a generator to a battery", you will need some sort of charging circuit.

Please continue...

EB

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 06:40 PM
See I I take a car alternator and the stuff that goes with it, like the voltage regulator and battery charger. What I was thinkin was basically instead of an engine running the alternator have wind turn it. Like I said it was an idea and needed help to make it all work. Thanks for the reply though

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 06:43 PM
Oh also I was thinking of only needing it to face one direction. I want to take a bus and turn it in to an all out survival vehicle/home/ storage. So if I attached to the roof and run it through the too in to a spot where I could have a battery and the alternator then it would possibly work. I jut need help turning my idea into a practical object.

hunter63
02-26-2013, 07:14 PM
Hunter63 saying Hey and Welcome.
We do have an introduction section:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?14-Introductions

Might want to start here;
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Renewable-Energy/1985-03-01/The-Flight-of-the-Red-Baron.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=769#axzz2M35x2Dbi

Small fan blade won't turn an alternator.

harbor Freight has a kit as well....couldn't find it just off hand....about $250 for the wind plant....and another $250 for a tower to put it on.
Any of these have to be high enough to get above obstructions.

Might want to check out Home power Magazine as well:
http://www.homepower.com/

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 07:18 PM
Thanks. And I don't need the fan blade to actual turn the alternator directly. Would there be a way to have the fan attached to a rod that had gears or some pulley system for it to turn the alternator?

hunter63
02-26-2013, 07:34 PM
Check out the articals.......but as a direct drive/gear train set up, not enough power.
I think the blades on the "Red Baron" are like 8ft long.

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 08:18 PM
Do you know the hp that those blades put out? Ill check out those sights for sure. I did find out I'd only need roughly 2hp

birdman6660
02-26-2013, 08:25 PM
ive made many home made wind genny's ... long wide wind catching blades ... and a GM alternator as they have built in regulators .... you would need way more blades than u can imagine to use gears or pulleys ,.. they take a lot to turn ... I ended up buying ,,, its ultimately easier cheaper and gives more power ! just sayin !

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 08:29 PM
How big of blades were needed to run your rig? I want the blades to be big enough to where it all works but small enough that it doesn't look like there is a plane propeller spinning

hunter63
02-26-2013, 08:46 PM
Check out this, similar to Harbor Freight.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/naturepower-nemo-400w-12v-wind-generator.aspx?a=1015427

Cast-Iron
02-26-2013, 08:58 PM
It's likely you'll need to include a charge controller to prevent overcharging (it goes inline in between the charger/generator/turbine and the battery). If you're not using a deep-cycle battery(ies) you may need to include a low voltage shut-off to prevent damage from too much draw down as well.

crashdive123
02-26-2013, 09:10 PM
Check with tjwilhelm - he's our resident expert on all things wind and solar related.

ElevenBravo
02-26-2013, 10:04 PM
i applaud your enthusiasm, however please be advised, a lot of wind would be needed to spin an automotive alternator fast enough, to get it to self excite and generate electricity.

If you just hook an alternator to a turbine, that you built, chances are you will never ever see energy from it.

However... I can hand spin a treadmill motor and SEE voltage coming from it. With a pulley system I can increase the speed so that a small breeze *could* charge a battery.

You sound as if, please bare with me, you have scratched the surface but dont have enough knowledge yet, to attempt the project at hand.

I am an electronics hobbyist with over 3 decades of experience (all self taught so I have my limits) and I have not yet finished the research for attempting such a project.

Please, continue...

EB

ElevenBravo
02-26-2013, 10:07 PM
Check out this, similar to Harbor Freight.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/naturepower-nemo-400w-12v-wind-generator.aspx?a=1015427

For a beginner, with zero electronics knowledge, honestly.... this is the best option bar none!

Thanks for the link hunter....

EB

BadDraw
02-26-2013, 10:11 PM
Thanks everyone I'm starting to get a better picture of all this. But see if I were to attach it to a vehicle then the blades couldn't be massive like normal generators.

Echo2
02-26-2013, 11:53 PM
Stationary magnet motor from a treadmill....

pulleys from old drill press.....

PVC pipe blades.....

Ebay 3 blade hub....

bridge rectifier....

slip ring connector....

These are the things you need to google....pretty much everything else frame work.

hunter63
02-27-2013, 11:44 AM
Just to give you an idea on scale, this pic is from the Mother Earth News article "Red Baron" and was a test to see how well it would hold up and power produced..........
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/hunter63/latest%20down%20loads/redbaron_zps97b92209.png

So yeah, maybe not what you want for power driving down the road.

Just to give your self an idea how much it takes to spin an alternator, go to an auto parts store, ask to see one, take it out of the box and try to turn it by hand......not easy.

As has been brought up, an alternator relies on a power source to power up the coils inside for the magnetic field to get any power out of it, at a certain speed.

A generator has permanent magnets and will start producing power as soon as it starts spinning.

Lots more to it than meet the eye.

BadDraw
02-27-2013, 01:45 PM
Thanks hunter. Yea I knew there was more to it and I had scratched the surface that's why I threw it up and was looking for help. And so far really great stuff...


Elevenbravo... As for saying I can't do it... I accept your reality but choose to substitute it for my own. If I truly attempt this you better believe I will finish it. Never give up never surrender.

hunter63
02-27-2013, 02:14 PM
Thanks hunter. Yea I knew there was more to it and I had scratched the surface that's why I threw it up and was looking for help. And so far really great stuff...


Elevenbravo... As for saying I can't do it... I accept your reality but choose to substitute it for my own. If I truly attempt this you better believe I will finish it. Never give up never surrender.

LOL, I say go for it, man.......Lots of stuff has happened around here that had a lot of '"can't do it's"

Best of luck.