Alternator update #2-Early October
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This page is about an older project of ours. We keep ALL of our projects up on the internet for anyone that's interested...but we are no longer pursuing many of these older ideas. Before starting this project, please check our main Wind Power page to check for similar, more recent designs. These will be the top of the list and flagged with an "active project" tag. If you have any questions about what is current and what is not, or why we no longer work on certain designs, first check out our Wind Turbine Evolution page for a detailed history of how our designs have changed over the years. You can also Email us and we'll fill you in as our email volume permits...check the Evolution page first.
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The first image shows the many coat hanger segments I
used for the iron core. Each one was cut, and ground to exactly 2.75"
long. The image to the right shows the spools on which I wound the
coils. the ends are cut from phenolic sheet. The holes in the
middle are 1/2 inch. I then took a wooden dowel, and sanded a slight
taper on it. Paper was wrapped around the dowel, glued into a cylinder,
and then the ends were glued on. (Super Glue). The dowel served
as a nice arbor on which the coils could be wound.
I used the lathe to wind the coils, although the wooden
dowel would make a nice handle if one wanted to do this by hand.
To the right is the finished coil, with 350 windings of 18.5 gauge wire
and a tap at 200 windings.
The above image shows the stator finished? Two
Plexiglas plates with the coils suspended between. The coat hanger
wires come exactly to the outer surface of the Plexiglas plates.
Coils are a tight fit in between. Plexiglas was a POOR choice-its
flexible, doesn't hold up well to heat, but, it was easy to work, I had
some on hand, and I thought its transparent nature would make for a neat
looking test model. Not shown in the above picture is the aluminum
base which bolts to the stator to server as a strong mounting bracket to
the base of the alternator.
The finished machine? Well, sort of. Still
some problems to sort out. With the magnets and discs on both
sides of the stator it becomes clear that the Plexiglas is WAY too flexible.
This one being just a test, will be re-inforced. The pillow block
bearings are cheap, the bearings themselves are mounted in rubber such
that the whole shaft can slightly move side to side. This does not
allow for very close clearance between magnets and coils. Next, I
need to figure out different ways to wire it up, and see how it works.
I have purchased better pillow blocks, however I will need to mill down
the aluminium spacers on which they are to be mounted. I have also
started building a 4' diameter propellor so I can test it on a wind turbine.
More on all that in the next update!
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Get strong
magnets!