Need advice on 2nd windmill project

MKHPhillips · #1 02-08-2012, 08:31 PM

Hey Everyone, I came to this forum a few years ago for some good advice on my first windmill project. I am now working on my second windmill. I took a motor from a treadmill that we have not used in years. The motor is 8 pounds without the 2 pound flywheel. I'm hoping this will make a good windmill motor. Not sure if I should leave the flywheel on or not. I thought it might make it harder to start up in low winds. I'm also thinking of 2.5 feet long, 6" PVC pipe blades (3 of them). I would appreciate any advice & welcome you along the journey of my 2nd project.

Here is the motor:

MKHPhillips · #2 02-10-2012, 11:57 AM

There is a fan on the back side of the motor, that draws the air through (the black thing). It spins when the blades spin. I hooked a meter up & get about 22 volts & 13 amps. My drill slowed down when measuring the amps. I plan on working on it this weekend, so I will have more pics for you on Sunday.

MKHPhillips · #3 02-13-2012, 11:36 PM

I accomplished some more this weekend. But I think the design will need to be changed. When I tested it in the wind, I was only getting about 7 volts. Therefore, something will need to change. I may need to gear the motor or have a different design for the blades. I had a basic idea of the design when I started, but I created things on the fly. If I do go the route of gearing the motor, I will use the small belt from the treadmill. If I go the route of changing the blade design, I was looking into some blades called Raptor. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas. Here are some pics from the weekend.

MKHPhillips · #4 02-13-2012, 11:38 PM

More pics.

MKHPhillips · #5 02-13-2012, 11:44 PM

and more pics.

MKHPhillips · #6 02-13-2012, 11:45 PM

and the final 5 pics.

**Desert Rat** · #7 02-15-2012, 02:10 PM

Looking great MKH!

Billyrwhite · #8 02-16-2012, 06:59 PM

Wow!!,looks like your headed in the right direction ,The other day , i saw a video that you should be very interested in.It inspired me to see your work, thanks.

MKHPhillips · #9 02-17-2012, 12:11 PM

Well, I have an update. I think I have an average RPM speed of the motor. There is a label on my cordless that shows 1500 RPM. With a fully charged battery, the motor gives 24.5 volts (no blades attached). I then removed 1 blade from the hub & the motor displayed 9.2 volts with 2 blades (using drill). Since I don't think this will work, I think my next step is to ratio the motor using the belt from the treadmill. I will work on it this weekend, so I will let you know how things go on Monday.

MKHPhillips · #10 02-20-2012, 09:12 PM

I think I finally got it. I used the belt to make the motor spin faster. I tested it and received about 20 volts in the wind. I think I managed to almost triple the output. With the drill (no blades), I was able to get 60 volts. Until I think of a different cover, I will use a plastic bucket to keep it out of the rain & sun. Next thing will be a tower. Here are some pics from the weekend.