[DANNY]

Ive been toying with the idea of having ago at the wind turbine for my shed,
The idea being to charge up enough battery power to service the likes of an inside light, a radio, etc, nothing to big just a few small things.

Anyone doing this or any advice on this subject, ?

[poultrygeist]

I there's a few on the market but v expensive.

If you know what you're doing, I think you can use a large motor with a suitable propeller stuck on the shaft and some sort of box of tricks to smooth or charge batteries, etc.

Dick strawbridge did something in "It's not easy being green".

Rob

[richyrich7]

Can you not make a rotor rather than a windmill construction maybe be simpler and could probably made from scrap.

[poultrygeist]

You thinking helicopter-esque Richy ??

Good idea. Less height required and less gearing too. Shaft straight down into the dynamo.
Woudl a car alternator make enough power do you think ? Geared to get enough revs through it and produce a charging voltage across a battery or two. I sound liek I know what I'm talking about but I haven't a clue !!

Zak is probably teh man for the electrical side.

Rob

[richyrich7]

No was thinking of an oil drum cut in half length ways, welded back together along one length so the 2 halves faced opposite to each other, so what ever way the wind blows it catches, mounted on some thing like a mini wheel joint connected to an alternator.

Did that make any sense  


Now I know what it's called a Savonius rotor like this

[poultrygeist]

Bit like teh spinning shop signs. But doesn't blow over and roll down the street  

Rob

[richyrich7]

Yes that's it    found one on you tube LINK :oops:

[Faz]

I have thought about this in the past but the wife thinks i am crackers!

A car alternator would be good as the voltage is regulated to a steady 14(ish) volts, so you wouldn't need gearing if you had a large enough rotor on the front. It is also easy to couple up to car batteries which are relatively cheap and easy ways to store small amounts of electric - certainly a couple of batteries would be plenty for lighting a shed occasionally and running a car radio or something.

As I race bangers I have plenty of opportunity for bits - just never seemed to get round to having a go

[DANNY]

You,ve really given me food for thought or should I say a few blown up ideas,
What got me thinking this way was a walk along a river bank the last time I was in shropshire, I passed this canal boat and the small wind turbine was blowing away and I thought it would be an idea to have this or some way of lighting the shed on the allotment, hence never done this befor I,d ask and see if any of you lot had any ideas, and now Ive a head full of them.
Thank you one and all.

[muntjac]

an alternator coupled by a fan belt to a car fan blade werks just fine ... make sure its all watertight at the alternator end . we used to have one sort out our battery power in the chalet at humberstone fitties many years ago .. and it ran a portable telly  you can weld the blade to the alternator pulley and then make a good housing for the alternator with a rubber grommet for the blade shaft  to run outside of this  

[SG6]

I would have thought that a car alternatoer required a reasonable torque to turn it. If you gear down a propellor then you lose the RPM that is also required.

This lot do small turbines but too expensive I would guess.
http://www.energyenv.co.uk/WindPower.asp

Info on building your own:
http://www.bwea.com/you/byo.html

Permanent magnet generators:
http://www.reuk.co.uk/Permanent-Magnet-Generator.htm

Each have links you may find useful.

If you wanted to try it really cheap then some years ago you could buy bicyle wheel that had a dynamo as part of the hub. These turned easily but probably only produced 6v.

If you could locate one then it may be the basis of something but as I said I think they were only 6volt.

[richyrich7]

6v would be ok if you used white LED's they can be quite bright  

[John]

Although wind power is great fun if you're an engineer type, if you want a cheap alternative energy light then you can get a solar power shed light kit quite cheaply.

More Info on Solar Shed Light

[hindy]

Hi Danny

Check this out. http://www.velacreations.com/chispito.html
Plannng to build one myself, have most of the parts now just missing the main one - The motor, lol

Have fun in whatever you go for

[digalotty]

realy interested in this subject but im not mechanicaly minded, saying that i did have a caravan witch had its own battery and charger unit built in to one box. :idea:  im thinking if you had a solar panel then it would slowly trickle charge the battery or you could take the box home to give it a boost :?: so if you do make a turbine this system may also work coupled with the charger and battery system. so thinking caravan systems may help,