NEWBIE Needs direction and assistance building a wind generator!

[neptune]

If you have the tools and skills , I would say a home made permanent magnet generator , home built, is the way to go . Brush motors are not designed to run 24-7 and brushes wear out . For any rotor larger than 2 feet diameter you are going to need a governor[ furling tail mechanism ] There are some excellent designs at Otherpower.com ., To connect your generator up use the heaviest wire you can find , remember cable losses =I2R . If you live in area of high average wind , you WILL need a charge controller . My experience is limited to small home built systems bback in the 1970s . but am happy to help if I can .

[mscoffman]

While a basic DC electric motor might work to generate some current it
would need to be a DC motor that has a internal mechanical commutator  -
semiconductor controllers not designed for that function (and most aren't)
will not work.

Blades spin only one direction, DC generate in only one direction with unidirectional
shaft rotation so only one (high power Schottky) or Germanium diode is required.

There are number of different solutions for a wind generator. In general energy
will need to be buffered in a battery bank because average wind speed is low
and highly variable. In general I would stick to a design already proven for
wind energy application;

BTW really large windturbines have automatic transmissions.

a) vehicle like alternator - regulated by modulatable field strength regulator.
    - easy but not optimised. Speciality regulators are available for alt. energy apps.

b) vehicle alternator with rotor field replaced by permanent magnets -
     (only regulation then has to throw away excess energy as heat)
     Raw unloaded voltages can exceed 1KVDC from a twelve volt alternator!

c) a synchronous alternator from a low RPM multipole AC motor. AC grid
    interactive only. Power only switched on above certain rpm's - runs meter
    backwards.

d) a specially designed multipole DC wind generator. There are a couple
    of these designs available out there.

:S:MarkSCoffman

[Northern-Lights]

Thanks everyone for your help. Basically, what I'm getting out of this is to NOT use my DC motor for this application, and build something that is "proper" and recognized as a standard design.

but can't I just use this motor until it eventually burns out it's bearings or useful "mechanical" life, or the brushes wear out ect?

I really hate it when I have some components for something that "could" be put to use, and are better than nothing, but people all say that it's a waste of time and effort. Isn't SOME free electricity with ZERO money invested better than NO free electricity, or having to invest money you don't really have right now?
i say YES, it is.

Bit that's not to say that I WON'T invest later, but only when I can afford to.

I just want to make use of the things around the house, even if they aren't optimal, just because I already "own" them, and THEN I'm gonna get serious about building something!!

So, when I DO build a generator, which you've given me GREAT info about (thank you very much!), where is the CHEAPEST place to buy the magnets, and what would be considered a GOOD price for them?

Also, what "size" magnets do I need, what "N" number rating should I use, and which "N" number is the "lowest" I can get away with using, and also, how many coils of wire, turns of wire, and gauge of wire should I use?

Basically, I guess I'm looking for a cheap and easy design to build a magnet generator where you would mount the magnets on a spinning circle of wood or something, and have the coils mounted on a non-spinning platform.

I don't want to build anything too big or expensive, just something that will charge batteries and give at least as much, or maybe a bit more than the flimsy 30 watts of solar cells I currently have connected to the batteries!

thanks again I really appreciate your guidance!
Chris

[neptune]

As I said earlier , you need to experiment a bit . By all means have a play with what you have . Remember batteries can bbe dangerous . Have a fuse in the generator circuit . Otherpower.com have several permanent magnet designs with recomended magnets . Shop around . Above all stay safe and have fun!

[brian334]

The equipment you need to make and store electricity will always cost more than buying electricity from the local utility.