Dia. Mag. Alternator

[z.monkey]

This isn't hard.  This is aggravating.  Hard was cutting the steel core plates...

So, anyway I changed my Load Jig to hold four bayonet lamp mounts.  These are the low Voltage lamps that are compatible with my Low Voltage Coils.  With a single lamp in the jig the lamp gets very bright.  As I add more lamps I get a bigger Voltage drop and the intensity goes down.  It will light 4 lamps, although the intensity is about a quarter of a single lamp...

I am still turning this with my drill at 23 Hertz, so the next step is to make it turn faster.  Its only turning about a third of where it should be, and we can go so much faster.  I'm thinking I can use a motor with an overdrive gear set to get the RPMs up...

[gyulasun]

Hi zmonkey,

The real inductance value for your coils in series can only be measured with your would-be L meter because there exists a mutual inductance between them too and you cannot easily calculate it, do not bother about it...
I think your coils in series may have any inductance from several hundred uH to some mH and with your low rpm giving low working frequency AC voltage the inductive impedance is pretty much less than the DC resistance in series.  So you may consider your output impedance is only very slightly higher than the DC resistances in series, i.e. 5 Ohm, this is what a load should be matched to, to get the highest output power possible.
rgds,  Gyula

[z.monkey]

Gyula,

Yeah, that's right, and the load I can manage reflects that.  I can run one half watt bulb at full brightness, or two at half brightness.  The new load jig helped to verify this...

Jesus,

The C clamps were taking some of the flux.  When I removed them, and added the integrated screw clamps the open circuit Voltage went up by 0.2 Volts.  Little tweak here, a little kludge there, a little finesse somewhere else, and eventually we will have a sweet alternator.  Last test the open circuit Voltage was 7.81 Volts, and now its 8.05 Volts...

Edit:  You know what we need to kick the efficiency through the roof is to fill in the gap between the magnets, and the core bore.  That is a giant gap for a flux field.  Mega loss of efficiency there.  There is 1/16 of an inch there.  I thought about stuffing it with Iron filings, but they are a bit abrasive.  What about magnetic fluid, perhaps a lubricant, with microscopic iron spheres, like micro ball bearings... 

Hmmm,  yes, hmmm...

[z.monkey]

And now for a note about another set of physics...

Mechanical tension...  A source of friction, and inefficiency...

My gears were gnashing, oh noes...

So I adjusted the mounting points and freed up the gears, and it netted another 0.52 Volts...

Was just at 8.05 Volts open circuit, now at 8.57 Volts...

Awesomes...

[z.monkey]

Two Bulbs, One Drill...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2anE5camdaI