Chispito Wind Generator

The Chispito Wind Generator was designed to be simple and efficient with fast and easy construction. There are no limits to what you can do with wind power. There is nothing more rewarding and empowering than making a wind powered generator from scrap materials. Most of the tools and materials in this manual can be found in your local hardware shop or junk pile.

For more information and inspiration on wind generator construction, please visit http://www.velacreations.com

Step 1: TOOLS

TOOLS

• Drill
• Drill Bits (7/32", 1/4", 5/16")
• Jigsaw with a metal blade
• Pipe Wrench
• Flat Head Screwdriver
• Crescent Wrench
• Vise and/or Clamp
• Wire Strippers
• Tape Measure
• Marker Pen
• Compass + protractor
• 1/4" #20 Thread Tapping Set
• An extra person helps a lot!

Comments

[Bob-C]

I have a permanent magnet 2.50 HP heavy duty treadmilll motor. It has a positive wire, a negative wire, and 2 blue wires that come off the positive post. What do I do with the blue wires? Do I have to use the bridge rectifier if I am using a charge controller? Any help would be appreciated.

[yaly]

If this is a dc brushed motor then the coil is the one rotating inside the magnets so it will automatically produce dc, adding a full bridge rectifier will ensure that if the motor spins in reverse it will produce the same polarity but it will decrease the output by 0.5 to1V

[goldpen]

Good project but the instructions in this page could be a lot clearer, or illustrated with some photos

[rquissak]

I just loved it! I've searching for something easy and not expensive, now it is here.

Thanks.
Rodney,

[bhunter736]

In some circles, this 4 diode arrangement trapped in a little cube that takes AC and makes it DC is called a Full Bridge Rectifier. You will have better luck finding one at many electronics stores by that name. Frys Electronics sells them for about 10 bucks in California. Website frys.com

[mmorrissette]

This 

[davedawia]

I built one of these and it works great. I bought most of the parts on ebay.

The criticism I have with the design is the blades. I  live in New York and we can get som serious wind in excess of 35 mph. The first day the wind gust went over 35 mph, the PVC blades snapped and crumbled into pieces. What a disaster!

I wound up replacing the blades with some aluminum blades I found online at windynation:

http://www.windynation.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=14

So far so good and it has been 9 months. We have had a couple of days with 55 mph wind gusts.

I would also recommend getting a slip ring if you live in an area with swirling wind like me. It will eliminate the tangling of your wires which run down your tower. Thanks for the article. I thought it was great.

[abadfart]

id say go to a thrift store and get fan blades

[Hammerham]

One way to help minimize twist would be to install a stop pin. this would keep it from going more than 180 degrees in either dirction therfore eliminating it.
David

[tomtortoise]

where do i buy guy wire lol anyways nice instructable but its gunna be hard to mount on a printer stepper motor with only one small gear on it. any su

[tomtortoise]

ggestions for mounting. glitch posted it early

[sillywilly]

Those of you who may be worried about the wires going down the tower getting excessive twists due to swirling winds can install some slip rings. A good source for the electrical contacts and slip rings can be had by removing said items from an old car alternator. Thats a good source for heavy-duty 4-way bridging diodes also. Quite often, (at least in my area of NW USA) the treadmill motor can be had for free off http://craigslist.org free section or other free-lists for your area. Most times there is nothing wrong with the treadmill except perhaps a slipping belt. Treadmill motors plus the variable-speed controls are good for other DIY machines as well like a lathe, drill, sand disk, centrifuge, fan, etc!

[Fatmatt1]

Can anyone please tell me how the wires keep from getting twisted beyond repair when the rotor spins in the wind? Thanks

[South Texas Connection]

Well this what I have read on line: Use an extension cord, have the plug in at the bottom of the tower. Oh yea = the cord is inside the tower pipe. with a hole at the bottom. then the cord can be unplugged, so it can untwist, then replugged. The cord want twist as much as you might think as it will turn with the wind both ways.. STC

[kagenin]

Ummm.... I think you're doing it wrong. Normally, the blades catch the wind, which spins a plate of magnets near a stator coil (that's "stator" as in "static," "stationary," "not moving"). The wires come from the stator coil (which should NOT be spinning), down the tower (through a rectifier if the stator coil's output is 3-phase AC) and into a charge controller hooked up to some heavy duty batteries (boat or car batteries usually). As the magnets pass over the coils, electricity is generated. If you're using an electric motor instead of making your own magnet/stator setup (Ametek motors are popular for DIY Wind generators), then the Blades turns the shaft of the motor, the body of which should stay stationary, and the leads off the motor run to the charge controller. If your wires are spinning and getting twisted, then your stator coil isn't stationary, which is normally a bad thing.

[Fatmatt1]

Thanks for your answer. I'm surely not looking at this correctly so let me try to explain my question again. Using the treadmill motor and plans on this site, if the blocking diode is mounted on the rotor/tail fin assembly square tubing....and the wires that come off diode run down the pole to the ground, what keeps the wires from getting twisted as the generator assembly/tail fin rotates around and around in the wind over time? LIke I said, I'm surely not looking at this correctly because this appears to be a major fault....thank you.

[static]

 Ready made slip rings can be found on eEbay. Evidently in practice the solution is simple. Many let the wires hang down the center of the mast/tower at the point the turbine turns to face the wind. At the bottom they have away to unplug the wires. As needed they simply unplug to allow the wires to untwist themselves.

[fireraisr]

what you might try doing to rectify this problem if it does indeed become a problem is to make and mount 2 pvc disks with  with 2 metal tracks embedded in one and wire brushes on the other one. basically 1 brush contacts each track, that would give you positive and negative without the need for a solid connection wire which would allow for any number of 360 degree rotations without any possibility of wire twist. The only concern would be how to weather proof it to prevent a short circuit in the event of rain.

[g0tmk]

Often what you are describing isn't much of a problem, I've had several turbines up for years at a time and they very rarely spin 360 degrees. When they do, they don't spin around than once, and odds are it will spin back the other way eventually. I've never had one twist enough to be a problem.

[lobo0x7]

nice instructable, but why are you mixing inches with milimeters?

[xetero]

Can I use AC motor like the one that is used by electricfans or ceiling fans?

[robocrazy155]

Some AC motors don't have a permanent magnet in them, so they won't generate electricity if you spin the output shaft on them.

Though a few types do have a magnet in them and could work, for the most part AC motors won't act as generators.

[VoltsAndBolts]

.
.

This looks like a great project!

If your interested in topics like this feel free to check out my forum on “Sustainable Energy”

At http://www.voltsandboltsonline.com/index.php
.
,

 

[KnexFreek]

cool :)

[dustyplans]

How much energy does this model produce?  Looking through all my junk, I have all the materials.  so I will build this, but I want to know how much energy to expect in a light wind.  10 - 15 mph.  Anyone know?

[StuNutt]

Why 2 washers on some bolts and one washer on others?  I've always believed in using single-coil spring washers (or Nylock nuts) too.

[Jenn13]

I can't see where you might have posted the amount of energy this produces.  I am new to the instructables website.  Sorry if I missed it. Thanks.

[langoley]

Just as a PURE GUESS,it sounds to me like Jimmyz is using a 130v motor rather than a 230v motor! This would require the motor to turn about 1500 rpm to produce over 12v.He might want to check the data plate on his motor.

[jimmyz91164]

I have built this genny and it survived 50+ mph winds.But,it does not seem to charge a 12 volt,125 AH battery.Can it charge this size battery?Here is all I have done.What am I doing wrong?
http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/windmillandbeacon.htm
Quite a timeline here.Hope to find the solution.

[velacreations]

There might must be something wrong with your motor or charge circuit. Disconnect the wind generator from the battery, spin it by hand, and see what the voltage output is. This will determine whether you have a problem in the generator. You should be able to keep this battery charged, if you are not using it that much. Maybe your loads are too much for the battery. We use one of these and a small solar panel to keep 4 150 AH 12 volt batteries charged, so it should work, but it does depend on how much you are using the battery as well. If you can, try charging the battery off of a charger (some auto store will do this for free) or a vehicle. See if it will hold a charge after being charged by something else. It looks like your pole is kinda short. When you have wind, does the voltage of the battery go up? It might be that the generator is not getting enough wind at that height.

[jimmyz91164]

The battery is running a small radio that sends a signal every 5 seconds.When the genny was first installed,it ran the radio for about 2 weeks fine.The battery went dead due to low winds i guess.Hurricane Ike brought 50mph and higher gusts to the region.That mill held up without a scratch thru the whole thing.Tha battery read 6 volts only.I charged the battery properly and changed the blocking diode config thinking maybe it was blocking proper currents.It does produce volts when spun by hand.I have it now with a fully charged battery again.It should last longer than the last time as we have had great winds lately.My whole story is on my website.It is easier to get help from that info rather than repeat myself.I have logged every detail there.
http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/windmillandbeacon.htm

emails on my issue are welcome.
Jim

[jimmyz91164]

I have checked on other sources about the issue I have with charging.It may be the blocking diode is not allowing current to charge the battery properly.Thanks for your replies. Jim

[jimmyz91164]

One more question.I look on your site and see the blocking diode connections.It says "Motor red".If the mill is going to turn CCW, positive would be Black?Will it matter what motor wires are on the AC terminals?Or can they go either way?Just being thorough.I was on the otherpower site and get mixed ideas how the blocking diode wires go.Thinking of trying your method this time.Here is the other method they speak of.Diagram is halfway down the page.I need to get this connected properly if not already.
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/5/8/1316/95517

Jim

[velacreations]

Jimmy, try my method first. Follow the directions exactly. Motor red is the red wire. Yes, it does matter with the poles. Once it is hooked up, test the leads going to the battery (without the battery being connected), spin the generator by hand and see if the voltage is positive. If the voltage is negative, you have the wires incorrect. The motor must be connected to the AC terminals.

[jimmyz91164]

Thank you again.I will try that for sure.So many mixed ideas from other sources.I should stick to designer plans.The other method I use is supposedly using 2 diode config getting more handling capacity.For me to try your method is obvious as you are using it and it works.:))Many other reasons for my poor charging which will also be improved ASAP.Thanks again and sorry to ask so many questions.I truly want the most of this mill. Jim

[velacreations]

no problem on the questions. The best place to start is the beginning, and that is the instructions for the Chispito at http://www.velacreations.com/chispito.html. Once everything is done exactly like the info on there, and if it still doesn't work, then we know it is not because of something being backwards or installed incorrectly. 2 diodes will actually limit more voltage, but capacity is not your problem. The diode included on your machine is plenty big enough, but I think it is installed wrong. Don't worry about more capacity right now. Get it working, first, and then look at improving it.

[jimmyz91164]

It has been a long time but finally made it to the mill to change the diode configuration to VELA CREATIONS diagram.My battery was sitting there @ 11.37 +/- volts for 29 days and had not charged at all.The battery was put on a charger and brought back.After rewiring,the mill was spun by hand and 3 .5 volts read on the meter.So far so good.Now the waiting game begins.This is the 3rd time doing this.The first 2 times the battery lasted with a small load for 2 weeks.Lets see if it exceeds that.Fingers crossed.Thank you for all your help and sorry for not using your method the first time.My mistake.This is NO promotion to my website,but here is the whole saga.:)
http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/oddsandends.htm
Jim,NY

[jimmyz91164]

I give up.The battery is dead again.Maybe I will retry new things in the spring,I need a break from this.Thank you for the help anyhow.There must be other issues here. Jim,NY

[jimmyz91164]

December 6,2008 was my last post.I have rewired and raised my wind turbine considerably higher.It is connected to nothing but a single 12 volt deep cycle battery.NO CURRENT DRAW.Been turning in the wind and even the tail has broke off.Battery has not increased in voltage whatsoever in months.Matter of fact,it lost 1 volt from sitting too long.I had many people suggest why it does not charge a battery.Tried them all.It produces very good voltages when connected to a meter.Makes no sense to me.I have abandoned this mill idea.Here is all the info anyone will need about my experiences with this thing.I would love to hear what others are using this Chispito for.  November 2,2009

http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/windmillbeacon2009.htm

[jimmyz91164]

Battery is still not charging.I think the generator is defective.The battery was recharged fully the second try and now reads 11 volts.It lasted the same time as the first.attempted,2 weeks +/- a day.Lots of wind and the gen was spinning like mad.Supposed to get even more winds in the 30 mph all week.The small radio is off now so as to see if it charges the battery without a load.Like I said before and sounding repetitive,the whole project has been logged in detail on my website.This is where it all begins.Reply only if you have actual reasons for this problem.Thanks.This is from labor day to the present >
http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/windmillandbeacon.htm
At least people interested in building one of these have something to go by.
JimmyZ