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Step 5Column, Upper Roller, and Collector
The column is a piece of 3/4" PVC that holds the upper roller and supports the aluminum can collector. Cut two lengths of PVC; the column will be 11 in, and the handle 4 in. Now drill a hole 0.5 in from the top of the column. Remove any burrs from the PVC. Wash and dry to remove any PVC dust.
The upper roller is a 9x6 mm roundelle Czech glass bead purchased from artbeads.com. Artbeads.com has no minimum order with free shipping, but please don't take advantage of them by spending less than a dollar; buy a few beads. The axis for the roller is made from a paper clip that has been straightened and formed into an L shape. Stick the paper clip through the holes in the column and trim the excess. Now curve the axel inward slightly. Wrap a little Teflon tape around the axel, and slip the bead over it. The slippery Teflon tape will prevent the paper clip from grinding the bead. Now tape two narrow strips of electrical tape on either side of the bead. You can use a wire stripper to cut away excess tape. These bumpers keep the bead from sliding to the left or right on the axel when you wave the VDG around. The holes in the column are of course too small to pass the bead and bumpers, so you must insert the assembly in the end of the PVC, hook the bottom of the L into one hole, then push the other end of the axel into the other hole.
To make the upper comb, cut 8 in of wire, strip 0.25 in from one end, which will be the upper comb, and 1 in from the other. Shape the wire around the column like the picture shows, then tape the wire to the column. Spread out the comb's strands and twist together the strands on the other end. The comb points at the roller when the generator is running, but can be easily moved out of the way to remove the upper roller assembly.
The collector is made of an aluminum can with the lid removed. First remove the can's tab. The aluminum can's lid can be cut out with a sharp knife but using a handheld can opener is much safer and leaves fewer sharp edges. Use a paper napkin to keep the wheel with teeth from puncturing the can. The can opener should be used like scissors to remove the lid; don't twist. The collector's support is made from a Gatorade or similar bottle. Trace the circumference of a piece of PVC onto the bottles lid. Remove the material from the lid within the circle. Place the aluminum can onto the bottle and trace a circle around the bottle where its neck meets the can. Cut the neck off the bottle using the line as reference. Don't cut exactly on the line, but leave a little excess, which can be trimmed away later if necessary. Screw the lid back onto the neck of the bottle and insert it onto the column starting from the bottom.
The upper roller is a 9x6 mm roundelle Czech glass bead purchased from artbeads.com. Artbeads.com has no minimum order with free shipping, but please don't take advantage of them by spending less than a dollar; buy a few beads. The axis for the roller is made from a paper clip that has been straightened and formed into an L shape. Stick the paper clip through the holes in the column and trim the excess. Now curve the axel inward slightly. Wrap a little Teflon tape around the axel, and slip the bead over it. The slippery Teflon tape will prevent the paper clip from grinding the bead. Now tape two narrow strips of electrical tape on either side of the bead. You can use a wire stripper to cut away excess tape. These bumpers keep the bead from sliding to the left or right on the axel when you wave the VDG around. The holes in the column are of course too small to pass the bead and bumpers, so you must insert the assembly in the end of the PVC, hook the bottom of the L into one hole, then push the other end of the axel into the other hole.
To make the upper comb, cut 8 in of wire, strip 0.25 in from one end, which will be the upper comb, and 1 in from the other. Shape the wire around the column like the picture shows, then tape the wire to the column. Spread out the comb's strands and twist together the strands on the other end. The comb points at the roller when the generator is running, but can be easily moved out of the way to remove the upper roller assembly.
The collector is made of an aluminum can with the lid removed. First remove the can's tab. The aluminum can's lid can be cut out with a sharp knife but using a handheld can opener is much safer and leaves fewer sharp edges. Use a paper napkin to keep the wheel with teeth from puncturing the can. The can opener should be used like scissors to remove the lid; don't twist. The collector's support is made from a Gatorade or similar bottle. Trace the circumference of a piece of PVC onto the bottles lid. Remove the material from the lid within the circle. Place the aluminum can onto the bottle and trace a circle around the bottle where its neck meets the can. Cut the neck off the bottle using the line as reference. Don't cut exactly on the line, but leave a little excess, which can be trimmed away later if necessary. Screw the lid back onto the neck of the bottle and insert it onto the column starting from the bottom.
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A wandering roller is the biggest problem with this design. Try fine tuning the tightness of the belt by pushing/pulling the column in/out of the Tee a little. You can also try twisting the column to give the belt a bit of a twist.
It's nice to hear from someone that's actually trying to make it.