Pringles Wind Turbine (Pleech) - Version One

Step 15 Test!

No time like the present. Blow on it, put it in the wind, attach magnets to the vertical piece of the frame and tack it up on a AC vent, hit with a Shop Vac blower (I've done this--it holds up just fine).

Some tips:
*apply more WD-40 if needed (note: a helpful commenter let me know that WD-40 is not a lubricant, but a solvent that has similiar properties--until it dries up. Use light weight oil instead, 5 to 10 weight)
*blowing on it will get you about .5 V DC with my set up. Hopefully you will get a lot more (it's those thin wire wraps that will do it for you)
*I had 1.12 volts with it sitting on a fairly gentle AC vent
*with the Shop Vac, it gets up to 6 V at least before it starts to rattle like crazy and pop out of the dimples. You will probably get even better results.

Comments

[DrJekyl]

Actually, just try this out: Does this thing generate more power when the AC is venting out hot air? The higher temperature the air is at, the more energy its particles possess. This would mean that when these air particles collide with the surface of the turbine blades, they would be getting more work done while losing some heat, and hopefully you'd get a higher RPM.

[capjbadger]

Actually NO. Hot air is less dense and thus pushes the turbine with less force.

[DrJekyl]

Right. Air temperature is also an important factor in wind power generation. Cold air is more dense than hot air. Thus, wind turbines are able to generate about 5% more power at any given wind speed in the winter than they are during the hot days of summer.

[ijsche2]

I got 7 volts with one 36 gauge coil being spun by a fan on high. However I had a terrible time making the coils with such a small wire without breaking. I ended having to use a 32 gauge wire.