Wind Generator from old scanner [updated]

I'll show you how to recycle an old scanner into an amazing wind generator.
You need it, clean energy!

Step 1 What you need?

What you need:

- Old scanner
- Rectifier diodes (I used 8 1N4007)
- 1000uF Capacity
- LM7805 (voltage regulator for 5 volts)
- PVC pipe (for blades)
- Plastic square (for tail)
- Aluminum pieces (i used alumynum, but you can use what you want)

Comments

[tomtortoise]

yo which pulley should i get and are there metal ones??? and do i need to remove the pinion gear and how.

[javotech]

mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/windgen/

thanks!

[rikkiesix]

Hi there.
Can you tell me what part it is u used for making your turbine pivot.
There are some bearings in it i see.
Greetings from Belgium
Erik

[DeanC993]

sorry i keep commenting but is your stepping motor MITSUMI M42SP-4NK LOT NO.T G 6117 if so i af the exact same motor as you is it from lexmark?

[stormthirst]

The make and model of motor shouldn't make a difference, provided that it's a stepper motor, which is rated to have approximately the same output. What it comes out of is irrelevant.

[azngiant1212]

 I have made one with a PM55L-048 Stepper Motor took from an old HP Deskjet printer. But I need a rectifier circuit for my stepper because it is a unipolar I think with 5 wires coming out from it. Please Help! Thanks.

[randommate]

 hey neat instructable.  i have been trying to think of something of this size as well.. any chance you could update with more info on the range of output your turbine can supply? cheers.

[mrjtwill]

how did you build the hub so you could attach the blades?

[electronic boy]

The hub/meccano pulley has holes for meccano screws already in it

[electronic boy]

how in gods name did you get that fiddly gear off of the end of the stepper motor

[electronic boy]

if you want to light a bulb then your best bet is to put a charging circuit and a battery so your light dose not flicker if there is no wind

[Jr Hacking kid]

it he meccano gear this one? =D

[Jr Hacking kid]

its metal look it up in ebay its a 19b part i think google and macth the pics ok

[happybiscuit23]

Is the gear metal.?

[happybiscuit23]

Is this metal or plastic? I found the plastic one to break very easily, it would only take a light wind. This one is made of the same plastic all the new meccano kits come with, it chipped away and is cheap enough that I would not reccomend its use.

[Jr Hacking kid]

metal its called a "meccano 19b"

[emdarcher]

where did you get the old scanner?

[slinger14]

could you use a zeiner diode to by-pass the 7805 when the voltage is under 5 volts?

[DeanC993]

hi could you just hook up a light to the generator i have the same generator as you and i only want to light a bulb of it o you know how i could do it?

[DeanC993]

(removed by author or community request)

[clark]

thats what he is using, so i'd say yes

[ciaagent]

Hey everyone, I'm still working on mine, got some big gusts and broke 2 of the blades... topped out at .005V... I must have fried a diode during soldering. So I fixed the blades and never put it back up (bad move) and I dropped the blades and broke one of the previous broken ones again, so here I am fixing it... anyways, if you REALLY want to follow me, head on over too http://ciaagentswindmillblog.wordpress.com/ where I will post about it.

[gilles99]

your third picture have a mistaque with your graetz

[garyuou]

Hi, everybody! New energy industry is developing at high speed, and it does have a bright future. Do you guys realize this? If you interested in wind turbineor need any information, you can contact me.

[ciaagent]

Update on mine, Bad news. We got a windstorm and I seen it going too fast, so I thought I'd take it down. I go out there and lift the pole out of the ground and the blade slowly moved forward an inch, then tilted down. I then though that I didn't feel like being decapitated, so I dropped the pole and ran. As I watched it fall, I realized what a bad mistake that was. It hit the garden and broke two blades off. Luckily, they were on opposite sides so it still works. Good news: I finally got something for a bearing, and came up with a design for the thing to transfer electricity down the pole without wires. I will flatten copper pipe and use some kind of brush to rub them. So this is my update, and its a long one. Stay tuned for more.

[ciaagent]

Hey everyone, update on mine: I finally have it up temporarily, (its in an underground sprinkler hole with broks around it and no electronics hooked up) anyways, here are some images: I know it leans, but its only temp.

[ciaagent]

I hooked up the electronics, I only get .004V. If i spin it really fast by hand I can barely get 1V. Looks like I need to fix something. When I was soldering last night, I got a drop of solder on one of the rectifier diodes so I'm thinking that killed it.

[ciaagent]

Of course there would be a wind storm after I put it up... I guess I should move the cementing the pipe in the ground to a priority, luckily, the hole it was in kept it from falling down completely. I am getting good RPM's out of it, I do not know the voltage yet as I don't have the rectifier circuit hooked up.

[ciaagent]

*sorry, I meant bricks, not brocks.

[danlab]

I have a stepper motor which has 5 wires, black being a common lead, does anyone know how to rectify it, if it is possible? down below is a picture of the wiring diagram that came from the manufacturer p.s. Great Instructable, just wish I had an old scanner I didn't need

[dark sponge]

Try this

[gadget_brain]

Get a hold of an old HP inkjet printer they have some nice motors. 500, 600, 700 series (and probably most any of their inkjets). I've gotten some nice 5 wire stepper motors out of them. There's also a nice DC motor which would work well.

[dark sponge]

I just took apart a printer, and one of the stepper motors is almost exactly like that one (for some reason there were two motors, and it was just a plain printer without a scanner). I will use the diagram and try to figure out how to rectify it. If I do, ill post it

[gadget_brain]

Most printers that I have taken apart have 2 motors. One for moving the paper through and another for moving the print head. HP 500, 600, 700 etc series printers have a really nice stepper motor for moving the paper and a really nice DC motor for moving the print head.

[mikemmcmeans]

my motor came out of a HP scanner it has 6 leads 2 for separate coils should i make a 6-way rectifier or is there a better way

[javotech]

look here: http://www.thebackshed.com/Windmill/assemblyMini3.asp

[mikemmcmeans]

thanks that was a great explanation but any idea how i would know which wires are the right ones on the coils?

[javotech]

look at the scanner circuit board, maybe some wire wasn't connected to any component. or use a multimeter (on ac). good luck!

[TheNerdGroup]

Nice work
Im going to use this with my newman engine_{, : v)}

Bill - N.e.R.d. Group

[btop]

Ok, mine is done :) Heres the flickr photo stream. PHOTOS