I started with a 24 x 24 with the 10.6 blades and watched it rev up and turn itself out of the wind. It bounced side to side with more turbeulent(SP?) winds..Now I have a 24 x 48 tail and it moves so smoothly and holds itself in the winds..Looks almost mechanical like its being wintracked naturally :lol: Its a larger rudder in the lake of wind!!
Sounds like you got 'er dialed-in Bluejay. Good to hear. Now you can sit back in the rocker on the porch and watch 'er harvest the wind. Dave
Good topic. As an Engineer I've learned that it is smart to look at successful systems and study the design aspects of the product that makes them so successful. One area is the ratio of rotor diameter to total turbine length. It is easy to collect data on this and then use it in your own DIY projects. Professional turbine companies spend a lot of money optimizing their designs, so they make excellent examples.
Naw timber..I have enough aluiminum templates and 2 more motors to start building more..Might not get both up till spring but I also have enough towers bought to have 6 of these to build next summer... A 4x 8 sheet of aluminium cut to size for me cost $155 I have also documented every piece's weight in front of the folcrum point so I know how much to add behind it..A heavier turbine is more efficient and now I see why!
Are you flying one of the 750's yet Bluejay? What unit were you sizing this tail for? Wow ... that's wicked, 6 more towers! Phenomenal! Guess you're not going to be worried in the slightest about power outages or electric bills. You pretty much have your own grid ... I assume you have or will have most of these tied to the grid. No rest for the wicked ... :mrgreen: Dave
I had a chance to buy the 750 before it was available but its only 5 lbs more and unless thats all in magnets I am skeptical..Just want to see it in action before I spend the extra money. not to mention that I will need better grid tie equipment before all my turbines are flying...Being geared I see good output with these motors(windy 5oow pma).. I am seeing greater output just with the fact that it stays directly into the wind now with it weighing over 100lbs and the extra tail lenth. none of the shuttering or side to side snapping now..All movements are smooth and mechanical like... :ugeek:
Do you use an off-the-shelf gearbox or is this something you fabricated? I was wondering how a Synchronous Belt and sprockets might work. I put one on my e-bike and it seems pretty efficient and holds up very well ... it's quiet too. Dave
Dave, I use #40 roller chains and sprockets..Same chain as on motorcycles so you know it can handle some torque..theres a link of my design in the post your photos. The only change I have made is sandwiching the treated wood between aluminum for added strenth..Its all very quiet suprisingly..
I like what you are saying on the tail size. On one of my Winy 500 I increased the tail size considerably just to balance out. This one is a non furling system, it holds the wind the smoothest of sll the turbines I have ! I am afraid if I tried that for the others it would throw the furling out of wack, any ideas ? Also, can't help but admire your determination on your cemented towers and your gear system, so do you have a need of another turbine with hub and blades ? You can have your choice of a Windblue, Presto or a Leeson 180 DC. If any of those could work for you let me know. We would just call it a donation to medical science in the world of wind :lol: But you cover the shipping ! murray
Thank you for that offer Murray but I have a windblue on the shelf in the basement! I know these are crap and not even worth the time..tested for a year so its a earned truth... The only fail safe I havent figured out is if a chain breaks I cant short for a brake. I was thinking of flying a steel cable off the tail that would be long enough to allow me to safely climb the tower and hook it out of the wind on the tower while staying low enough to stay away from the large blades..
Hey I understnd, know what you mean ! Had remembered you mention the Windblue before so thought you might be able to do something with the gears. At one time I had a light line attached from one of the turbine tails. At that time I thought I would just use it to swing the turbine around if the wires got twisted. I was just using small blades but it did not take long for that wire to get tangled in the blades :roll: I just didn't tell the rest of you to save face :lol: Murray
