Maker Workshop - Wind Power Generator on MAKE: television
July 27th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Taking a motor from an old exercise treadmill and some PVC pipe, John Park constructs a wind-powered generator. The electrical power may not be enough to get your home off the grid, but the great thing about the project is how it explains in simple terms the technology involved in turning wind into free electricity.
Download the PDFs for these projects at www.makezine.tv
Duration : 0:9:21
How do you think television effects young children and teens?
Posted in Television | 
Tags: episode 7, green, john park, Make: television, Maker Workshop, pvc, renewable energy, wind power generator
They’re 6 volt …
They’re 6 volt batteries, so to get 12 volts they have to be wired in series.
from an aeroplane, …
from an aeroplane, duh!
there is only one …
there is only one problem…. were do u get a tredmill motor ?
no actual in series …
no actual in series the have a higher voltage output but same carge as one
in parrallel the have the normal voltage of one but last longer
because they are in …
because they are in series the voltage of both get added together
IE: two 1.5v baterries connected in series equal 3v
and to connect series you connect the negative to one and the positive to the other
Greatest video on …
Greatest video on wind power I’ve ever seen! Simple, straightforward, and right from beginning to end! Also, that PVC pipe for the blades was brilliant! I wish I were a little more mathematically minded.
Beacase He Can Have …
Beacase He Can Have 2 Hooked Together To Get A Longer Lasting Charge And Some Thing With Voltage
when he hooks up …
when he hooks up the blender, why does he hook up red on one battery, and black on another???
Or attach a motor …
Or attach a motor and rectifier to a stationary bicycle and you solve 2 of America’s problems in one go.
he said one of …
he said one of those can charge a 12v battery, you do the math
I found the right …
I found the right ratio is 5 to one diameter 10 in, then 1 blade length could be 50 in long. Union swivel is cool. The rest is for cub scouts.
If you were to …
If you were to build an army of many of these generators, would you possibly be able to power an entire household? How many generators would that take?
Where he uses the …
Where he uses the term “bridge rectifier” he should have simply said diode.
Since the diode is being used to block reverse current and not to rectify ac to dc.
Is it just me or is …
Is it just me or is there nothing stopping the motor from doing several revolutions and unscrewing off the top of the pipe nipple? Other than that a very nice simple design for off grid power.
just remove the …
just remove the bridge rectifer and you got a fan!!
he said nipple te he
he said nipple te he
Be smart - don’t …
Be smart - don’t pay any more electricity bills. more info: solar.xfollow.me (Copy to your browser’s address bar)
You can build one …
You can build one cheap. Search youtube/ google for plans
Great show, …
Great show, especially the blades. If you are not happy using a treadmill motor, you have a lot of other generators/alternators you can substitute with a little adaption.
it is for any thing …
it is for any thing that sticks up in the air… The solution is grounding the thing to the ground with heavy cable… Really not a problem, just something that needs to be taken it to account.
He used a new motor …
He used a new motor in the video, the
McMillan Electric model S3456B3282 permanent magnet motor.
Costs about $90 new. I got an old one from a
Treadmill, and it had rust spots and flaking
paint all over, but it works…….
That’s truly …
That’s truly amazing! I slashed my electric bill in half! look here: solar.xfollow.me (Copy to your browser’s address bar)
Lightning may be a …
Lightning may be a problem.
The pipe will …
The pipe will unscrew in a week. Flange bearings would be a better choice
Also, you can get a …
Also, you can get a 750 Watt Black and Decker
power inverter from Wal-Mart for $ 60 which
can run off the 12 V battery and run 120V AC
appliances, up to 750 Watts with 1500 Watt
surge-start…………
Dont need to use 12V car appliances at all,
Just needs time to charge battery full.
Venger