How to build a wind turbine

- Workshop Course -

CAT 2003

Small machine page

The shaft prepared for stator casting. You can also see the hub and the mounting. The mounting is complete with inclined hinge for the tail.

Setting up the stator mould so that the shaft is square on to the surface.

Allen wiring up the coils in series/star.

Don and Keith manipulate the wiring in preparation for the resin pour.

Silicone to prevent the resin overflowing.

Richard vibrating the mould with the big drill again.

Keith and Don getting near ready for the lid to go on.

On it goes.

This is my best picture of the magnet rotor in its mould.

Ross carving the second blade set.

Assembly. Don took over most of this. He had won the machine in a lottery that Duncan organised.

Tail furling system. Left is the working position, right is fully furled.

PS I got this message from Don in July 2004

Hi Hugh and everyone from the Cat 03 course,

I finished the small machine and put it up to test at my cottage in New
Zealand. I took it to NZ in my suitecase (it weighed 13kg)and
reassembled it out there. Sorry about the poor quality of the images
but I thought I must send you all some pictures as everyone put work
into it and you would like to see it up and running.

I just had it connected to a 12 volt battery with no charge controller
and had it up and running for about a week before my return to the UK.
It produced 20 volts open circuit, but had no way of measuring it's
output under load.

I was please with it's performance, as you can see the site although
on a hill is sheltered by trees and the test pole I has was only 3
meters high (was the old clothes line)so given the current poor
location I was surprised it produced any output at all. The blades
really wiped round open circuit in a strong wind and with very little
vibration, which was great as I didn't do any balancing.

Best Regards

Don

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