/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1701303
Moving Mechanism > Generator > Charge Controller > Battery Array > User Device(s)

While this will work for a few low power LEDs, it will actually be less expensive to purchase a cheap 100 watt solar panel kit. That can fit easily on the roof. The submersible length of wire from the drain to the gazebo would cost a fair amount in the first place. The upkeep for a generator outside in those conditions would also cost a fair amount. All when compared to the meager amount of power being generated by that water source of course.

>>1701303
As for the maximum amount of power, that's dependent on the amount of water flowing, and the vertical distance that it drops. 1 hp = 750 kw = 33,000 lbs, 1 ft in 1 minute. But you won't get anywhere near the maximum in practice.

OP check out micro-hydro. No need to have a massive wheel turning like in the olden days.

>>1701303
https://youtu.be/ZmHY9DkD1Hw
This guy spent $40 total, and it powers his lights and TV all night.

>>1701348
In instances of low head the wheel is still useful and also has other properties.
You can take better advantage of high flow and low head situations with a wider wheel, a larger wheel has more torque. They tend to be more rpm stable than a pelton and can't overspeed and explode when a load is removed. The gear ratios can take some time to get right, for direct drive its actually better and more likely to hold frequency without as much work.
You would want to run it over frequency and find out how much power it can produce until it dips below say 59 HZ or whatever you are comfortable with. Use space heaters, especially fully adjustable ones for that. Once you know the max, you need to set up some sort of electrical drag, another adjustable electric heater. Might take some electronics but a halls sensor on a 555 or 556 circuit would be a good start. Could control a stepper motor adjusting the heater. A cludgy and not a sophisticated control but simple. I don't know electronics very well. You could actually adapt that to engines as well. I would only bother with that if you had a good amount of water.

Op without a constant supply of water you only have a very large battery that refills form rainwater. You can do a pond water drop, an adjustable pvc pipe in the bottom where you can move it up or down and lower the pond to a certain level. Lots of flow, if the pond is on a hill run it all the way down to the lowest point and use a pelton wheel. You can adjust GPM with a valve and depending on your pond or lake and the expected output, you could have a battery of enormous reserve. A spring fed pond, even one with a few gpm should be looked at as a battery with a trickle charge on it. When it rains it gains a lot of power until its full, its actually superior to a battery in almost every way aside form cost but that depends on if you built it or not or paid for it. Most of the piping will last decades or longer depending on if its protected from the sun.

>>1701505
I ran out of room, I should also mention you can use the same signal from the 555 or 556 to control a linear motor or gear motor and open or close the pipe or water sluice, adjusting the rpm somewhat.

>>1701337
1 hp = 746 watts, not 750 kilowatts

>>1701495
Yeah, but the upkeep with that design's implementation will be higher over time.

>>1701303
That's a beautiful place m8. You're very lucky.

>>1701336
Some dude on youtube builds waterwheels from scrap alternators he rebuilds. He gets 80 watts from each one he said, I think. Already at 110AC because of how he wired the alternator

>>1702648
>He gets 80 watts
Wow, that's almost enough to run my laptop.

OP here. I've been googling more and have at least some idea what I'm doing now. The alternator thing is on the table, but I figure before I start with expensive shit, i'll just set up a test run with cheap chink shit, so I know I can get something to work before I drop tons of money on this

Goal: 12dc LED light strips on a light switch in an outbuilding I have. I'm thinking put a tiny ass wind turbine on the top of the building.

wire diagram: pic related
generator: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32720680436.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.55213c00OjXR7T&mp=1
regulator: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000067511936.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.55213c00OjXR7T&mp=1
propeller: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32884123411.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.55213c00OjXR7T&mp=1
battery: a used 7ah from work
lightswitch: i'll probably pick one up from home depot next time I'm there

assuming the chink shit doesn't crap out, is there anything I'm missing here? Is this a sound plan in theory?

>>1702648
Yeah, that is easy and cheap, but the OP's water flow rate isn't enough for such a system.

>scrap alternators
If they are car alternators then they would not work with this since OP wouldn't be able to get it up to a proper RPM.

If you have a way to stamp disks out of sheet metal you can make a Tesla turbine and hook it up to the shaft of some kind of generator. Just alternate the large disks with smaller spacer disks on the shaft, if that isn't obvious from the picture.

If you want to use an alternator then you can rectify the power and hook it up to a properly rated pwm controller to charge a battery bank.

>>1703156
OP doesn't have a flow rate where that would be plausible. Also, as neat as those are they suck for power generation. They are best used for super low torque and ultra high RPM applications of which there are very few.

>>1703009
The propeller shaft diameter is too small for that generator. The generator states, "Output diameter of axle: 3.2MM" while the propeller states, "Shaft hole diameter: 1.95 mm Φ (mounting shaft 2.0 mm)" so, you may need to adapt it to the shaft in some manner. Like rigging up a pulley system.

I agree a small VAWT would certinally be better for this. Just make a good weather proof cover for the motor. A pulley system will help keep it dry too.

>>1703009
>is there anything I'm missing here?
When the battery is fully charged you need something to switch the wind turbine power from the battery to a shunt to prevent the regulator and/or battery from overheating or overcharging respectively. Like a shunt charge controller that dumps the extra power into a heating coil, incandescent light bulb, or whatever.

>>1703250
>They are best used for super low torque and ultra high RPM applications
OP's power source is super low torque. I mostly suggested it because it's cheap, easy to build, and more likely to turn an alternator than almost anything he could buy off Ali Express

>>1703009
Don't waste your time with a shitty wind turbine, it'll break your heart. Get a solar panel instead. Or a good turbine.
t. wasted a lot of time on a shit turbine.

>>1703252
Small wind turbines usually have breaking circuitry, no power diversion needed.

>>1703250
I figured I'd have to kafuckle a bit with getting it on the shaft anyway. The only ones I could find that came as a single unit are the little piss ant ones. I thin a vertical propeller like that will capture more wind.

>>1703252
good call, thanks
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33024684703.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.2ca63c005xfRx1&mp=1
The amp rating on these things is for max input flow? Or did I misread that somewhere?

>>1703324
>Small wind turbines usually have breaking circuitry, no power diversion needed.
Not when you are making one from scratch.

>>1703402
Seems to be max 30A input for the blue one (Color: 30A) and 10A for the black one (Color: 10A).

>>1703432
I tried googling exactly how the power diversion device gets wired to the system, and got some vague and differing answers. Would it get put in parallel with the controller so it can just take all the charge once the controller relay opens? I know that would use up charge which could be going to the battery if I did it that way. Am I thinking too hard or not enough?

>>1703708
In the link you provided here >>1703402 the main image shows how it should be hooked up.