DIY Mini Wind Generator
A wind generator captures the energy of the wind and converts it into electricity. Wind turbines are an attractive alternative source of energy because the wind is free and anyone can harness it. You can make a miniature wind generator at home as a science or hobbyist project. You can even use it to teach yourself the principles of how wind generators operate before trying to build a large wind generator of your own.
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Things You'll Need
- Ruler
- Small plastic bottle, can or pail
- Scissors
- 2 large plastic lids
- Geometer's compass
- Drill
- Wooden dowel twice as long as the plastic can is tall
- Flat-headed screws, shorter than the dowel is wide
- Screwdriver
- Glue
- 2 wooden planks as long as the dowel minus 2 inches
- 2 shorter planks
- 4 1-inch by 2-inch by ½-inch ceramic magnets
- 1-liter soda bottle
- 200 feet of magnet wire
- Electrical tape
Instructions
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1
Measure the width of the plastic can. Using the geometer's compass, draw a circle on one of the large lids that is twice as wide as the plastic can. Cut this circle out of the lid. Cut another one of the same size out of the other lid.
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2
Drill holes in the centers of each lid. Make these holes as wide as the dowel.
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3
Cut the plastic can in half with the scissors. Screw one half of the can to the wooden dowel, 3 inches from the top. Screw the other half of the can to the other side of the dowel so that the two half-cans form an "S" shape. These are the scoops of the generator. The wind pushes against them, turning the generator.
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4
Slide one of the plastic discs over the end of the dowel to the top of the scoops. Glue it to them. Slide another over the other end of the dowel and up to the bottom of the scoops. Glue it to them.
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5
Drill a hole through the center of one of the short wooden planks. Make the hole slightly wider than the dowel. This will be the top of the frame. The other short plank will be the bottom of the frame.
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6
Screw the end of the long planks to the top and bottom planks so that they form a rectangle. This is the frame. Stand the frame upright so that the top plank is on top. Drill a hole, slightly wider than the dowel, halfway through this plank in the center.
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7
Screw one of the screws into the side of the dowel, 2 inches from the bottom. Screw another in directly above it. Screw two more screws into the dowel on the opposite side of the first two, at the same distance from the end.
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8
Stick two of the magnets to each other. Stick the other two together as well. Stick one pair onto the screw heads on one side of the dowel. Stick the other two onto the other screw heads on the other side.
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9
Cut the top and bottom off the 1-liter soda bottle so that you have a plastic cylinder without top or bottom.
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10
Wind the magnet wire around the plastic cylinder. Tape it into place with the electrical tape. Leave several inches of wire trailing off each end of the coil.
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11
Slide the top of the dowel, with the scoops, into the hole at the top of the frame. Slide the plastic cylinder with the wire coil over the bottom end of the dowel. Slide the bottom end of the dowel into the socket at the bottom of the frame. The wind generator is now ready to use.
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12
Attach the wires coming out of the coil to the device you want to power. Because this is a mini wind generator, you can power only small devices. You could hook it up to a small rechargeable battery or cell phone to recharge it. You could light a small light bulb or LED light by attaching it to the coil. You could also hook it up to a multimeter to demonstrate the voltage and current that your turbine can produce.
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Tips & Warnings
To hook the wires from the coil to the device that you are powering with the generator, you might need some small attachment devices. Depending on the nature of the device, you might need to attach alligator clips to the wires to clamp them to something. You might be able to attach the wires with electrical tape.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
