Every year people search for alternative sources. A homemade power station from an old car generator will come in handy in remote areas where there is no connection to the general network. It will be able to freely charge batteries, and will also ensure the operation of several household appliances and lighting. You decide where to use the energy that will be generated, as well as collect it yourself or purchase it from manufacturers, of whom there are plenty on the market. In this article, we will help you figure out how to assemble a wind generator with your own hands from the materials that any owner always has.
Let's consider the operating principle of a wind power plant. Under a fast wind flow, the rotor and propellers are activated, after which the main shaft begins to move, rotating the gearbox, and then generation occurs. At the output we get electricity. Therefore, the higher the rotation speed of the mechanism, the greater the productivity. Accordingly, when locating structures, take into account the terrain, relief, and know the areas of the territories where the vortex speed is high.
Assembly instructions from a car generator
To do this, you will need to prepare all the components in advance. The most important element is the generator. It is best to take a tractor or bus, it can generate much more energy. But if this is not possible, then it is more likely to make do with weaker units. To assemble the device you will need:
voltmeter
battery charging relay
steel for making blades
12 volt battery
wire box
4 bolts with nuts and washers
clamps for fastening
Assembling a device for 220V home
When everything you need is ready, proceed to assembly. Each option may have additional details, but they are clearly stated directly in the manual.
First of all, assemble the wind wheel - the main structural element, because it is this part that will transform wind energy into mechanical energy. It is best if it has 4 blades. Remember that the smaller their number, the more mechanical vibration and the more difficult it will be to balance it. They are made from sheet steel or an iron barrel. They should not be shaped like you saw in old mills, but rather reminiscent of the wing type. They have much lower aerodynamic drag and higher efficiency. After you use a grinder to cut out a windmill with blades with a diameter of 1.2-1.8 meters, you need to attach it together with the rotor to the generator axis by drilling holes and connecting with bolts.
Assembling the electrical circuit
We secure the wires and connect them directly to the battery and voltage converter. You need to use everything that you were taught to make in school physics lessons when assembling an electrical circuit. Before you start designing, think about what kW you need. It is important to note that without subsequent alteration and rewinding, the stator is not at all suitable; the operating speed is 1.2 thousand-6 thousand rpm, and this is not enough to produce energy. It is for this reason that it is necessary to get rid of the excitation coil. To increase the voltage level, rewind the stator with a thin wire. As a rule, the resulting power at 10 m/s will be 150-300 watts. After assembly, the rotor will magnetize well, as if power was connected to it.
Homemade rotary wind generators are very reliable in operation and cost-effective; their only imperfection is the fear of strong gusts of wind. The principle of operation is simple - a vortex through the blades causes the mechanism to spin. In the process of these intense rotations, energy is generated, the tension you need. Such a power plant is a very successful way to provide electricity to a small house; of course, its power will not be enough to pump water from a well, but it is possible to watch TV or turn on the lights in all rooms with its help.
From a home fan
The fan itself may not be working, but only a few parts are required - a stand and the screw itself. For the design you will need a small stepper motor soldered with a diode bridge so that it produces a constant voltage, a shampoo bottle, a plastic water pipe approximately 50 cm long, a plug for it and a lid from a plastic bucket.
A sleeve is made on a machine and fixed in the connector from the wings of the disassembled fan. The generator will be attached to this bushing. After fastening, you need to start making the body. Cut off the bottom of a shampoo bottle using a machine or manually. During cutting, it is also necessary to leave a hole at 10 in order to insert an axis machined from an aluminum rod into it. Attach it to the bottle with a bolt and nut. After all the wires have been soldered, another hole is made in the body of the bottle to output these same wires. We stretch them out and secure them in a bottle on top of the generator. They must match in shape and the body of the bottle must reliably hide all its parts.
Shank for our device
So that in the future it will catch wind flows from different directions, assemble the shank using a pre-prepared tube. The tail section will be attached using a screw-on shampoo cap. They also make a hole in it and, having first put a plug on one end of the tube, pull it through and attach it to the main body of the bottle. On the other hand, the tube is sawed through with a hacksaw and the wing of the shank is cut out with scissors from the lid of the plastic bucket; it should have a round shape. All you need to do is simply cut off the edges of the bucket that attach it to the main container.
We attach a USB output to the back panel of the stand and put all the resulting parts into one. You can attach the radio or recharge your phone through this built-in USB port. Of course, it does not have the strong power of a household fan, but it can still provide illumination from one light bulb.
DIY wind generator from a stepper motor
A stepper motor device produces about 3 W even at low rotation speed. The voltage can rise above 12 V, and this allows you to charge a small battery. You can use a stepper motor from the printer as a generator. In this mode, the stepper motor produces alternating current, and it can be easily converted to direct current using several diode bridges and capacitors. You can assemble the circuit yourself. The stabilizer is installed behind the bridges, as a result we get a constant output voltage. To monitor visual tension, you can install an LED. In order to reduce the loss of 220 V, Schottky diodes are used to rectify it.
The blades will be made of PVC pipe. The blank is drawn on the pipe and then cut out with a cutting disc. The screw span should be about 50 cm, and the width should be 10 cm. It is necessary to machine a sleeve with a flange to the size of the motor shaft. It is mounted on the motor shaft and secured with screws; plastic “screws” will be attached directly to the flanges. Also carry out balancing - pieces of plastic are cut off from the ends of the wings, and the angle of inclination is changed by heating and bending. A piece of pipe is inserted into the device itself, to which it is also bolted. As for the electrical board, it is better to place it at the bottom and connect power to it. There are up to 6 wires coming out of the stepper motor, which correspond to two coils. They will require slip rings to transfer electricity from the moving part. Having connected all the parts together, we proceed to testing the design, which will begin to rotate at 1 m/s.
Windmill made from motor-wheel and magnets
Not everyone knows that a wind generator from a motor-wheel can be assembled with your own hands in a short time; the main thing is to stock up on the necessary materials in advance. The Savonius rotor is best suited for it; you can purchase it ready-made or do it yourself. It consists of two semi-cylindrical blades and an overlap, from which the axes of rotation of the rotor are obtained. Choose the material for their product yourself: wood, fiberglass or PVC pipe, which is the simplest and best option. We make a place for connecting the parts, where you need to make holes for fastening in accordance with the number of blades. A steel swivel mechanism will be required to ensure the unit can withstand any weather.
Made from ferrite magnets
A magnetic wind generator will be difficult for inexperienced craftsmen to master, but you can still try. So, there should be four poles, each containing two ferrite magnets. They will be covered with metal linings slightly less than a millimeter thick to distribute a more uniform flow. There should be 6 main coils, rewound with a thick wire and should be located through each magnet, occupying a space corresponding to the length of the field. The winding circuits can be fastened to a hub from a grinder, in the middle of which a pre-machined bolt is installed.
The flow of energy supply is regulated by the height of the stator mounting above the rotor; the higher it is, the less sticking, and accordingly the power decreases. For a windmill, you need to weld a support-stand, and attach 4 large blades to the stator disk, which you can cut from an old metal barrel or a lid from a plastic bucket. At average rotation speed it produces up to about 20 watts.
Windmill design using neodymium magnets
If you want to learn about the creation, you need to make the base of a car hub with brake discs; this choice is quite justified, because it is powerful, reliable and well balanced. After you have cleaned the hub of paint and dirt, proceed to arranging the neodymium magnets. You will need 20 of them on a disk, the size should be 25x8 millimeters.
Magnets must be placed taking into account the alternation of poles; before gluing, it is better to create a paper template or draw lines dividing the disk into sectors so as not to confuse the poles. It is very important that they, standing opposite each other, have different poles, that is, they attract. Glue them with super glue. Raise the borders along the edges of the disks, and wrap tape or seal with plasticine in the center to prevent spreading. In order for the product to work at maximum efficiency, the stator coils must be calculated correctly. An increase in the number of poles leads to an increase in the frequency of the current in the coils, due to this, the device produces more power even at a low rotation frequency. The coils are wound with thicker wires in order to reduce the resistance in them.
When the main part is ready, the blades are made as in the previous case and secured to the mast, which can be made from an ordinary plastic pipe with a diameter of 160 mm. After all, our generator, operating on the principle of magnetic levitation, with a diameter of one and a half meters and six wings, at 8 m/s, is capable of providing up to 300 W.
The price of disappointment or an expensive weather vane
Today there are many options for making a device for converting wind energy, each method is effective in its own way. If you are familiar with the method of manufacturing energy-generating equipment, then it will not matter on what basis it is made, the main thing is that it meets the intended circuit and produces good power at the output.
Many people are looking for a ready-made generator for making a wind generator, and there is such a generator, this is a bicycle motor wheel, there are also more powerful ones for scooters and electric vehicles. The wheel motor is a ready-made three-phase magnetic generator, the rated power of which in generator mode is achieved already at 500-700 rpm; there are also higher-speed ones, depending on the specific model.
For example, a wheel motor (TM Volta bikes 48vv1000w), the rotation speed of which at idle in engine mode is 460 rpm at 48v. In generator mode, it will produce 1 kW at approximately 600 rpm on a 48v battery. A 12-volt battery is of course smaller, but the charge will begin at approximately 100-120 rpm, and the maximum power with a good three-bladed propeller will be no more than 400-500 watts. With a 24 volt battery, the maximum power will be better, but the battery starts charging from 200-250 rpm.
The motor wheels also have a problem, this is quite noticeable sticking, so it will be difficult to start in a weak wind, but this already depends on the starting torque of the propeller. The propeller is a separate issue and I have not yet seen wind turbines with motor wheels and good propellers, but here is what I was able to find on ready-made wind generators.
>This wind generator has a wooden propeller with a diameter of 4 meters. The motor wheel is chain driven and has a gear ratio of 1:2, that is, it rotates twice as fast as the propeller. The maximum charging current for a 12 volt battery reached 30A. I think the design is clear in the photo below
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The wind generator seems to be made well, but the propeller has too large a diameter, and because of this the speed is low, and the 1:2 reduction does not really help to increase the power of the wind generator. Therefore, charging starts a little late and the speed is low. But I think the creator of this wind generator will understand this in the future. The propeller itself is also made unknown how and has no twist, so most likely it has a low KIEV and speed. Overall the design is good except for the screw.
Wind generator with wheel motor 1 kW
and original fastening
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The design of this wind generator, in my opinion, is more thought out. The motor-wheel has a weak axle, the diameter of which is only 12 mm, and besides, it is hollow and wires pass through it. Therefore, if you attach the blades to the body, and the generator by the axis on one side, then this is a very weak fastening and such a thin shaft can easily break. Here an adapter is made with a bearing, which bears the entire load of the screw.
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The propeller here is three-bladed, has a direct drive to the generator, the propeller itself has a diameter of 2.7-3 meters, and has good speed and KIEV. The power of this windmill with a wind of 4-5 m/s is 150-250 watts, which is already very good.
Wind generators based on wheel motors
Below are links with descriptions to other articles on the site that describe windmills with motor wheels as a generator. 
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Wind generator from a 900 watt wheel motor
A bicycle wheel motor is used as a generator in this windmill, the maximum power is fixed at 900 watts, this is 30 volts and 30 amperes, the wind generator runs on a 24 volt battery 
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Wind generator from a motor-wheel
Some photos of a small vertical wind generator. The wheel motor from a scooter was used as a generator; torque was transmitted to the generator by a chain, the ratio was approximately 1:2.5. The rotor dimensions are 1*1.6 meters, the mast height is 9 meters. In an average wind, this windmill produces up to 3A and 17v to charge an alkaline battery.In general, the wheel motor is a good generator, but its cost is not that low, it costs about $200-250 per 1 kW, this is its main disadvantage, but it is a godsend for those who cannot make a good generator themselves. Also, as I already wrote, the sticking of the motor wheel is quite noticeable and three-bladed propellers will start poorly in light winds. I myself have not tried to make a windmill using such a generator, but maybe someday it will work out.
In commercial wind generators, screw propeller engines are most often used - they have maximum efficiency, reaching up to 49%. This is a significant advantage, and you can try to make your third or fourth wind turbine using a propeller design - but screw engines are much more difficult to make, so if you want to make your first homemade wind generator, i.e. do not buy a ready-made one, but rather make a wind generator with your own hands, it is better to start with classic designs on a rotary engine, it looks like this:
However, you should not think that it is necessary to raise the windmill as high as possible at any cost - in fact, the wind speed is proportional to the seventh root of the height - the benefit is not great, but from an installation point of view it is very significant!
There is only one plus - if a wind power plant (WPP) is raised high above the ground, then it will serve as a lightning rod, and this can be useful for rural areas.
Until recently, the main problem in the construction of wind generators was the choice (or independent construction) of an electric current generator connected to the wind generator pulley - it is always easier to use a ready-made structure than to assemble and wind the windings yourself.
And everything changed with the advent of motor wheels for electric bicycles and electric scooters - these are ideal generators for home wind power! In terms of wind energy, it is most correct to take a wheel motor for a “multipole low-speed generator”; let’s see how it works, the simplest and cheapest wheel motor for an electric bicycle:
As we can see, depending on the design, these are from 30 to 50 neodymium magnets mounted on a rotating stator and a stationary rotor with three independent windings. Each winding is wound with 4-9 wires connected in parallel (to better fill the groove), the total diameter is about 3-4mm. Let's see what is especially important for self-construction of a wind generator from a motor-wheel?
1. In generator mode, any motor wheel begins to produce current immediately, “with half a turn!”
2.The output voltage is proportional to the rotation speed - take this into account when choosing a controller.
3. The output power can be increased by connecting additional windings!
4.You can slow down the motor-wheel by short-circuiting the windings with each other - nothing bad will happen to the windings; electric brakes of this design have long been used on electric bicycles and electric scooters.
5.Inside the motor-wheel for an electric bicycle, the windings are often connected in a star configuration. And the wheel motor for scooters and, especially, the wheel motor for electric scooters have a delta connection of the windings - keep this in mind when designing! Although it is not difficult to get into the wheel motor and solder the windings, all these wheel motors open very easily!
6. Motor wheels differ in weight and are conventionally divided into three classes: 4.5-6 kg have a rated power of about 600 - 1000 watts, if used for their intended purpose, and an efficiency of about 85%.
Motor wheels weighing from 8 to 10 kg with a power of about 1500 - 2000 watts. And the most powerful ones, up to 24 kg inclusive, are designed for power up to 8000 watts.
7. The price is for a bare motor wheel (i.e., there is nothing in the kit except the motor wheel itself), which is in stock.
8. The maximum speed of the motor wheels when used for their intended purpose is from 200 to 400 rpm.
Now let's talk about the designs of rotors for windmills with a motor-wheel. Naturally, their design can be absolutely any, there are no restrictions. But some are better suited and are considered easier for making your own first wind generator. The absolute leader here is vertical structures with a Savonius rotor. This type of structure is very strong and durable, if built correctly, and has a relatively low rotation speed, which is important in a design with a motor-wheel as an electric generator. The Savonius rotor can be easily made at home, without fiddling with the wing airfoil and other problems associated with making a horizontal "propeller" turbine. Moreover, unlike a horizontal axis turbine, the Savonius rotor is always oriented with the wind, and is not greatly affected by turbulence, which can sometimes be a great help.
The disadvantage of Savonis rotors (and there are a sufficient number of them) is usually their low efficiency, only about 15%. Fortunately, the most efficient type of Savonius rotor is most suitable for designs with motor-wheels.
Not only does it have an aerodynamic advantage, since air flows are deflected twice by the blades, but the blades also have some aerodynamic profile. When air flows across the blades, a small lift force is created and therefore the efficiency of the rotor increases. Real structures on such a profile begin to move in the wind, which is not felt by the face...
WHEEL MOTOR CONNECTION DIAGRAM
One day I became obsessed with the idea of energy independence and decided to make a windmill. I spent a long time choosing a motor-generator for a windmill. There were several options:
- remake an asynchronous motor by installing permanent neodymium magnets on the rotor
- convert a generator from a car to permanent magnets, thus getting rid of the excitation winding, which needed to be fed well (for comparison: the efficiency of a generator with permanent magnets is 0.8, similar to that with an excitation winding - 0.6).
- Find a ready-made motor with permanent, preferably neodymium, magnets. Why neodymium, you ask, because there are more motors with ferrite magnets. It's simple: almost all motors with ferrite are designed for high speeds, the minimum I found was 1500 rpm, 36 volts. This means that the design of the wind generator is complicated by a gearbox, which will reduce the overall efficiency of the entire product and complicate the design, as well as operating costs, in short, a complete mess.
- Wooden blades are not bad, but labor-intensive to manufacture and require maintenance (painting, varnishing)
- Blades made of composite materials (fiberglass and epoxy) - labor-intensive manufacturing
- PVC pipe blades - easy to manufacture and require no maintenance
The length of the blade from the pipe is approximately calculated as follows: blade length = pipe diameter * 5. You can, of course, make them longer, but they will bend very strongly in a strong wind. Divide the diameter of the pipe into 4 equal parts, then cut along the length of the pipe, and you will get 4 blanks. Then mark 30-35 mm from one edge and draw a line to the corner of the other edge of the workpiece, cut off the excess. All the blades are ready, we do the same operations with the rest, and you get 4 beautiful blades. Next, we grind the corners for better aerodynamics. 
Manufacturing of blade mounting unit (Hub)
I made it from a plate 1.5-2mm thick. Cut out a circle and mark it into 5 equal parts. We drill holes for the bolts that will attach the blades and the hub to the motor wheel. 
Rotary mechanism and fastenings for MK 
It is installed as a hub in bicycle, car or scooter wheels and sets these vehicles in motion. There are two main designs:
- driven
- geared
Drive models that have a lower noise level and are devoid of bearings, gears and other elements that pose a certain risk of failure seem to be more successful.
From a design point of view, the wheel motor is a ready-made generator, requiring only a source of torque to begin generating electricity.
Wind generator from a motor-wheel
It is not difficult to obtain electricity using a wheel motor; you just need to ensure rotation to switch the device into generator mode. Rotating the wheel motor to generate electric current only makes sense if the source is very accessible. It is irrational to use a gasoline or diesel engine for this, since the cost of the energy generated will be prohibitive. If the drive is carried out from a home-made device, the source of rotational energy for which will be wind, then the resulting electricity will become quite cost-effective and cheap.
How to make a wind generator
For the manufacture of a wind generator First of all, you need to make a windmill. To do this, you need to make an axis of rotation, and to lift the device above the ground. Many different design solutions have been invented, some of them are very elegant - for example, sometimes a bicycle motor-wheel is used in tandem with a regular one with spokes, on the rims of which blades made of halves of polypropylene pipes are installed.
The solution is simple and effective, but it also has some disadvantages - for example, for the most effective operation, you need to raise the device to a certain height. If any repairs or maintenance are required, you will have to climb to the device at a height.
Selection of design type
One of the questions that arises before the master when creating a project is choice of design type- horizontal or vertical. It should be taken into account that the motor-wheel provides some resistance to rotation, so it will become more convenient, when creating which you can space the blades at a sufficient distance from the axis of rotation so that it becomes possible to even start rotation.
This can be important if fairly large wheels are used, for example from a car, which have a fairly large starting torque. Typically, broken scooters or bicycles are used, broken devices are purchased, restored and used as the basis of a wind generator design.
