a vertical wind generator from washing machine motor

8/18/2019 A Vertical Wind Generator From Washing Machine Motor

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A Vertical Wind Generator from Washing Machine

Motor

Have an old front-load clothes washer and some PVC pipe lying around?

Make a vertical wind generator and go GREEN the DIY way.

Step 1: Remove motor from washing machine


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This step was the most destructive using various implements to separatethe motor assembly from the washing machine. I'll leave it to your

imagination and whatever tools you have on hand. The output of this step

should be the coil assembly and the magnet assembly. Keep the shaft and

bearings if you can also. Mine were pressed into the washing drum and

were difficult to remove without destroying them. Keep the bolts from the

coil and magnet assembly also. You may want to use them for your new

hub.

Step 2: Clean the Parts


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Clean the magnets and coils, and remove any rust that may have built upon the ends of the coils. Then put a light coat of oil on the metal parts or a

light layer of clear coat to keep them from rusting again.

Step 3: Design a New Hub


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This may be the most difficult part. You need to design a hub that will

space the coils in line with the magnets, and also have some sturdy

bearings at each end. I started out with a block of plastic used for an

automotive brake rotor holding fixture. You could make the same on a

lathe, or build one up from layers of wood or other plastic, etc.

Step 4: Shaft Fit


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I saved part of the original washing machine drum shaft where the two

bearings were located and cut off the rest. Then I added some threadedrod in the end where the original bolt was located. The threaded rod will

attach to my blade assembly.

Step 5: Hub and Coils


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Here is the hub bolted to the coils with a cutout for some wiring. At this

point, I haven't rewired any of the coils. There are many DIY generatorprojects on the web using these same washing machine motors and some

describe various ways to rewire them for different voltages and currents.

Your application will define your wiring.

Step 6: Finished Generator Assebl!


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Here's a photo of the magnets and coils mounted on the new hub and shaft

assembly. At this point, you can spin the assembly and measure the

voltage output, current output, vs. RPM. These measurement steps, and a

way to determine the required torque to spin the generator I will save for

my next Instructable.

Step ": #lade Design and Constru$tion

My blade design is based on some vertical blades I've seen, and in

particular, a spinning porch ornament I purchased a few years back. The

Idea is to have a cup-like section of the blade always in the direct flow of

the wind.

Step %: &he #lade Design


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First mark the cutting lines on the PVC pipe. You can sand off the marks

after cutting and/or paint the blades if needed.

Step ': Cut #lades


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I used a jig saw to cut the long flat cuts.

Step (): Cut #lades


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I used a hack saw to cut the rounded sections.

Step ((: Drill Center Hole For *ost


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I used a hole saw to drill the center holes for the PVC post. The center

post has caps on the ends to secure to the threaded rod.

Step (+: Copleted Generator


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I used a hole saw to drill the center holes for the PVC post. The center

post has caps on the ends to secure to the threaded rod.

Step (+: Copleted Generator


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Here's a photo of the completed generator ready for mounting on a porch,

or in a tree, or wherever. This motor was rated at about 400 Watts, so I'm

hoping for 50-100 watts in a good wind.

I hope you've enjoyed this Instructable, See you all next time......

Step (3: ,easureents


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Here's a photo of the completed generator ready for mounting on a porch,

or in a tree, or wherever. This motor was rated at about 400 Watts, so I'm

hoping for 50-100 watts in a good wind.

I hope you've enjoyed this Instructable, See you all next time......


No load and full load torque was measured using a strain gage load cell

mounted on a rod located one foot from the center of the hub. Data was

captured using a national instruments DAQ card and DasyLab daq

software. No load was all wires open, full load was all wires shorted. I tried

to move the rod 90 degrees in 5 seconds at a steady rate manually.


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No load torque averaged 0.39 ft-lbs, ful load torque was approx. 1.25 ft-lbs


Full load Plot.

Step (5: *art nubers


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LG Washer model WM0532HW

6501KW2002B

Sears Part Numbers

Stator assembly

PART NUMBER: 4417FA1994G

$97.60

Rotor

PART NUMBER: 4413EA1002B

$63.65

Sensor assy

PART NUMBER: 6501KW2002

Call for availability


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(800) 252-1698

Bearing

PART NUMBER: 4280FR4048E

Kenmore 41473

$25.04

a vertical wind generator from washing machine motor

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