| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | About Us  

Dynamo Hubs For Wind Turbines



Dynamo Hubs For Wind Turbines

Dynamo Hubs and bottle dynamos for use in small DIY wind turbine generators

wind | electronics
  Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

A common way of learning more about wind turbines is to build your own with easily available cheap parts. For many years now old Sturmey Archer Dynohubs have been used for this purpose. Available at scrap prices, they generated 3 Watts at 6 Volts - perfect for lighting some LEDs or small bulbs. However as more and more people have caught the wind power bug, these 40 year old hubs have become more and more pricey and difficult to find, and are finally approaching the prices of new modern equivalents.

Retail prices for dynamo hubs typically start at around £30-40 for the most basic model, up well into the hundreds of pounds. However, for use in a small wind turbine generator the cheaper models are perfectly acceptable. The difference in price gets you a lighter weight hub (a disadvantage) and a little less resistance, better weather-proofing, and improved build quality (all advantages).

Bottle Dynamo Wind Turbines


Bottle dynamo wind turbine

Pictured above is a simple wind turbine generator made using a bottle dynamo. While these are available cheaply, unfortunately, they do not make very good generators as the voltage output at typical turbine rotation speeds is too low for battery charging. A voltage multiplier is therefore recommended with a bottle dynamo in order to get a more useful voltage.

Alternatives to the Sturmey Archer Dynohub

Here are the details of some alternatives to the Sturmey Archer Dynohub:

Shimano Nexus Dynamo Hub


Shimano Nexus Dynamo Hub

6 Volts and 3 Watts of power, this dynamo hub is designed for use as a front wheel hub and comes complete with a switch. Typical retail prices are £40-75 however previous year's models can sometimes be found for as little as £20.

Schmidt Dynamo Hub


Schmidt Dynamo Hub

This Scmidt Dynamo Hub is also a 6 Volt 3 Watt model, however it is the most efficient hub dynamo available (99.77% efficiency claimed). Priced at over £100 retail it is getting very close to the typical price of a Permanent Magnet Alternator made specifically for wind turbine use and with a far higher power output (hundreds of Watts). Therefore you would be very unlikely to invest in this ultra-reliable superbly well-sealed little generator - but if you happen upon one in a few years at a car boot sale or on ebay, snap it up right away!

Buy a Dynamo Hub

One of the best places to purchase a well priced used or new dynamo hub is eBay UK. Click here to search now for Dynamo Hub.



Article Last Modified: 11:18, 11th Apr 2009

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

Making Voltage Doublers and Multipliers
Find out how to construct an AC voltage doubler circuit. Extend it to a tripler circuit and more.
Article Last Modified: 13:29, 26th Apr 2007
electric circuit | education

Permanent Magnet Generator
Build a wind or water power system with around a PM Generator
Article Last Modified: 15:43, 6th Apr 2010
wind | hydro

Sturmey Archer Dynohub
The Sturney Archer Dynohub in RE Applications
Article Last Modified: 15:37, 3rd Jun 2008
wind | electronics

Wind Turbines on Ebay
Buying wind turbines on eBay UK.
Article Last Modified: 12:03, 15th Mar 2011
wind | shopping

PVC Wind Turbine Blades
Learn how to make your own PVC wind turbine blades
Article Last Modified: 14:16, 19th Aug 2008
wind

Make A Bridge Rectifier From Diodes
Make your own single or multi phase bridge rectifier from diodes
Article Last Modified: 15:33, 2nd Feb 2007
wind | electric circuit

Oyster Wave Power
Find out about the Oyster hydro-electric wave energy converter from Aquamarine Power
Article Last Modified: 13:49, 8th Apr 2010
wave

Electricity with Stepper Motors
Find out the basics of generating electricity with stepper motors
Article Last Modified: 16:07, 10th Jun 2008
wind

Stepper Motor Voltage Doubler Circuit
Double the voltage from a stepper motor using two bridge rectifiers
Article Last Modified: 09:45, 9th May 2007
general | electric circuit | education

Making a Bridge Rectifier
Find out how to make a bridge rectifier for your wind turbine
Article Last Modified: 16:17, 22nd Mar 2007
electronics | wind

© 2006-2012 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 4th February 2012 at 12:42:53pm

Latest
Articles


Make a PICAXE Repeating Timer
Make your own repeating timer with our automatic PICAXE Basic code generator
education
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

Karasouli SCC 20 Wind Turbine Charge Controller
Find out more about the SCC-20 wind turbine charge controller and dump load controller
wind
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

UK Feed in Tariff to be Cut by 50 Percent
UK government announces 50% cut in feed in tariff payable on new solar PV installations
solar
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

PIR Sensor Circuits
Find out more about using PIR sensors within renewable energy applications
electronics
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

Water Heating with Surplus Solar PV
Heat water with surplus solar generated electricity
solar
10:58, 4th Feb 2012

Hacked PIR Sensor
Cannibalise a cheap PIR sensor to put it to other uses
electronics
10:44, 4th Feb 2012

Make a Still
Find out how to make your own still for distilling ethanol fuel
biomass
13:49, 31st Jan 2012

PICAXE Microcontrollers
Find out about PICAXE microcontrollers and their use in renewable energy projects
electronics
13:12, 30th Jan 2012



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER LDR DUSK DAWN RELAY CONTROLLER
Multi-function light detector triggered light/dark dawn/dusk relay controller
£18.95 each.
Complete Circuits



KARASOULI SCC 20 CHARGE CONTROLLER
20A rated wind turbine charge controller and dump load controller with blocking diode and heatsink
£43.95 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



REUK SUPER POULTRY LIGHTING CONTROLLER
Control up to 8 Watts of LED spotlights to stimulate egg production in birds
£29.99 each.
Complete Circuits



REUK SUPER TIMER 2
User programmable 12VDC powered 16A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£23.99 each.
Complete Circuits



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting