Dynamo Hubs For Wind Turbines
Dynamo Hubs For Wind Turbines
Dynamo Hubs and bottle dynamos for use in small DIY wind turbine generators
wind | electronicsA 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
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
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
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 2009Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
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