Make:

I'm inherently suspicious of anyone who posts part of a project and then says, email me and I'll email you the "secret" part.

Seems that doesn't jibe with the "Maker philosophy."

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Perhaps it was a late addition but the PDF file is right there on the Instructables page.

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The one I downloaded earlier today had sections scrambled with Wingdings.

He's not charging for the "secret" information, so I'm probably just being grouchy.

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Well you could try some research to relax.

Start here, for example...

http://www.picoturbine.com/home.htm

Or at this forum; http://www.fieldlines.com/

The basic "Savonius" shape is spelled out in a patent too.

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He is charging. Or at least trying to. He asks for a dollar for the scrambled parts, or "a very sincere request."

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IS it impolite to ask for a contribution?

Many software authors ask for contributions to support their fun projects (not done on company time).

If you don't want to pay, just Google it. There are a bunch of sites detailing homemade Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (WVAT). A lot of them are Savonius based designs.

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Hi all, as the author of the above, I did not know it would end up posted here. I simply put it in instructables and joined the MAKE group. I love the MAKE website and was thrilled that it turned up here. I have to file at least a provisional patent on the alternator design before I can post it publically. Sharing with individuals doesnt create a problem. I used to be a programmer, so the donation thing is strictly to help me keep refining the design and is common place with shareware. I certainly did not want to offend anyone. I realize that most people building their own power plant are not going to have any extra cash. I have emailed my complete PDF to many people who politely requested it and promised to keep in touch with thier projects. I hope to post the complete project soon, maybe before the end of March. I look forward to your feedback. Again, I am sorry if I offended anyone by not posting the complete project, as I said before, I did not know it would end up here.

Sincerely,

Brad Hunter - Savonius MAKER

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brad, if you want i can remove it.

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It is wonderful that it is here, I just wanted to clarify why a portion is wingdinged out in the PDF for the alternator. I hope that in the 36 pages that there is a plethra of useful information without that particular piece, including how to build an alternator the standard way. I think if people read it and dont just scan it they will find it very useful, everything I learned in order to do the project is covered including my convenient design for the rotor itself. Thank you.

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Back in the 1930s or '40s, there was a three-arm kid's windmill that had a vertical axis. It was made like a turnstile, and the end of each arm had a toy sailboat attached to it. The project is in a how-to book handed down to me by my father. In the 1980's, someone down the street from us had one with four arms that had a main and jib on each model boat, for a Marconi rig. It was quite efficient, and was always running itself around in circles 24/7. The little sails were as effective as the full-size ones at trimming themselves, tacking and jibing once on every revolution. I'm thinking of making one with at least a square foot of sail for each model boat. Real sail cloth is quite durable and should last at least a year. You could even make rainbow sails. If it is connected up to a direct drive vertical shaft, the elimination of the electrical circuitry would improve the efficiency and cut costs considerably. It all depends on what you want to drive. I want to connect one up to my living room ceiling paddle fan. One could also use direct linkage to a heat generator using an oil-filled drum with rotating paddles in it for winter use. The visible part on the roof top would be quite attractive to the neighbors and especially to kids, and enormous fun to build.

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Does anyone know how I can Make a USB to midi cable?

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Please remove as the link is now a dead end.

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http://www.scribd.com/doc/4562781/Savonius-Wind-Turbine-Using-an-Alternator-as-a-Motor-46pp

this project is available all over the internet fully complete and it's free.

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