Make:

All of the MAKE videos seem to be relatively quiet in terms of volume. Do you implement any sort of audio compression in your audio chain before the final video is made?

just wondering

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I am digging and finding nothing. Where can I learn more?

How many of these would be needed to power a house?

Can you run an 'average' home off of energy stored in batteries, or would you need to hook these up to the house directly?

Can car alternators be used instead?

At what MPH(wind) or RPMs(device) does the device need to spin at and for how long to charge one of those batteries?

Any good links where I can read/learn/expand more if I need/want to take this to the next level and 'live off the grid'?

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After asking the above questions I found a link in the PDF that is to accompnay the video.

http://www.velacreations.com/offgridsystem.htmlWind

I want to correct it for people reading and say it -should be-

http://www.velacreations.com/offgridsystem.html

I hope most people realize this.

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You would need a heck of a bank of batteries to power an average house, with the biggest inverter available. Then water heater, stove, major power draw items would have to be gas/LP. I would start small.. 1 or 2 generators and a bank of batteries in the garage/outbuilding. Make your outbuilding an off-the-grid hobby. Knowlege learned from tinkering out there will teach you more than you could ever learn doing research.
Also... I don't like the union swivel point. The collar would eventually work it's way all the way down and tight so it won't swivel, or worse, work it's way up and off. The spinning heavy unit comes crashing down. I'd grease it heavily, and drill/tap a setscrew to keep the collar locked in it's desired position.

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Posted by: briekske on February 15, 2009 at 9:20 AM

i wonder in which devices you can find permanent magnet motors..
could you sum up some? like e.g. a washing machine, is that an appropriate motor?

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Posted by: Make: television on February 16, 2009 at 7:36 AM

@Andrew, You answered your own question quite nicely! But to recap, and as we mention in the corresponding PDF for the Wind Powered Generator, this project is meant as a simple introduction to generators and wind power. The next steps after that are constructing a suitable tower for holding/supporting your generator, and building a power storage/regulation system. We do not offer instructions on those next steps, so please consult an expert first.

And like Andrew said, a good place to start if you just want to learn more is http://www.velacreations.com/offgridsystem.html

@briekske, We used a treadmill motor for our generator (260 volt DC, 5 amp). However, any simple, permanent magnet DC motor that returns at least 1 volt for every 25 rpm and can handle 10 amps. But be sure to check out our pdf for more info.

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This is probably my favorite thing on Make, ever.

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You better get the pipe as scrap! Online and locally, this PVC pipe runs 100.00-131.00 forjust a 24" section. Lots of websites suggest schedule 40 for diameters under 5'.

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