Modified Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (1/4" Motor Shaft) by Caboose

Last crawled date: 2 years, 12 months ago

Intro
I have a motor that I wanted to test with Hooptey's Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. He was kind enough to post the SLDPART's so I went to work and modified both the hub and the arms.
The changes are:
Attachment screws changed to 3.12mm locking Torx screws (http://www.mcmaster.com/#99397A626) on both arms and hub
Hub gear removed and modified to have 1/2" shaft instead. Shaft locked in by 1/4"-20 x 1/4" coarse thumbscrew.
Rain protection built into hub, and optional rain cover
Motor mount added

Testing
Testing began with the finishing of version 6. It was a massive failure. Not only was wind not very strong, but I did not have blades required (the blinds). Instead I cut out cardboard blades.
When tested with a leaf blower it became clear that there is a specific angle that must be caught. The arms will have to be changed.
Another issue could be I need gearing to turn the motor, but there is so little force needed it might not be needed.
After a little research, it would make sense to do longer blinds, and possibly more arms.
Parts List
3.12mm locking Torx screws (http://www.mcmaster.com/#99397A626) NOTE: These are what I have on hand, and this might change!
Motor:
2” body diameter x 3-3/4” long
1/4” shaft diameter
140 volt 3700 RPM

Four (4) x 1/4"-20 x 1/4" coarse thumbscrew
Change List
v7
Rain cover eliminated
Second tier added, held together by 1/2" garden poll / screw
Rear Motor Mount changed slightly
Hub Top added. Used for second tier.
Main Hub Extender added.

v6: Mount added to Rear Motor Mount
v5:
Rain cover added
Hole diameter for motor mounts modified
Mount polls made circular, one screw eliminated
Rear Motor Mount wire hole added

v4:
Motor mounts added
Minor mods to thumbscrew hole diameter

v3 (optional): Hub rain cover added
v2:
Hub strengthened in middle
Thumb screw changed to 1/4"-20x1/4"
Arm and hub attachement holes resized for 3.12mm screws (now wider!)
Shaft widened a bit to counter ABS shrinkage
Infill recommendation changed to 50%

v1: Initial release, unprinted