How to Use a Marine Alternator on My Windmill

 

The increase of energy costs will keep on burdening our life every year. That is why many of do-it-yourself enthusiasts always think of other alternatives that can help them provide energy to their house without the need to fork out a large sum of money. One of the most suitable alternatives is by using the wind energy through the windmill. The windmill blades will rotate once there is any wind around thus resulting it to rotate and start to transfer to smaller gears that will turn on the rotors in an alternator which in the end generates power through the rotation. The electricity generated from the rotation will either be used or can be stored in a battery. When you are using Marine alternators, it needs only half the RPMs that automobile alternators require.

To use a marine alternator on My Windmill, you need:

  • Marine alternator
  • Wind turbine kits

Using a Marine Alternator on My Windmill

How to Use a Marine Alternator on My Windmill

  • First thing that you need to do is to divide the wiring that runs down from your wind turbine assembly into the ground whether it is positive or negative wiring.
    • Some wind turbine kits provides you with labeled wires or wires that has been color coded for easy usage.

As for wind turbine kits that are not labeled, normally they will follow the standard color code for wiring where black is for the ground wire, red is for the positive wire while the remaining wire is for the negative wire.

  • Firstly, you need to check whether the marine alternator is suitable with the wind turbine assembly.
    • You will notice that some wind turbine kits used belts to drive the alternator while other use gears.
    • The reason for using a marine alternator is for utilizing belts slipped over the pulley.
    • For those who have a metal lathe, you can cut a gear that will fit the rod on your marine alternator in order to make it rotate without using a belt.
    • If you are unable to cut the gears on your own, you can hire a machine shop to do the task for you.
  • The next step is for you to insert the smaller teeth of your marine alternator gear into larger gaps on the wind turbine gear. Only to do this method if your wind turbine kits are using gears.
    • In order to move the larger gear slightly, you need to use a finger. Once you see that the smaller gear on the marine alternator started to spins, the alternator is considered to be in the correct place.
    • Next, you have to attach a volt meter to the contacts located on the marine alternator.
    • If all the gears fit in well especially when you spin the larger gear, you will notice a small indicator light located on the volt meter started to create and register a slight voltage.
  • After that, you need to wrap one end of the belt around your wind turbine pulley. This will only apply to wind turbine kits that use pulleys instead of gears.
    • The other end of the belt should also be wrapped around the pulley on your marine alternator.
    • Next, you need to connect the voltmeter onto the alternator’s terminal before you start to give a slight pull on the belt thus creating a small charge.
  • Make sure that you secure the marine alternator to a solid surface.
    • It is ideal enough for the belt to provide enough tension or a good fit installation of the gears. This is to ensure that it will continuously move the wind turbine and turn the alternator on and also generate power.

Some of the wind turbine kits available in the market come with a framework that enables you to attach the alternator onto it. Make sure to try bolting the marine alternator temporarily to the framework in order to see whether you have to make any modifications so that the marine alternator fits in nicely.

  • Then, you have to connect the positive wiring from your marine alternator onto the positive terminal found on the charge controller.
    • The charge controller usually comes with the wind turbine kits.
    • The reason behind the usage of a charge controller is because it helps you prevent any stored power from creating a reverse course whenever there is no wind. It also helps prevent any surge of power to the marine alternator and batteries whenever there is any strong wind.
  • The wiring from your charge controller need to be connected to the battery you are charging.
    • The wiring connects from positive to positive and from negative to negative.

    Always remember that if you want to use a marine alternator on My Windmill,

    • You can always look for marine alternators in marine junk yards because it normally offers you with reasonable price.

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