cheap ebay wind turbine, anyone tried one?
- Thread starter mattnj
- Start date
contessaman
Well-Known Member
seems a lot for the money doesnt it? seems almost overkill for a yacht. not that anyone would have a problem with up to 25 amps, but its well over a metre in diameter so it will be a quite an eyesore not to mention the windage. God knows if you could make a system to rig and de rig it for in harbour and it will actually last in the marine envirmonent then you wouldnt need to bother with shore power.
very tempting to get one to have a play with. even if its a monster what about making a towed water generator out of the alternator bit? along the lines of the old LVM aquagen? that price is a few tankfuls of fuel in the car these days...
be interesting to see if anyone on here has bought one.. guess the downside is (compared to say excellent rutland products) that these chinese manufactors come and go and getting spare brushes, bearings etc could be hard a year or two down the line.
very tempting to get one to have a play with. even if its a monster what about making a towed water generator out of the alternator bit? along the lines of the old LVM aquagen? that price is a few tankfuls of fuel in the car these days...
be interesting to see if anyone on here has bought one.. guess the downside is (compared to say excellent rutland products) that these chinese manufactors come and go and getting spare brushes, bearings etc could be hard a year or two down the line.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Notice the little sticker in one of the pics which says "AC24V"? Is it a DC output?
V1701
Well-Known Member
No but have used a Rutland 913 which was OK but I found solar better value for money than wind. I wouldn't go anywhere near one of those until I had it on personal recommendation from a user, there's not enough information there e.g. how heavy is it, output curve in amps (though these are all overly optimistic in my experience), how noisy, etc...
VicS
Well-Known Member
The holes in the deck for the concrete blocks will be a bit of a drawback
Otherwise seems too good to be true ... probably is!
Otherwise seems too good to be true ... probably is!
Lady Campanula
N/A
Peeps wandering past a Maplins store in coming days may be interstd to examine the 'Savonius Rotor' electricity generating machine on offer.
It seems quite the thing to be mounted on the 'mobo wot has everything' to keep the microwave oven lights on.
It seems quite the thing to be mounted on the 'mobo wot has everything' to keep the microwave oven lights on.
haydude
Well-Known Member
The low tech of wnid turbines does not justify the prices charged by the usual rip-off suppliers like Rutland & Co. which is the same tech fitted on bicycles to power the headlamp since about 100 years ago.
If you put the parts all together there is about £20 worth of components in every wind turbine, the most expensive one being the copper wire in the alternator or dynamo. OK the mould for the case and blades must have required some investement too. But then if you think about all different shapes of moulds used for toys and the prices toys attract ... it is not even a great deal.
If you put the parts all together there is about £20 worth of components in every wind turbine, the most expensive one being the copper wire in the alternator or dynamo. OK the mould for the case and blades must have required some investement too. But then if you think about all different shapes of moulds used for toys and the prices toys attract ... it is not even a great deal.
CharlesSwallow
Well-Known Member
God. man, look at the description!
..phrases like;-
"（We stock 12V and 24V modal for your choose. Please email us you want the 12V or 24V modal after you pay for the item）
..." (which shade of green does this guy think you are?) and several more gaffs below the pictures - wait a minute! - but ARE they gaffs or just "me no speekey english berry good" ways of getting around proper "sales of goods act" descriptions.
Advice:- "First buy large barge pole and avoid use of same"
Mr Hoo Flung Dung is after your MONEY and nothing else.
Classic eBay scam. they should be closed down.
Chas
..phrases like;-
"（We stock 12V and 24V modal for your choose. Please email us you want the 12V or 24V modal after you pay for the item）
..." (which shade of green does this guy think you are?) and several more gaffs below the pictures - wait a minute! - but ARE they gaffs or just "me no speekey english berry good" ways of getting around proper "sales of goods act" descriptions.
Advice:- "First buy large barge pole and avoid use of same"
Mr Hoo Flung Dung is after your MONEY and nothing else.
Classic eBay scam. they should be closed down.
Chas
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V1701
Well-Known Member
Why should they be shut down? I agree their English isn't great but they do have many satisfied customers and you don't get that on ebay by scamming. If you ordered one I'm sure it would arrive...
William_H
Well-Known Member
Wind turbine
I have a friend who bought off internet a Chinese wind turbine for a little property where there is no mains power. The turbine consisted of a 3 phase alternator connected to a controller box. It seemed to work ok for a while then output declined until there was no charging except on really strong wind gusts.
He sent it back, fortunately there was local guy as an agent. The next did the same thing and the next also did the same thing.
The controller box on investigation had a 3 phase rectifier inside an essentially empty box. Despite the sales blurb there was no form of regulation. I made up a rectifier out of Schotky diodes which improved the voltage a lot so that it did provide more charge in usual winds. But still the output as measured as a charge into lead acid batteries was far less than claimed. It might provide the 200watts but probably only in strong winds at a voltage of about 11volts DC. My friend left it in service and it is still running.
My theory is that the Chines did not use expensive rare earth magnets but used cheaper metals whose magnetic field diminished with a little time. Hence voltage output fell.
I did suggest that he change it if possible for a 24volt version which should provide charge (14v) into batteries at less wind speed but of course lower current. But my guess is more current than a 12v version.
The construction seemed really robust and good. It did however not look as sleek as that pictured.
good luck olewill
I have a friend who bought off internet a Chinese wind turbine for a little property where there is no mains power. The turbine consisted of a 3 phase alternator connected to a controller box. It seemed to work ok for a while then output declined until there was no charging except on really strong wind gusts.
He sent it back, fortunately there was local guy as an agent. The next did the same thing and the next also did the same thing.
The controller box on investigation had a 3 phase rectifier inside an essentially empty box. Despite the sales blurb there was no form of regulation. I made up a rectifier out of Schotky diodes which improved the voltage a lot so that it did provide more charge in usual winds. But still the output as measured as a charge into lead acid batteries was far less than claimed. It might provide the 200watts but probably only in strong winds at a voltage of about 11volts DC. My friend left it in service and it is still running.
My theory is that the Chines did not use expensive rare earth magnets but used cheaper metals whose magnetic field diminished with a little time. Hence voltage output fell.
I did suggest that he change it if possible for a 24volt version which should provide charge (14v) into batteries at less wind speed but of course lower current. But my guess is more current than a 12v version.
The construction seemed really robust and good. It did however not look as sleek as that pictured.
good luck olewill
sarabande
Well-Known Member
one notes that the 'start speed' is 3.5 metres/sec. That's F3 before it even start producing a milliwatt.
One is also pleased to note that the wind security speed is 18 m/s, which is F8.
And given that the 'engine' is a "Three-phase permanent magnel AC generator" that means there must be an inverter somewhere, again losing output.
Probably robust, and long-term, but its lack of sophistication means that the £/watt ratio is pretty small.
One is also pleased to note that the wind security speed is 18 m/s, which is F8.
And given that the 'engine' is a "Three-phase permanent magnel AC generator" that means there must be an inverter somewhere, again losing output.
Probably robust, and long-term, but its lack of sophistication means that the £/watt ratio is pretty small.
BrianH
Well-Known Member
This looks like a typical knock-off of my Air-X that has been churning out the Amps on my boat for the past seven years. Only the tail fin has been changed, all other details, including the specification, look similar.
I would suspect that bearings and magnet materials are not of sufficient quality at such a price.
I would suspect that bearings and magnet materials are not of sufficient quality at such a price.
CharlesSwallow
Well-Known Member
maxi77
Well-Known Member
I just love the way some people write off whole sections of the worlds population with lovely one liners like that
greenalien
Well-Known Member
I notice that nobody who has actually bought one has replied yet!
Don't be in too much of a hurry to write something off just because it's cheap and Chinese, there are lots of Chinese manufacturers who put out good products, and as a previous poster has said, the components to build a wind genny don't cost a lot, even using decent neodymium magnets. It does look as though the design was 'inspired' by the Air-X though!
I believe you mean 'rectifier' - and that wouldn't lose much power.
Don't be in too much of a hurry to write something off just because it's cheap and Chinese, there are lots of Chinese manufacturers who put out good products, and as a previous poster has said, the components to build a wind genny don't cost a lot, even using decent neodymium magnets. It does look as though the design was 'inspired' by the Air-X though!
I believe you mean 'rectifier' - and that wouldn't lose much power.
maxi77
Well-Known Member
It would not be the first time a low labour cost manufacturer started making and selling something he made under subcontract from the original company. Does any one know if like many other things the Air X is in fact manufactured in China.
BrianH
Well-Known Member
I agree. About the same time as I installed my Air-X I bought a two-channel AIS receiver from a small Chinese company's exhibition stand in CeBIT at Hannover for peanuts, when there were few other manufacturers on the market and what there was were all at silly prices.
It has performed flawlessly on board since. It came with antenna and cable, was robustly made and supplies not just the AIS signals but GPS sentences too.
And the company's staff had even less English than the subject advertisement.
CharlesSwallow
Well-Known Member
**
I am absolutely astounded that you clearly approve of China's almost universal ignoring of international patent laws and registered designs. That evil, corrupt country should be vilified by all other industrial nations NOT encouraged to peddle their inferior copies of everything from a hairpin to a liferaft. Even the plastic seats at OUR Olympic Games have been made in china.
Which bit of "THEY ARE KILLING OUR COMMERCE" do you have difficulty with? Or are you reliant upon their manufacture form your own income?
Chas
CharlesSwallow
Well-Known Member
Probably IS. That's how they operate we naively give them our designs and permission to manufacture; they then turn out shoddy copies that LOOK as if they can do the job but usually fail early (defective magnets in this case?) resulting in a replacement which creates a demand on the earth's resources not only in the manufacture of the replacement but in the disposal of the scrap - which is usually down to who? Answer me that.
Chas
CharlesSwallow
Well-Known Member
I just love the way some people respond to posts that were never actually made.
READ the 'effin post and note the words "a lot"
Chas