My Paper

Rick Wight

My group, consisting of Ian, Chris, and myself, is working on three potential power sources. Chris is doing a crank generator that is started by hand and then transfers to a self-run drill to run itself. Ian is working on another hand crank/spring powered generator, and I am working on a windmill to turn a homemade motor involving a rotating magnet inside a cardboard container with wires wrapped around it multiple times. As a group, we also tried to get some power from a TV screen, but it was unsuccessful.

In order to make m windmill, I intend to get some kind of fairly tall box to use as a base. On top of the box we would have a generator similar to the one shown as #4 on my brainstorm page, probably with more wire. The nail, used as an axle, would be attached to several windmill blades, probably made out of cardstock. The contraption would then be placed in front of a fan for use.

This contraption works the same way a motor works, but backward. A motor consists of “field” magnets attached to the side of the motor case, anywhere from two to four rotating electromagnets wired together, each with the wiring wired in a different directions (the first one clockwise, the second one counterclockwise, etc) so that they have opposite magnetic poles. A commuter switched the electromagnets on and of in a pattern so that they are always repelled by the magnet they are next to and attracted to the magnet a head of them. This causes the electromagnet, and the axle attached to it, to perpetually spin when power is run through them. Likewise, when the electromagnets (or the magnets) are spun, they generate electricity. They could be easily spun by a windmill, and with enough wire wrapped around it, would have a lot of potential.

According to this word document ( windmill blades shaped like this
(there should be a picture here, but it wont copy) are the most efficient by a lot.

also: what king of fan, as in how powerful, are we using? it makes a big difference to the results, i would assume
