Wind Turbine error

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indiap_123
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Wind Turbine error

Post by indiap_123 »

Hello! I have a science fair (Unfourtunately in 3 days) and i'm having trouble with my wind turbine. I am using a 2-6v D.C motor and have a 4 blade windmill (each being 10cm x 1cm x the depth which i am adjusting). However it isn't producing more than 0.4v and of course not producing enough energy to light up a bulb.

I'm desperate thank you much.
bfinio
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Re: Wind Turbine error

Post by bfinio »

Hi,

A 2-6V DC motor means that the motor is rated to work with a 2-6V power supply when you are using it as a motor, as opposed to a generator. It does not guarantee that the motor will generate 2-6V when used in a wind turbine.

However, just because you can't light up a light bulb does not mean you need to be desperate. You can still collect data that is perfectly valid for a science fair, for example voltage produced vs blade RPM. You could then extrapolate to figure out what the RPM would need to be to light up a small light bulb or LED (small LEDs are typically about 2-3V).

Hope that helps,

Ben
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