N2NXZ 10 Meter Propagation Beacon | Amateur Radio/Wind turbine

The beacon will be automatically controlled using the Freakin` beacon circuit.

Link to the Freakin` beacon info > http://www.expandedspectrumsystems.com/prod5.html

This will be the new site for my 10 meter beacon running on solar and wind.

Freshly painted Scotty and TVRO dish for other fun in the future.

A storm passes and the sun shines in the early am hours .This will be the ultimate beacon location and listening post.

More to come... wind power construction photos and beacon assembly.

My wind turbine with Hub mounted and blades attached.Blades were made from 6" PVC tubing.(quartered)

The following links are your best friend for this project.

http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/index.html

http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/

I am looking forward to this mill mounted along side the camper above.

The motor is a permanent magnet DC treadmill motor.Produces power CCW/CW.

Imagine a dozen or so of these offshore of lake ontario.

Freakin beacon ready to assemble.

Assembled...YAY :)

So rewarding when all goes well.So far.(knock on fake wooden table)

Here is a dump load controller kit for the mill charging system.

More information can be found here> http://www.ghurd.info/dc.html

Complete circuit

All it needs are the LED`s and IRFZ44N

Finished Dump Load

Cool heatsink?

Maybe a bit Overkill on the heatsink?

All painted.Maybe 1 more coat tho ?

Sanded edges and a good coat of paint.Nice so far.

Another coat of paint needed,but well on the way

The boom is made of 2 ft X 2" X 1" hollow aluminum stock.

All the parts and unpainted tail

Ran out of paint :( The tail is made from 1/4 inch plywood.Hope it holds up to weather,aluminum would be best.

I needed 8 arms to mount the motor and housing

Still need to tweak and align the housing.Silicone will seal the gaps eventually.The motor is bolted with 8 washers per bolt and shimmed to the boom sandwiching the PVC housing.That was a task.I will do it differently next time.You can see the blocking diode.I see it is not wired properly in this photo.It was changed.As later we will learn.

This whole thing transformed far beyond my expectations

The blocking diode seems to work fine.I connected a 12 v 5AH battery to the cable and the mill did not turn.Spun it by hand CCW and can see nice DC volts.Of course the voltage varies per RPM.Obviously here in my kitchen,there were no 30mph winds for real measurements.However,could have invited a few friends over for a bean dinner.:)When I first received this motor new,I could not help but put an electric drill on it at about 2000 rpm.It measured 150 volts approx.Amps were not measured as I am rushing this project.As we will learn also was a bad idea.See the gallon of paint at the tail for balance?

A floor flange is mounted below the boom just behind the motor for balance.The 1" ID pipe is screwed in and will slip over the 15ft of 3/4" black pipe I have for mast.

A heavier mast would actually be best.Also having the mill higher would be nice.An extension cord is used to feed the battery.It will run through the mast and exit from a "T" about 5 ft off the ground,then into the radio area. Battery,Dump load and beacon will be connected.A safety beacon will flash when the battery reaches specific voltage through the Dump load controller.Should be good for some laughs.

Next photos will be on site for installation.Check the next page for more.. Click>http://www.freewebs.com/jimmzz91164/windmillandbeacon.htm