Howdy folks,

Things around here are mighty busy. 16 Hour working days, and a new
windmill project, are taking all of my time.
Consequently, I have been away from my website for far too long.
Here's hoping that folks here, are ok and having a fine time with
their projects :) .


My good old Amptramp is really earning her keep, and has clocked up
some 6300 hours of service so far.
She's got a busted radiator, but I'll fix 'er up when time permits.

Lately, the Tramper has been helping me with a new project.
A really BIG windmill.
Ok, perhaps it ain't really 'BIG', as far as windmills go, but it's
the biggest I have ever built.

The tower for this new project stands 30 feet tall or, in old
fashioned measurements, 9 metres tall.
It's made from 50*50*5 Galvanised angle iron and braced with
30*30*2.5 angle iron.
The whole structure is welded, as opposed to bolted together.

I chose this approach, as I feel that it is a better long term
mechanical solution.
Also, I just love welding :) .

Since 'Gerty', my tractor is not in working order, I used the
Tramper to pull the tower to the worksite for final assembly, prior
to raising it.
The tower weighs about 700KG, but the Tramper pulled it along very
nicely.

Raising the 30 foot tower, was an easy task. My neighbour used his
tractor to provide the pulling force that was needed.
In only a few seconds, the tower was raised from the horizontal to
the vertical position.
Once raised, I locked it into place with shear pins and safety
chains.

At this time, I am building a machine shed into the base of the
tower. This shed measures 2M*2M*2M.
Housed inside the shed, there will be a 270 Amp alternator and a
homemade air compressor.

The alternator will always be driven by the turbine and the
compressor will be connected by a clutched coupling.
Using a clutch, allows me to isolate the compressor when the air
tanks are full.
Clutch operation will be automatic.

Power from the 18 foot diameter turbine will be transmitted down to
the machine shed by way of a vertical drive shaft.
This features universal joints and bearings, every 3 metres, to
prevent shaft vibrations.
Inside the machine shed, the shaft will be coupled to a crown wheel
and pinion gear, to allow a horizontal shaft to carry the power to
the machinery.
From the horizontal shaft, chains and pulleys will take the power
into the generating equipment.

The whole project is mounted on a very heavy steel frame that is set
in a massive block of 20MPA concrete, so it should stay there for a
while :) .

So far, this project has cost nearly $4500, but it will soon be
paying for itself - - I hope ....

Yet to be completed, is the 18 foot turbine. Though not complete,
this has been tested in a fairly light wind, and it performed
wonderfully well.
My good friend, Keith, tried to stop it, while it was spinning.

Hmmm, not a good idea!!!
The doctors say that he'll be released from hospital in only a few
short months - - nah, just kidding hehehe.

Then, I tried to stop it - - hmmmm, still not a good idea!!!

After that, we both tried to stop it - - we failed :)

Truth be told, once it got going, we simply couldn't stop it.

Fortunately, I had added a set of brakes into my design. The problem
was that I had not yet added the brake cable, so I had to climb into
the tower to apply the stoppers manually.

That was fun as the tower, then only ten feet tall, was free
standing - and a bit wobbly!!

To accompany this message, I have uploaded a short video file.

It shows how the new turbine spins freely in a light wind. You'll
see that the turbine uses sails to drive it.
This is a departure from my normal methods, and is experimental by
nature.
Every part of this new machine is experimental but, so far, every
part has been tested and is working perfectly :) .

My thanks go to a good friend of mine.
Keith, who is a member of this site, is a lover of windmills,
alternative energy systems and all sorts of unusual technologies.
He is a powerhouse of interesting ideas. Between us, we create all
sorts of unusual things - some of which actually work :) .
Keith created the sails for the turbine that will eventually occupy
pride of place on the new tower.
These sails are light, yet strong and easy to handle. When mounted
on the turbine, they really get it going.

Thanks kindly Keith :) .

Oh yes, a little more about Keith:
Keith creates windmills, as he loves to see them working with
nature's great bounty.

But Keith also creates rather a lot of wind!

It's the perfect combination, I suppose :) .

When he tells me "I'm full of beans", I am inclined to tell him that
he needs to be 'down wind' during the day's worksite activities
hehehe.


I hope to have this machine in working order by September or October
of this year. Progress has been substantially slowed by the bitterly
cold wind and rain of winter, but I really want to see this machine
begin to earn its keep.

Hmmm, come to think of it, some of Keith's personal gas could be
useful as a heat source hohohohoho.

Righto, I'm off to the machine shop - to finish off those
transmission components....


Best wishes all,

Steve.