Howdy Liam,

Welcome to Amptramp :) .

It's nice to see new members and hear about their great new projects.
I will be happy to help you along with ideas and thoughts about both
windmills and my mobile welding system.

On this site, you'll find a lot of detail on the workings of the
Amptramp. I built her in 2001, and have enjoyed over 6000 hours of
good service from her powerful engine.

My windmills are of my own design. A good friend of mine also
designs windmills, and we work together to create all sorts of odd
machines.
Not all of them actually work, but we eventually fix the techy
problems and get them up and running.

For more information on windmills, I would like to suggest that you
have a look at http://www.otherpower.com

There, you'll find a great many things of interest. On that site,
you'll find links to other useful sites. Among these, you'll
discover one that shows plans for school projects.
I don't quite remember where I saw it, but it features a vertical
axis design that spins a stepper motor and produces a small amount
of electrical power.

Once you begin looking around, you'll be hooked!


Here's hoping you'll keep in touch.


Best wishes,

Steve McAmptramp.





--- In Amptramp@yahoogroups.com, boot hill <bootle181@y...> wrote:
> Hi Steve
> Great reading about your windmills etc, I am only just starting to
get into windmills so have not yet built anything. At present I am
more interested in your mobile weder rig, do you have any more
details or plans that you are willing to share. I am in Wanganui
and have recently bought a rural property that hosts school camps,
as a first step into wind power I am working on an educational
module that kids can use to make a windmill while on camp, maybe
power a small light from it etc.
>
> Keep up the good work
>
> Cheers
>
> Liam
>
> Steve <amptramp@c...> wrote:
> 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.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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