Why don't you just use a car alternator?  All the engineering is done,
diodes installed and all that.  You can get them cheap from auto salvage
yards etc.  my friend has hooked them up to a water wheel by a stream
and powers his remote cabin in the kentucky hills with 12v. he has a
bank of batteries and even an inverter when he needs AC.

I bought a 100 amp alternator at a swap meet for $15

Bob

William Chops Westfield wrote:

>    > 2. If I end up using it in a windmill, I'd like to run it at low
>    > speeds (couple hundred rpm) and charge a 12V battery.  Is there an
>    > easy way to get higher V/rpm?
>
>    Not without rewinding it.
>
>Hmm.  There's a fair amount of "mechanical magic" to the construction of
>a modern motor.  If you have something like an induction motor (no
>magnets, lots of coils), how efficient a generator can you get if you
>rip apart the rotating part and attach some strong magnets to it?  Then
>you possibly rewire the outer windings, and...
>
>I guess a related problem is how to rewire a brushless DC motor (ie a
>fan) to be a generator.  It's GOT the appropriate magnets and coils,
>they're just not wired the way they need to be to get electicity OUT...
>
>BillW
>
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