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aira$$ault
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Joined: 13/09/2011
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Posts: 1

Posted: 04:08am 13 Sep 2011

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Hi guys,
I'm hoping to get some expert help with a project I'm cooking up. Here goes:

I fly an ultralight aircraft all year here in Northern NM. To keep warm in the open cockpit, I've got a WWII heated bomber suit. It needs 24V to be effective, and I imagine there's not much concern about being clean or well regulated voltage supply. The electrical system on the aircraft uses a rectifier from the 2 stroke engine output, but it's 12V, so not usable for this purpose.

I'm thinking of building a wind driven alternator that'll attach to my ultralight. Wind speed will be 40-50 mph, and I'll need to generate about 8 amps I imagine to effectivly heat the suit.

Any ideas on what to use for the motor ? I'm into RC airplanes, so I've got a big selection of props etc. I'm thinking I could mount it on a car for testing and tuning before I try it out on the airframe. I'm somewhat well versed in electrical sytems (was an aircraft electrician in the Army) and a commercial pilot. Any help or advice is much appriciated.

Thanks,
Justin

davef
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Joined: 14/05/2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 499

Posted: 08:56am 13 Sep 2011

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24Volts at 8Amps is 200Watts. Could you afford to draw 16+Amps off your 12Volt system?

Anyway you look at it you are going to have to supply power to this comparatively inefficient wind generator to get some power out of it.

If you decide that you can supply the 16+Amps required why not build a boost SMPS?

What is the suit like at 12Volts? That still about 100Watts of heat going into it? Maybe, better than nothing.

VK4AYQ
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Joined: 02/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 2539

Posted: 01:46pm 13 Sep 2011

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Hi Justin

The electric way is impractical but you could use some of the heated air off the back of the cooling cowl assuming it is a 503 rotax, if its a 582 rotax a small auxiliary radiator to keep your toes warm, a piece of 2inch fire proof duct should give you enough heat

All the best

Bob

Foolin Around

powerednut

Senior Member

Joined: 09/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 221

Posted: 05:02am 14 Sep 2011

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What engine have you got in your ultralight? Do you have enough ponies (horsepower) to spare to pull over 16amps continously?

Bob's idea is probably the best bet, given the limited engine capacity thats normally available on ultralights.

If you really want to go heated suit then you might want to look at some of the powered motorcycle rider heated clothing. I havn't looked into these in great detail, but (for example) the EXO2 StormRider Heated vest comes in at US$239.95 ($100 cheaper than in aus - whats that about?) on the first site I looked, and draws 4.1 amps (@12ish V) at full power. You can also get a heated jacket for US$199.95. I believe these systems can be powered from their own battery pack too, which might be a useful feature.

You could also try the old standby of taking a hot water bottle up with you. Stick it between layers of clothing and it'll probably be more effective than any heated suit. At least for the first couple of hours.

What sort of ultralight do you fly, as a matter of interest?

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