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Forum Index : Windmills : dual f and p mill questions
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gpalterpower Senior Member  Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Thanks Glen, Back to Ebay. I'll be on the lookout for some 6mm wire. Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Hi all. We'll its been a while but finally I have finished my mill. It's only taken 5 years! Sooo gooooood to see it up and flying. For the first couple of days there was no wind at all. Think I read that somewhere on the forum that happens when you first mill goes up. Sure enough! Then one afternoon after work I heard a whirring sound after getting out of my car. I stood there in awe watching her turn. Tracking the wind. Speeding up and slowing down. What an awesome sound! Bout a week later we had some big storms. Could not believe how fast it was turning. ...I mean scary fast. In between gusts I lowered it down to avoid possible self destruction. Originally I was going to have a 10m mast . But decided to go with a 6.5 single pole for the time being until I get a few teething problems out of the way. I had a balance issue, but I believe that it is fixed and now runs smoothly. The furling is the other issue. I've seen the tail move in windy conditions but I feel it's just being pushed by sudden sideways gusts. Not sure if it's too heavy or wrong angles. Perseverance will prevail. I have a small battery bank . For starters I purchased 4 of 250Ah 6v and I can add to these later. Also just purchased a power star 3/9 kw inverter which upon reading recent articles draws considerable current on standby. And after checking the standby current it draws about 4 amps. way to thirsty . I only received delivery of the inverter a few days before I read the post about Gizmo's "building a new inverter". If only I held out for a few more days before buying from Ebay. Dam! Included a couple of pics of the mill and battery bank. Tried turning the pics around but they still came out sideways  BTW...Nice build Gizmo 
more pics coming..... Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
pic of the connection box at the base of the tower 
inverter and fuse distribution 
battery bank 
if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Hi all again. In conjunction with the mill I have recently erected I am thinking about adding some solar panels as well. A friend has upgraded his system is selling 8 x 190w panels for $120 each including racking. Fair price I believe. A little back up for those days when the wind don't blow. Was wondering if these panels would be good for my 24v system. They are 195w ECSOLAR , Voc is 44.7v and Vmp is 37v or should I go for panels with slightly lesser voltage. Can get Conergy panels same price, 37 Voc , Vmp at 30v. Tossing up which ones to get. Are these voltages critical and would one charge better than the other. Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Marcus For off grid charging, I recommend your friends 44.7v open circuit panels. Chances are they are a 72 cell panel, and the other ones are a 64 cell panels. Only reason is the 72 cell panel will do better in low light conditions, if its very overcast or dawn/dusk. I recently picked up 8 190w 72 cell panels for about $80 each. Second hand, 3 years old, off ebay. There were from a solar panel installer, he upgrades solar installations and sells the replaced panels pretty cheap. So it pays to check out ebay and wait a few weeks to see if a good deal comes up. Your friends 190w panels with racking would be a reasonable deal, making your own mounting brackets is a pain, been there done that. Nice looking windmill Marcus. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Thanks GLenn, I ll take you advice and go with my friends pre loved panels. The fact that there is racking included is a bonus. I had been hunting around for mounting brackets in the past and realised it wasn't going to be easy making and designing my own. I am going to hook the panels up in parallel, or can it be done in series with a different controller? Not sure what is the appropriate charge controller to purchase. Any suggestions would be appreciated. On another note . I was inspired by your inverter build so it has prompted me into my next project, even though I had just purchased a power star 3/9kw,it can now be a backup . First step was to find an inverter with the XL toroidal as mentioned. Been eyeing an Inspire 2.5 on ebay recently and ended up with the winning bid. Actually ....I was the only bidder. It had been passed in 3 times so it seems no one really wants them unless you know whats inside. Will travel up to Brisvegas next weekend to pick it up along with the panels at the GC. I lowered the mill on the weekend to see if I could extract some more wattage from her. I had the two 60 series F and P's wired in 2x7c and 7x2c. Changed one around and raised it back in the air with both stators wired 7x2c. Output was almost nothing at all down low in light winds but worked better up high. Am thinking reverting back to what I had as it was a good allrounder in all wind conditions. Sometimes you gotta try these things to find out! Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Well after closer inspection with the stators I realised that there was one 80 series wired 2x7c and the other a 60 wired in 7x2c. I changed the 80 series from star to delta and left the 60 the same. Output has not changed much so I will lower it again on the weekend and change the 60 also to 2x7c. I am looking for some constant output at low wind speeds. something is better that nothing! A work colleague who used to work at rainbow power company gave me a 30A Plasmatronics regulator last week. Ecstatic I was as I was thinking about buying a controller of some description. I haven't tested it yet but when I get the panels ill hook it up. I believe it would be safe to say it could control 3 panels, but would it do 4 x 190W panels without cooking?? Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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| gpalterpower Senior Member Joined: 19/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
Picked up this little beauty yesterday at the local whitegoods repair shop. For 20 Bux I think its a bargain. Windings look good and the magnets feel stronger. Not too sure on the best configuration yet. With the light winds we get every arvo im thinking of 2X6C or 3X4C. 
We had some preety fierce winds last Thrusday night complete with an awesome light show 
Each lightning bolt acted like a strobe behind the mill freezing it in time. just awesome to watch. Unfortunately I dont have a pic for that one. Not too sure how fast she was spinning, but man........It.......was........fast! The good thing is its still standing 
Marcus if it aint broke dont fix it!! |
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