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Dynamo
April 22, 2009

EF 152 Section 4

Group 4
Carl Vick
Emily Morin
Cori Crenshaw
Alan Hull
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Abstract

The purpose of this project was to design and build a generator, which can operate solely

on wind, and light a light bulb. We worked as a team to design the most efficient construction

plan that was capable of producing the electricity needed. The generator could be no bigger than

a cubic half meter and had to operate on its own once the fan was turned on. The cost of all our

construction materials could not exceed forty dollars. After several failed design ideas, we

finally were able to construct a generator that produced electricity. We overcame the challenges

of this project by creating a generator that allowed for the magnets to be as close as possible to

the copper wire coils. We also utilized an actual fan blade as our blades for the windmill so as to

catch the maximum amount of wind. Our finished project was approximately twenty percent

efficient in converting the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy, and generated

approximately two volts and half an ampere, giving an electrical output of one Watt. We

successfully created a generator that met all the guidelines of the project by working together to

create the most efficient windmill design.

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Introduction

Windmills are an inexpensive and efficient source for producing useful energy. For this

project, our task was to create a simple windmill that generates enough electricity to light a light

bulb. A windmill generator produces electricity by rotating a magnet between coils of copper

wire. Our team had to overcome various design issues and problems before we were able to

generate any electricity. The generator, Dynamo, uses a very simple, yet effective design to

produce the electricity we needed to light the light bulb.

Background

Wind has been a source of energy for thousands of years. In the early ages, wind was

used to sail ships that would transport goods all over the world. However, it was not until the

early 1970’s when wind began to be used to produce electricity. The kinetic energy of wind can

be harnessed and converted to useful mechanical energy by a generator. Fan blades are attached

to a generator to catch the wind and as the blades are turned, electricity is generated. Windmills

are often grouped together into wind farms to provide large amounts of electricity. Some

generators can even produce up to five million Watts of power.

Today, generators have two different structural designs, horizontal axis generators or

vertical axis generators. These windmills only differ in the direction of the axel, changing the

direction of the blade and how much wind can be picked up. Deciding on which structural

design to use is critical in the making of a windmill.

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Design and Process

Beginning the project was a difficult process, as we did not fully understand how to

create electrical energy out of wind energy. As a group, we knew that we would need blades to

catch the wind from the fan. The blades will be connected to a drive shaft that turns the magnet

inside the coils to produce electricity. We learned that as the magnet spins between the coils of

wire, the two opposite poles of the magnet alternate producing a current in the wire coils thereby

creating electric energy. With this concept in mind, we were able to put together a design for the

most efficient and cost-effective windmill we could build.

We originally designed our generator by wrapping coils of wire around six wooden pegs

and allowing the magnet to spin on the rod inside the coils. We soon discovered that this design

was not producing enough voltage to light the bulb because the magnet was too far from the

coils, so we developed a new design. The new design involved fixing two circular coils of wire,

one above and one below the magnet, allowing the magnet to spin in between these two separate

coils. This design was much more efficient.

We used a blade from an old fan as our blade to turn the axel as we figured it would be

very good at catching wind. An iron rod was used for our axel because the properties of the iron

metal help concentrate the magnetic field in the direction we are attempting to make it go. The

metal would also produce less friction when spinning than most other materials. We used the

strongest magnets we could find and the smallest gauge of wire that was available.

The construction process of our generator included multiple runs to the hardware store

and a lot of trial and error during construction. Initially, we undertook the tedious task of rolling
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the wire into two very small and very tight coils. Next, we built a frame for our generator out of

plywood. The most difficult of construction was measuring and aligning the wooden rod

supports so that the magnets would be able to spin freely between the coils. We knew we needed

the magnets to be as close as possible to the coils, as to not lose electric current to the air, but

also leave enough room so that they do not touch as it turns. This was a long process, but

eventually we got everything aligned correctly. Finally, we had to mount the magnets and fan

blade on our rod and attach the coils to the pegs, making sure to attach the coils together by

removing the plastic coating and using electrical tape to seal the connection.

Device Description

Our device is very simple. It is supported by a wooden frame with a base board, two

equal height side boards, and a slightly taller backboard centered between the sides. Four

wooden pegs are attached perpendicular to the backboard and spaced approximately four inches

apart so that they form a square. A copper wire coil is fixed to each set of pegs so that one coil is

on top of the rotating magnet, and one coil is below the magnet. The metal rod is suspended by

two o-screws which are placed on top of each side board so that they are aligned. These screws

were used to support the rod so that it was able to rotate with the least amount of friction

possible. The magnets are mounted on the rod and positioned directly in between the two coils

mounted on the pegs. We then glued a washer to the rod directly in front of the o-hook so that

the fan could not be pushed back as the wind blew it, un-aligning the magnets from between the

coils. Finally, we glued the fan blades to the end of the rod.
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 Pictures of Dynamo:
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Analysis

Power provided by wind:

𝑃=0.5×𝜌×𝐴×𝑉3

𝑃=0.5× (1.225𝑘𝑔/𝑚3)× (3×0.5×0.1016 𝑚×0.0762 𝑚)× (8.9408𝑚/𝑠)3

𝑃=5.084 Watts

Power produced by generator:

𝑃= (voltage)(amperes)

𝑃= (2 V)(.5 A)

𝑃=1 Watt

Efficiency:

% eff = (Power produced by device/Power of wind) ×100

% eff = (1 Watt / 5.084 Watts) ×100

% eff = 19.7%
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Bill of Materials

Material Cost

Wood $7.00

Magnets $5.00

Rod $2.00

Fan Blade $1.00

Wire $8.00

O-Screws $1.00

Washer $1.00

Total: $25.00

Conclusion

After hours of construction and testing, we were successful in creating a generator that

can light a light bulb. This project was challenging as there were so many different design

techniques and ways to create the generator. We encountered problems with our initial design

because it would not produce a sufficient amount of electricity. We also identified friction

between the rod and wood as being an obstacle in design when we were not able to get our rod to

spin fast enough. We overcame these difficulties by thinking of logical solutions and creating
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new designs. We found that working as a group, and having each member contribute and expand

on ideas, allowed us to produce a more efficient project. We also learned that this method of

generating electricity is not very efficient; nonetheless, a useful electric current is produced. If

we were to do this project again, we would simply attempt to design a more efficient generator,

possibly using stronger magnets.

Resources

"Wind Energy Fact Sheets." American Wind Energy Association. 22 Apr. 2009

<http://www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets.html>.

"Wind Energy Facts." Alternative Energy. 22 Apr. 2009

<http://www.energyrefuge.com/archives/wind-energy-facts.htm>.

"Wind Energy-Energy From Moving Air." Energy Kid's Page. Energy Information

Administration. 22 Apr. 2009

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html>.