# Trying to make a project



## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

I have two pieces of equipment laying around the house I want to make something out of. Not necessarily in the same project. 

I have a washing machine that the water pump went out on. I have seen people rewiring the stator to produce dc power. 

I also have a generator that the motor has went out on. I know I could easily buy a new motor and have my generator back going. 

But I am looking for a way to turn these into something green energy oriented. Any ideas?


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

Trying to generate from a motor will be a challenge.

You can get the 60 cycles that most AC equipment runs on,
OR,
You can get the 120 Volts that most AC equipment runs on.

You will vary rarely get both since it's wound as a MOTOR and not a generator.

You won't get DC from an induction motor without a LOT of work, or a HUGE rectifier bridge/heat sink.

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Forget the 'Green' energy thinking, and concentrate on 'WATTS'.

A car alternator (Alternating Generator that uses a Rectifier to produce DC current),
Uses the ROTOR, which is basically a powerful electro-magnet,

SPINS that magnetic field (Moving Magnetic Field) inside of coils of wire called the 'Stator'.

Electro-Magnetic Link,
MOVING magnetic field through stationary coils of wire (Stator),
OR,
MOVING coils of wire (Stator) through a stationary magnetic field.

Either way the KEY IS MOVING SOMETHING,
It's usually easier to spin the magnetic field, either electro-magnet or permanent magnets through stationary coils of wire...
And produce current in AC, then use the current in AC or use a Rectifier to have the output in DC.

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The alternative is the old time 'Direct Current Generators', where the (electro) Magnetic field was stationary OUTSIDE, in the case,
And the Armature (not Rotor) spun coils of wire in the magnetic field.

This requires a tricky to time 'Commutator', Pieces of copper on the spinning shaft, that CAN NOT be allowed to electrically contact anything but a specific winding...
The brushes here contact the copper/coils and extract 'Positive' or 'Negative' just before the circuit breaks, the copper slides out from under the brush.

We don't use these anymore, mostly because the copper gets cut when it's spun too hard, the weight of the soft copper slings the copper windings out, and the metal blades that hold the windings in shape, focus the magnetic field tend to cut the copper off when it's spun too fast.

The copper in the commutator often slings out of it's insulation/bonding material and breaks the brushes/brush holders off.

AC 'Alternating' Generators don't have this issue and can be spun MUCH faster, producing MUCH more current. That's why you don't see Low Speed DC generators on anything anymore...

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If you want to do something with alternative energy,
Look into PERMINANT magnets to replace the Electro-Magnets in a generator of some kind, an alternator for instance.
Permanent magnets mean you are producing the MAXIMUM magnetic field, 
AND,
You don't have to supply current to the Rotor, so no brushes or slip rings.

Permanent magnet motors are everywhere, in tread mills for instance, you can use one of those for something like low speed water wheel power to make electricity.
No modification necessary, just spin the shaft, and it will make power since the magnetic field is already supplied.

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A 'Car' alternator, you use permanent magnets to supply the MOVING magnetic field,
Then you can fairly easily rewire the 'Stator' with finer wire to produce more voltage.
The way it's built, it's designed to produce 12 or 24 volts with a LOT of amperage at high speed.

By using finer wire in the Stator, you will produce more voltage, less amperage, and you will produce at lower shaft speeds.


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