Grew up on the farm - welding & fabricating was something you just had to learn how to do. We never had money to get other people to do it for us, so my dad taught me how to make stuff. That combined with being in the sign industry for 20 years gave me a pretty good start.
Great Work. Just rebuilt my 175 48 Volt setup after 16 years making energy. Spindle bearings were good. Furling bearings totally shot. Yaw bearings rusty. I found some weak points. Mostly the grease used. I repacked all 7 bearings with Triax Atlas 600 Full Synthetic.
I believe the pivot point is about 7' up the 6x6 square tubing. The Counter weight was originally larger and heavier, but was cut back after experimenting raising and lowering. Because we were tying onto an existing foundation and had to drill and epoxy into as well as the high winds we have, we chose to attach guy wires for extra support. This also makes it much safer to lower in higher winds. I would NEVER build a self standing tower without a engineered base plate and pilings. Guy Wires!
Thanks. The turbine uses slip rings (unlike smaller off shore units that just have a chord to unravel every few months) The slip ring design is machine fitted then bolted to the pole so it can not fall off the pole. re: counter balance - been there, done that. The turbine head weighs several hundred lbs. Extending the counter balance pole does balance it better but puts a tremendous amount of force on the pole. We used 3/16" tube. We would have to have gone with 1/4" in order to handle flex
I don't have the specs handy on it, but let's try the 'ol memory box...The bottom pillars are 3/16" 4x6 tube 22' long. The upper cantilever arm is 3/16" 6x6 tube, 20' long. The Whisper 500 requires a 5" ID pipe (Impossible to find in Canada). I found a small 2' section and married it to the top assembly. All steel used was from a recycler so specs changed depending on what I could find in their yard.
Our original tower was made from 6x6" pressure treated wood. 45' high - It came crashing down in the 2009 windstorm we had (126 km/hr wind gusts for 26 hrs) Base plate sheared from the concrete pad and snapped the tower in 2 places. Not much left to salvage - Thus we went to steel and guy wires. Much more robust for our windy area!
Where do you live? I'm planning for my cabin in gusty NFLD. I'm thinking the 900 watt Whisper 100. It will be summer use, until I retire in 10 years. Which side of the pivot point weighs more? I presume the counter weight? By how much? Or is the pivot point more or less 50%? Canadian Tire lists the Whisper 100 at $799.00. The Internet lists it at $2400. So there must be a lot that Canadian Tire in not including. How much did you 500 cost? What did it cost? What did it include?
Yeah, I'm with ya! For the number of times we put it up and down though, I'd rather put the money toward more solar panels - plus I need the workout to stay fit :)
I'm not sure why it's called a Whisper 500. As far as I know Southwest Wind Power has been making these 3 KW turbines for over 20 years and that's always been it's name. They also make the 100 which is 1 KW so I don't know what their numbering refers to. I just heard Southwest closed it's doors this last spring. Hope they come back. They make some really robust, good stuff!
I had a similar idea and sketches, but you actual made it work. Kind of based on the medieval trebuchet. Didn't think of making it out of steel. But a wise choice for your situation. What kind of counterweight ratio is required from turbine head? Or is it trial and error.
The pivot point is two pieces of 3/16" thick walled pipe. I can not remember the diameter but if I had to guess, the inside pipe is close to 3". I ran around the metal wreckers trying to find pieces of pipe that would fit snug as a hinge, yet be strong enough to withstand the load. I was also going to mention, with the weight of the head when raising/lowering the arm we'll see a 2" deflection over 20'. That's why I wouldn't make counter balance any longer without beefing up canterlever arm
Our turbine is a Southwest Wind Power's "Whisper 500" off the shelf. We did not build the turbine. It is rated at 3.3 KW and is available as 12,24,36,48 Volt or high power AC. We bought ours configured as 24 V to match into the rest of our system.
We engineered it with guy wires. To engineer it for stand alone we would have had to go to 3/8" tubes, gussets and 1" thick base plates. Our turbine has 800 lbs of force against it at 30 mph wind. That force increases against the base depending on the height of the tower. We had lost the original tower to a freak windstorm in 2010 and our pilings are only 4' deep so we didn't want to take the chance with a stand alone config. But yes...with the right engineering, you can make it self standing. We live in Craik, SK, Canada.
We live in a area where two separate weather patterns meet. One north of us and one to the south. Our little strip of area in between always gets freakishly strong winds from every direction. It's very unique for being in the middle of open prairie land.
Norris Brock Sorry Norris, We don't have written plans for the tower design. I engineered and built it based on what was available for purchase at a local metal scrap yard with a few revisions on the fly. The vid is to help inspire others but I don't have any formal plans for it.
Not an issue. Our turbine has slip rings so the wires never twist. We've looked at many turbines that do not use slip rings for wiring and I just would never recommend a turbine like that. Wire breakage is so common of an issue on those type.
@buddha2845 Slip rings are copper raceways that are complete circles that the base wiring attaches to. The wiring of the turbine head uses spring-loaded brushes that press against the copper raceway to make contact. This means the turbine head can spin freely 360 degrees while having full contact with the base wiring. You never have to worry about twisted wires. The brushes on the slip rings are similar to the brushes used on the armature of an electric motor - just used slightly differently. Most higher end turbines are built using this system of transferring power from the turbine head to the base wiring.
I knew the head was a couple hundred pounds and I just wanted to take a bit of the weight off without being complicated. I happened to have a chunk of pipe and some extra quick mix cement handy...so I filled the pipe with cement and used it like that! :) So answer to your question - trial and error.
Yep. I thought it was 4x6 but actually 3x7" tube. Yes, flex when raising/lowering. In the video you might have noticed how fast the turbine comes to life. We've taken it down in a 30 mph wind with no issues and that is just unheard of with any other pole. We're very happy and I'm one who very much likes building from recycled so I would only change the design based on what supplies I was able to aquire.
I Agree. 3 blades would be better - and electronic speed control rather than furling. Furling is tough on the bearings but after 8 years, in our winds they are still tight.. I thought about replacing the hub...but one of the reasons we chose the Whisper 500 over any of the other turbines we looked at was because it was basically untouched from its original design for 20 years. You don't make and sell a product for that long without revisions if it doesn't work. It has a fantastic low speed start up and handles high winds excellent...but completely sucks with gusts. That's my only negative comment on South West's turbine.
Grew up on the farm - welding & fabricating was something you just had to learn how to do. We never had money to get other people to do it for us, so my dad taught me how to make stuff. That combined with being in the sign industry for 20 years gave me a pretty good start.
I have also made wind turbine,,but with little different concept,,
Great Work. Just rebuilt my 175 48 Volt setup after 16 years making energy. Spindle bearings were good. Furling bearings totally shot. Yaw bearings rusty. I found some weak points. Mostly the grease used. I repacked all 7 bearings with Triax Atlas 600 Full Synthetic.
Well done, The pins are great and so many advantages of being able to access it easily. Great video thanks for putting it up:)
Thanks, great design.
awe / i mean awesome/ and practical, very well designed, tanks for sharing
I believe the pivot point is about 7' up the 6x6 square tubing. The Counter weight was originally larger and heavier, but was cut back after experimenting raising and lowering. Because we were tying onto an existing foundation and had to drill and epoxy into as well as the high winds we have, we chose to attach guy wires for extra support. This also makes it much safer to lower in higher winds. I would NEVER build a self standing tower without a engineered base plate and pilings. Guy Wires!
Thanks. The turbine uses slip rings (unlike smaller off shore units that just have a chord to unravel every few months) The slip ring design is machine fitted then bolted to the pole so it can not fall off the pole.
re: counter balance - been there, done that. The turbine head weighs several hundred lbs. Extending the counter balance pole does balance it better but puts a tremendous amount of force on the pole. We used 3/16" tube. We would have to have gone with 1/4" in order to handle flex
I don't have the specs handy on it, but let's try the 'ol memory box...The bottom pillars are 3/16" 4x6 tube 22' long. The upper cantilever arm is 3/16" 6x6 tube, 20' long. The Whisper 500 requires a 5" ID pipe (Impossible to find in Canada). I found a small 2' section and married it to the top assembly. All steel used was from a recycler so specs changed depending on what I could find in their yard.
Our original tower was made from 6x6" pressure treated wood. 45' high - It came crashing down in the 2009 windstorm we had (126 km/hr wind gusts for 26 hrs) Base plate sheared from the concrete pad and snapped the tower in 2 places. Not much left to salvage - Thus we went to steel and guy wires. Much more robust for our windy area!
Ingenious. Great work!
If you are bored, would you mind taking more shots of the tower. I would like to build one like this. Thanks!!
Thanks. Winter is here yet again, so now I should have some time to put some notes together in the next few months.
Thanks you! I am building a turbine similar to Hugh Pigget's design.
I was wondering if you relied on just the winch to hold it up, but nope. Long locking pins = smart. Nice build, nicely done.
Where do you live? I'm planning for my cabin in gusty NFLD.
I'm thinking the 900 watt Whisper 100. It will be summer use, until I retire in 10 years.
Which side of the pivot point weighs more?
I presume the counter weight? By how much? Or is the pivot point more or less 50%?
Canadian Tire lists the Whisper 100 at $799.00. The Internet lists it at $2400. So there must be a lot that Canadian Tire in not including. How much did you 500 cost? What did it cost? What did it include?
I am very interested in finding out more about this tower do you have any plans or dimensions or schematics You could send me?
Yeah, I'm with ya! For the number of times we put it up and down though, I'd rather put the money toward more solar panels - plus I need the workout to stay fit :)
I'm not sure why it's called a Whisper 500. As far as I know Southwest Wind Power has been making these 3 KW turbines for over 20 years and that's always been it's name. They also make the 100 which is 1 KW so I don't know what their numbering refers to. I just heard Southwest closed it's doors this last spring. Hope they come back. They make some really robust, good stuff!
how did you build this all by yourself this looks very hard to build
cool,i needed to see this
Can you take some more video of the tower now? Pretty please : )
I had a similar idea and sketches, but you actual made it work. Kind of based on the medieval trebuchet. Didn't think of making it out of steel. But a wise choice for your situation. What kind of counterweight ratio is required from turbine head? Or is it trial and error.
The pivot point is two pieces of 3/16" thick walled pipe. I can not remember the diameter but if I had to guess, the inside pipe is close to 3". I ran around the metal wreckers trying to find pieces of pipe that would fit snug as a hinge, yet be strong enough to withstand the load.
I was also going to mention, with the weight of the head when raising/lowering the arm we'll see a 2" deflection over 20'. That's why I wouldn't make counter balance any longer without beefing up canterlever arm
Our turbine is a Southwest Wind Power's "Whisper 500" off the shelf. We did not build the turbine. It is rated at 3.3 KW and is available as 12,24,36,48 Volt or high power AC. We bought ours configured as 24 V to match into the rest of our system.
👍 all steel square tube?
Yes. Steel square tube
very clever!!!
interesting design but I would suggest some automated motor to crank that shaft up buddy
I like this tower. Can it be a standalone tower or do you have to have the guys wires? What area is this with all the wind??
We engineered it with guy wires. To engineer it for stand alone we would have had to go to 3/8" tubes, gussets and 1" thick base plates. Our turbine has 800 lbs of force against it at 30 mph wind. That force increases against the base depending on the height of the tower. We had lost the original tower to a freak windstorm in 2010 and our pilings are only 4' deep so we didn't want to take the chance with a stand alone config. But yes...with the right engineering, you can make it self standing. We live in Craik, SK, Canada.
We live in a area where two separate weather patterns meet. One north of us and one to the south. Our little strip of area in between always gets freakishly strong winds from every direction. It's very unique for being in the middle of open prairie land.
You mentioned this whisper 500. I'm assuming 500 doesn't mean 500w rated as the swept area seems much larger than a 500w turbine??
Where do you live ? Do a video on it
pretty cool :0)
Please, how can I get a copy of this articulated turbine tower design?????
Norris Brock Sorry Norris, We don't have written plans for the tower design. I engineered and built it based on what was available for purchase at a local metal scrap yard with a few revisions on the fly. The vid is to help inspire others but I don't have any formal plans for it.
riverstonestudios
WOW, oh no I'm so sorry to hear that, I've told others about this tower, this is great.........
Design is nice for maintenance,,but how does it manages yaw motion,, because wiring is on one side,, this can cause breakage in wites
Not an issue. Our turbine has slip rings so the wires never twist. We've looked at many turbines that do not use slip rings for wiring and I just would never recommend a turbine like that. Wire breakage is so common of an issue on those type.
@@Naturally-Kelly i am not able to understand functioning of slip rings,, where is it and how does it work?
@buddha2845 Slip rings are copper raceways that are complete circles that the base wiring attaches to. The wiring of the turbine head uses spring-loaded brushes that press against the copper raceway to make contact. This means the turbine head can spin freely 360 degrees while having full contact with the base wiring. You never have to worry about twisted wires. The brushes on the slip rings are similar to the brushes used on the armature of an electric motor - just used slightly differently. Most higher end turbines are built using this system of transferring power from the turbine head to the base wiring.
@@Naturally-Kelly i understood,, this is like stator armature copper and carbon brush
@buddha2845 Yes
riverstonestudios,
Where do you live?
I knew the head was a couple hundred pounds and I just wanted to take a bit of the weight off without being complicated. I happened to have a chunk of pipe and some extra quick mix cement handy...so I filled the pipe with cement and used it like that! :) So answer to your question - trial and error.
ahh man i thought their would be a 24v winch motor bummer
invisible paint???
2 blades is a next disaster.
to counter your harrash winds use controller and turbine that supports speed controll.
Yep. I thought it was 4x6 but actually 3x7" tube. Yes, flex when raising/lowering. In the video you might have noticed how fast the turbine comes to life. We've taken it down in a 30 mph wind with no issues and that is just unheard of with any other pole. We're very happy and I'm one who very much likes building from recycled so I would only change the design based on what supplies I was able to aquire.
Im
Try some new solutions from Avasva solutions.
2 blades is a next disaster.
to counter your harrash winds use controller and turbine that supports speed controll.
I Agree. 3 blades would be better - and electronic speed control rather than furling. Furling is tough on the bearings but after 8 years, in our winds they are still tight.. I thought about replacing the hub...but one of the reasons we chose the Whisper 500 over any of the other turbines we looked at was because it was basically untouched from its original design for 20 years. You don't make and sell a product for that long without revisions if it doesn't work. It has a fantastic low speed start up and handles high winds excellent...but completely sucks with gusts. That's my only negative comment on South West's turbine.