Alternator

Most wind units (home made especially) are designed to be efficient at some what low wind speeds. This means when the wind blows strong it could exceed the power rating of the alternator. If the wind blows over say 40 MPH then some other power management is needed to regulate speed or it will burn out the alternator. I can see this to be a problem that will plague all of us. How to get the maxim power without burnout. A good simple recommendation will be needed to handle this. A circuit breaker that cuts out at maximum amperage would save the generator windings. However, it would allow the unit to over speed and possibly fly apart from centrifugal force. Thus, I think one way is to turn it out of the wind in the these cases.

Offered by Mike.

Leave the emergency brake cables attached to the brake hubs. This is the main reason we use the rear wheels of a front wheel drive. One is that you don't have the axle to deal with. The other is the emergency bakes can be used in several ways. First you can arrange a cable to the ground and lock down the hub. The second is that you can use cables during high wind conditions to yaw the generator out of the wind appropriately while still allowing it to run, preventing an overspeed condition.

There are some dangers here. These cables must not be allowed to get in touch with the rotor in any way. What we usually do is place a steel ring of 8 - 10 inches in diameter about 4 ft. above the ground on the side of prevailing winds. Any cables that you use must be weighted enough so that the wind will not entangle them with the rotor. Attach one cable to the front of a downwind machine to allow you to yaw the machine around. Attach the other cable to the brake cable of the yaw hub. All cables are left within the ring. When you get the machine in proper alignment lock down the hub. You have to use some common sense here, creating a proper spring tension device to keep the brake deployed. You can use a similar technique to lock the rotor also. I use several different automatic overspeed controls that are driven by the machines own rotation as fail-safe devices, they are a little more sophisticated, using flyweights and such.

Offered by Jay.