i have an old barn fan and motor on a metal frame sitting outside. every time i see it it is rotating in the slight wind at a fairly hefty speed. since generators are the same hardware as electric motors could i just hook a fan belt back up and get power from the motor? i understand that there is a lot of resistance in the motor but that aside, i think i heard of something in the motor that prevents this (electricity generation) from happening so that the fan doesn't send electricity back into the circuit when its windy. is this true? if so, what's it called, where's it located and how do i remove/bypass it? Has anyone ever done this? Any tips?(especially for increasing the efficiency)
2007-10-31 13:41:58 · 4 answers · asked by Supreme Overlord 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Like Irv said, it has to be a permanent magnet type motor with brushes. Squirrel cage AC motors on fans won't generate anything at all.
2007-10-31 16:34:57 · answer #1 · answered by John himself 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The electric motor is the easy part of an electric car, the expensive bit is the battery!!! You need to be able to store a lot of energy in something that is not overly heavy and that you can recharge quickly. Generators are effectively motors run in reverse. However, you will be using DC power from a battery, the generator almost certainly produced AC power at 120V. [or possibly even higher voltage, that is why the wires are not very thick], [High voltage, low current]. It may also be wound as a 3 phase machine. If it is 3 phase it can not be run as a motor except from a 3 phase power supply. And maybe not even then. Depending on the way the generator was designed you may or may not be able to use it as a DC motor. Some arrangements require the AC, some arrangements will work with both. I suspect that if this is not something you are very knowledgeable with electricity, that you will not be able to make this work. If you have access to 'bits' especially from electric fork lifts etc, you would have a much better chance with them. Even using starter motors from old cars might be a better option as they certainly have the torque. Unfortunately they are not designed to run for more than a short time, so would easily over heat and the bearings would wear out. Was halfway through using one to drive a small children's car before I got side tracked, would have been a great little beast.
2016-04-11 06:33:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only if it's a permanent magnet DC motor,
will it work as a generator without an 'exciter'
circuit.
A generator needs a magnetic field and a coil.
In an AC motor, there is nothing to create the field
if no power is applied.
2007-10-31 13:56:50 · answer #3 · answered by Irv S 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Some generators can be reverse wired so they can act as a motor, but motors can't be wired so they will generate. Sorry
2007-10-31 14:01:31 · answer #4 · answered by Bart S 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋