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Parts List

This page shows the parts/components that I purchased to make my wind turbine, where available the price per item as well.

Costs
Parts/Components
$480.00
32 - 1-1/2"x3"x3/4" Neodymium magnets #NB090-N42 from Magnets4Less
$180.00
2 spools - 14gauge x 800' enamel covered magnet wire from Paramount Wire
$32.00
132.00
9.00
4.50
33.00
21.00
13.98
2 - large aluminum heat sinks #6612 from Forcefield
6 - 36" long lengths of 1/2"-13tpi stainless steel all-thread #6630
60 - stainless steel washers #6632
30 - stainless steel lock washers #6633
60 - 1/2"-13tpi stainless steel nuts #6631
12 - 1/2"-13tpi stainless steel acorn nuts #6634
2 - 2oz Medium Viscosity Cyanoacrylate Glue #5502
$61.25
1 - 6 hole 3500# Straight spindle stub axle assembly #125687 from Gemplers

The hub/spindle assembly and it is quite a beefy unit, the picture that was used on the website must be a generic picture. I took some measurements and the spindle shaft is 2" OD and there should be between 6-7" of usable length on the back end of the spindle to put into a housing.

The inner diameter each of the bearings is 1.625" and 1.250".

Here is a picture of the hub and spindle:

And here is a picture of the backside of the hub

I received the hub/spindle assembly and it is quite a beefy unit, the picture that was used on the website must be a generic picture. I took some measurements and the spindle shaft is 2" OD and there should be between 6-7" of usable length on the back end of the spindle to put into a housing. The hub diameter is 4.625", 6" bolt circle and 7.25" outer diameter.

The inner diameter each of the bearings is 1.625" and 1.250".
Steel Plate
Quantity
Size
Usage
2 1/2" thick x 18" round rotors
1 1/2" thick x 12" square tail support
2 3/8" thick x 6" round spindle support
2 1/4" thick x 30" round blade support
20' long 3/8" thick x 2" wide stator support & tail support
4' long 1/4" thick x 1" wide tail support
Steel Pipe
Quantity
Size
Usage
6-8" long 6" dia. pipe 3/16" wall (schedule #40) spindle housing
4' long 4" dia. pipe 3/16" wall (schedule #40) yaw bearing & tail bearing reinforcement
30" long 3" dia. pipe 1/4" wall (schedule #40) tail support
Steel Tubing & Bar
Quantity
Size
Usage
12" long 4" x 6" rect. tubing 3/8" thick spindle housing to yaw bearing
12" long 3" x 6" rect. tubing 3/8" thick yaw bearing to tail support
9' long 2" dia. round tubing 1/4" thick tail
4' long 3/4" round stock lightning arrester
4' long 1/2" ID stainless tubing 1/8" thick spacers between rotors, stator and frame
Blades

Material will be using sassafras (I have a lot of it), polyurethane glue 3" tall strips to obtain desired width
8-1/2' finished length, finished with a covering of fiberglass cloth and vinyl-ester resin.

Pitch of blade is completely flat surface, straight taper on trailing edge

Base of blade = 14" wide x 2-3/4" thick
@ 4-1/4 radius = 1-12" thick, 6 degrees
@ tips = 6" wide x 3/4" thick, 3 degrees
$3152
Free-standing Lattice Tower

I ended up purchasing the HD-70 tower from AN Wireless, this is a 70' lattice free-standing tower which means that I do not have to use any guy wires.

To save even more money I picked up the tower on my 18' trailer, here is a picture of it in sections:


$280
450
240
80
48
Tower Accessories

step bolts for 7 tower sections ($40/section)
3/8" complete steel life-line system for 70' tower
life-line steel safety sleeve with carabineer
dual base grounding kit
6 mounting brackets with bolts/nuts/washers to connect (2) mounting plates for stub
Tower Foundation

20 - 20' lengths of #5 (5/8") rebar
8 - 20' lengths of #4 (1/2") rebar
$240.15
Climbing Harness

Full body harness : DBI/Sala Exofit-XP

This harness has 4 D-rings, one in back, front and 2 at the hips, with quick release buckles at the chest and for each of the leg straps, so these make it real easy to get into and out of the harness. In addition it comes with padding along the back/shoulders as well as thighs making it real comfortable to wear.

Once I got home and tried it on I found out that I was at the smaller end of XL and probably should have gotten the large. I was able to get it adjusted to fit ok so will be keeping the unit. When the weather gets colder you will want to wear a couple of extra layers of clothing underneath your harness, so be sure to get one sized properly.
$72.95/ea
2 - Elk River - Rebar web assembly from Midwest Unlimited

18" long 1" nylon webbing with 2 fixed 3/4" throat opening double locking snaphook on each end. Sliding 2-1/2" throat opening rebar hook. I have found this an invaluable item that makes it easy to clip onto the tower at almost any point. You can use a single unit clipped across your hip D-rings, or one on each side to clip on at two separate points.
$31.95/ea
2 - Elk River - Web lanyard from Midwest Unlimited

24" long 1" nylon webbing with 2 fixed 3/4" Centurion auto-lock snaphook on each end. These are handy for tying onto the tower, simply clip one end to a hip D-ring, wrap around a steel component, then clip other end to same D-ring. I also have a 6' long adjustable length lanyard that I occasionally use. The web lanyards work well but lately I am preferring the rebar web assembly above as it is quicker to attach onto the tower with.
$62.50
35.00
Comet mechanical brake caliper from GoKartSupply
2 pairs of extra brake pads

I have been trying to find a hydraulic brake caliper that retract the brake pads and have not had a lot of luck, so I opted out for a mechanical disc brake caliper. It is important to retract the brake pads so that they do not put any resistance on the rotor, otherwise the wind turbine could have problems in starting.

This mechanical brake caliper is used on large gocarts and constructed of high-strength die cast aluminum and has a rated brake torque of 4800 lbs. with 150 lbs. of lever pull force applied on a 10" diameter disc rotor (which I will make). The actuating lever has a total of 16 different positions that it can operate in, the actuator design is a positive stop so that a return spring can be utilized.
$79.99 ea
2 - 14 x 12 x 7 Weatherproof NEMA 4x enclosure item #NB141207-KIT from HyperLink Technologys

This is a great box for the money, it also comes with a blank aluminum mounting plate for mounting components onto.

I plan on having one at the top of the tower to contain a 120v GFCI, 12v polarized outlet as well as 3-prong 50amp plug/receptacle for the generator output. One will also be located at the base of the tower as well.
$20.25
1930 Model 'A' throw out bearing From Mac's Antique Auto Parts, part # B7580T

The 20' diameter wind turbine that was built by the guys at OtherPower.com had mentioned using this throw out bearing as the thrust bearing for the yaw pipe. I went to my local autoparts store and the largest throw out bearing that they seemed to carry was from a 350 Chevrolet and it's diameter was about 2-1/2".

I found out some information concering the Model 'A' throw out bearing and it's diameter is about 3-1/2" and will fit better on the 4" diameter pipe that I am using.
$44.99
12.99
Dutton-Lainson Winch with Automatic Brake, 800 lb. capacity, part # 129681, from NorthernTool
25ft of 3/16" galvalized cable with hook, working load capacity of 840 lbs, part # 455162

The winch has a gear ratio of 4.4:1, single speed with a 2-way ratchet handle and it cranks in and out under load (does not freewheel).

This hand winch will be used for raising/lowering the davit crane, it will *not* be used to hold the crane in the extended position with extra weight on it! Once the crane is fully extended, a locking collar will be used to hold the weight of it and what ever the davit crane will be lifting.

Winches are typically for pulling and *not* lifting!
$3.87/ea
.66/ea
.60/ea
3 - 3/8"-16 x 2" long Silicon bronze machine bolt, part # 3464 from Bolt Depot
9 - 3/8"-16 Silicon bronze nuts
15 - 3/8" Silicon bronze flat washers

I went with Silicon bronze components rather than brass as it is a copper alloy with greater strength and corrosion resistance than brass. These will be used for attaching the cables onto the output from the stator.
$259
1 - MMP LA3 12v-20-A50mm linear actuator from MidWest Motion

This is a 12 volt linear actuator that I will be using to control the disk brake mechanism, it has about 2" of movement and can exert up to 112lbs of pressure.
$45
Delta CA603R - 3 phase lightning arrestor
$3299
236
243
25.61/ea
128
Xantrex XW-6048 hybrid grid-tie inverter, 6kw max output - Aten Solar Corp, NJ
Xantrex XW-System control panel - altE Store
Xantrex DC250, DC disconnect enclosure with main 250amp breaker
Xantrex CD60, 60amp DC breakers (qty - 3)
Xantrex C40 charge controller
XW-6048 inverter
DC250 DC disconnect
C40 charge controller/diversion
$330
Cutler-Hammer DT224URK-NPS 2-pole non-fused manual transfer switch

I found this item on eBay, the list resale price is over $1000!
$53.20
LPM10-U 2/24/48V Battery Voltage Monitor by BZ Products, from the altE Store

$85
Xantrex XW Conduit box.

I just happened to run across this little gem on eBay and quickly scarfed it up! It mounts directly to the bottom of the XW-6048 inverter and keeps the cables enclosed and tidy.

The NEC typically specifies that all cables are to be enclosed by some means (conduit, enclosure, etc).
$62.52
Zepher Power Vent - battery box ventilator and back draft damper, altE Store
part #ZEPPVENT-12V

They make these vents in 12v, 24v and 48v versions, even though I have a 48v battery bank I purchased the 12v unit and will connect it to a single battery to simplify connections. This unit connects directly to a 2" pvc, it provides positive venting of hydrogen gas emitted by the batteries when charging, and will be vented to the outside.
$20.50
500Amp 50mv Shunt, altE Store part #MKB-50-500
$16.00
16.00
Outback busbar w/black insulators, altE Store part #TBB-BLACK
Outback busbar w/red insulators, part #TBB-RED

I will be using these insulated bus bars inside the DC250 dc distribution box to make electrical connections easier, I have one red bar for the (+) connections and one black bar for the (-) connections.
  2 - Fiberglass battery trays, manufactured by PS Composites

I colaborated with Paul Schreiner and designed this battery tray, Paul created a mold and is now producing them for resale. The basic dimensions are 24" x 31", it provides thermal isolation, electrical isolation (non-conductive) and containment of at least 2 gallons of battery acid - in the event that one or more batteries rupture. The tray can fit up to six #31 sized batteries and I will be using two trays for my battery bank. Eventially Paul may also make available a battery chest that can break down completely flat for shipping as well.

$172.95/ea 8 - Deka 8A31DT AGM batteries ordered up from Battery Warehouse

These batteries are 12v @ 105ah maintenance free, sealed and valve regulated using fiberglass matt technology. The 'DT' in the name of the battery part stands for 'double terminal', these batteries come with standard automotive posts as well as a threaded stud for both the positive and negative terminals. The positive stud diameter is 3/8" while the negative is 5/16" diameter.


I will be connecting them in series/parallel connection to achieve 48v @ 210ah. If off-grid that would be very minimal, however with my grid-tie system it is a good minimal starting pont.

If you are grid tied 400-800ah may be somewhat better, and if off-grid environment then you may need to start higher.
$90
Squared-D 'QO' (commercial) 100amp breaker box, capacity of 20 spaces

This box will be used as to hold the breakers for the auxillary ac panel, it is wired to the AC output of the inverter. All electrical lines that I want to be powered (in case of grid outage) will be diverted into this panel.
$178.97
78.79
Morningstar Tristar TS60 charge controller manufacturered from Infinigi Energy Solutions
Morningstar Tristar Digital Meter

I replaced the C40 with this unit as it has %50 more capacity, 60amps. I was afraid that with my application that the C40 was just a bit undersized.

For slightly more money than the C40 the Tristar is a lot more controller for the money. In addition it includes an RS232 communication port so that you can perform data logging and remote monitoring from your PC.
$95
Wireless anemometer unit from DAS GG-9150-PP

Transmission frequency is 915 MHz with transmission range up to 300 feet (100 meters)
  Replacement bearings/seal for the rotor hub:


- Timken #204508 rear seal, 2.000" ID, 3.062" OD,.250" wide
- Timken #LM501349 rear bearing cone, 1.625" ID, .780" wide
- Timken #LM501310 rear bearing cup
- Timken #LM67049A or #LM67048 front bearing cone, 1.250" ID, .660" wide
- Timken #LM67010 front bearing cup


The original parts for the hub/rotor were not stamped with parts numbers, these parts listed are the Timken replacement parts numbers and can be ordered via any parts stores. Other manufacturers numbers can be derived (like SKF) by using these as reference.


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