Title – Basic PVC Wind Turbine – Parts and Tools
By – Chad Johnson
Primary Subject – Science
Secondary Subjects – Math
Grade Level – 6-12

• PVC Pipe & Fittings
  • (5) 1″ PVC 90° Fitting (4 Tower base parts) (1 “Nacelle” part – note 4 below) (a)
  • (3) 1″ PVC “T” Fitting (1 drilled) (b)
  • (1) 1″ PVC Coupler (Nacelle Part) (c)
  • (6) 6″ lengths of 1″ PVC Pipe (Tower Base Parts) (d)
  • (1) 24″ length of 1″ PVC Pipe (Tower) (e)
  • (1) 2″ length of 1″ PVC Pipe (Nacelle connector) (f)
• DC Motor, Wires, Clips, & Output Devices
  • (1) Wind Turbine Generator (See note 2 below) (g)
  • (4 ft.) 22 Gauge Hook Up Wire (Connect to leads from motor) (g)
  • (2) Alligator Clips (h)
  • (1) Simple Multimeter (To test power output) (i)
  • (1) LED Bulb (Lights) (j)
  • (1) Demonstration Motor w/Mini Prop (Extra testing materials) (k)
• Special Parts
  • (1) 12 Hole Indexable Crimping Hub (Can be found online – see note 1 below) (l)
• Blade Materials
  • (20) 1/4″ diameter poplar dowels (Fits into 12 hole crimping hub) (m)
  • (10) 18″ sheets of balsa wood (n)
  • (1) 3″ black three blade propellers (Not needed, but can be found online. See note 3 below.)
  • (1) Protractor (Measure the pitch of the blades)

Note 1: You don’t need all of the items listed and shown above , but we wanted to recommend everything found in a Basic PVC Turbine Full Kit as not to confuse or misrepresent this design. Most of these items can be bought at your local hardware or science store, but you can also purchase individual parts or the full kit from us at www.kidwind.org Note 2: The DC generator in our wind turbine kit is actually a DC motor that spins using the energy in the wind. The magnets and wires in the generator transform the energy in the wind into electricity. By manipulating the strength of the magnets used and coils of wire inside the generator we can affect the power output. In the kit, we provide you with a DC generator or you can by one separately, outside of the kit, from us at kidwind.org. If you wanted, you could compare this output to a different DC generator that you harvest from some old electronics in your house. Old VCRs, electrical toys and CD players are good places to start finding DC motors. Do some research on how generators work or electromagnetism to learn more. Note 3: It is very challenging to generate enough electricity with the Basic PVC turbine to light a bulb. If you make some really excellent blades, or use our black propeller, and have a large box fan, you might be able to light an LED that requires 1.75 volts. Without gearing, the Basic PVC Turbine will not be able to run water pumps and fuel cells . Note 4: The term ” Nacelle ” is defined in the “Building the Rotor & Hub” section below.

Tools:

To build this turbine, you’ll need at minimum the following (not included in kit):
• wire strippers
• duct tape
• glue

Next: Constructing Basic PVC Wind Turbine Procedures

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