Air X wind turbine

[Robthebrit]

I picked on these up: http://www.windenergy.com/air_x.htm.

I have yet to install it because it requires some fabrication, I am hoping to use it instead of a generator. The specs say it rated for 400W in ideal conditions but if it only generates half of that its more than I need, even at night with all the lights, the TV and the laptop I use nowhere near that amount. With this, 200W of solar and 1050 amp hours of battery my offgrid time without starting the engine is pretty much indefinate. It only weighs 13 pounds - its mounting hardware will weigh more.

I plan to install it on an extending pole on the back of the mog - the end result will be something like the RV mount shown on the website but fitted. For those that have seen the mog this will make sense. I have that metal rack on the back which holds the external box and the spare. The bars holding the rack go from top to bottom of the camper, I plan to install an extension tube inside the tubes of that rack. The tube will have a few holes which bolts go through to lock it in position, both in and extended. With the pole at full extension and the turbine on the end it will be about 22 feet in the air. The extension pole will be able to extend to multiple heights to account for tight spaces.

With me sleeping at the front and it being 10 feet above the camper at the back it shoudn't be too noisey but I'll still be able to hear it. The turbine is noisey because it spins really fast. Martyn from AT suggested a kill switch to disconnect it when you don't need it which is not a bad idea although the latest controller has a brake system to stop it rotating - kind of important when you need to pack up! When its spinning fast those blades will take your fingers off.

The blades do come off for storing which makes it pretty small but taking them off and putting them on is a bit of a pain in the ***. I am hoping to find somewhere to store it with the blades on but its 4 feet across.

I hope to have it ready for the DV trip in the new year.

Pics to follow.

Rob

EDIT: I forgot to say, I got it from these folks http://home.altenergystore.com for $538 for the land version. The marine version is more expensive at nearly $700 and the industrial vesion is $1000. The marine version is salt spray safe, other than that its exactly the same as the land version. The industrial version is very different and needs a charge controller.

[Green Ganesha]

Extremely cool, Rob! I'm very curious to see how it works out.

[ntsqd]

How many watts at the Mog's cruise speed?
;)

[Robthebrit]

It would be cool to leave out while driving...

[ntsqd]

For some reason I'm reminded of some friends with property in Silt, CO. They took a chemie outhouse up there early in their ownership. Was a hideous green, so it got camo'd (too well I might add - hard to find in the daylight). Some yahoo stuck a old tv antenna on it and off it went to CO on a flatbed trailer.

They got a LOT of strange looks on that trip.

Why can't it stay up? Does it have a max wind speed rating?

[chet]

I am interested in how it works. I have heard mixed reviews. We have a cabin with no power to it and I havea small solar system on it. we get lake wind almost every day. I have heard they require a high wind speed to start making power.

[spencyg]

I have the 400W Air-X marine version going into my van in the coming months. How are you planning to store the unit when underway? My blade diameter is 48" I believe, and that is going to take up a huge amount of space in the roof basket if left assembled. I've contemplated machining up a new blade hub which allows quick removal of the blades, but at this point I have more important project to attend to with the new vehicle. I don't have solar panels (they are still too expensive for the *actual* output in my opinion) so this will be my primary stationary charging system. I'll be adding that above mentioned stop switch in my system. All it does is short the windings and locks up the rotor. Its absolutely necessary when deploying and retrieving the power head, as those blades will do some serious damage to carbon life forms if left to flail about. I've been wondering when this topic would show up on the forums. I'd done searches before on "wind generators" etc, and it appears this still is a fairly new application. Will you be dumping power into just the house battery(ies), or into the whole 12V system?

Spence

[Brian McVickers]

I had the same unit on my sailboat, although it was a few years older.
They begin working in as little as 5-8 kts of wind, start humming around 12-15 kts and crank out tons of power around 20kts!

If you have it up in high winds, 40kts+ it is a good idea to turn on the brake so that it will not rotate.

[teotwaki]

I am interested in how it works. I have heard mixed reviews. We have a cabin with no power to it and I havea small solar system on it. we get lake wind almost every day. I have heard they require a high wind speed to start making power.

The manuals are at the location that Rob provided the link for.

AIR-X manual page 30 has a nice graph:

7MPH start up speed maybe 10 to 15 Watts (about an amp of current)

28MPH yields 400Watts

max wind speed is 110 MPH

[Robthebrit]

For some reason I'm reminded of some friends with property in Silt, CO. They took a chemie outhouse up there early in their ownership. Was a hideous green, so it got camo'd (too well I might add - hard to find in the daylight). Some yahoo stuck a old tv antenna on it and off it went to CO on a flatbed trailer.

They got a LOT of strange looks on that trip.

Why can't it stay up? Does it have a max wind speed rating?

I don't want to leave it out when driving because its huge, its 4 feet across and on a pole 11 feet above the truck!! Its max wind speed is 110 mph.

I do not plan on storing it as a unit, I plan on taking the blades off when driving and put the whole thing in the zages case on the roof rack. It only takes a minute or so to get the blades on and off, its just 6 bolts at 10 ft/lbs. It takes longer to get the hub cover off so I'll probably stop using it as it serves no purpose. A quick release hub would be brilliant but you would still have a 4 foot disk to store.

I searched all over the truck for a place to store the entire turbine in one piece but its not going to happen. The roof is the only realistic place to keep it and it will cover the solar panels and the roof hatch. On the roof it is also likely to get damaged because my roof is already quite high.

At the moment I am treating it as an experiment and I am not 100% what will become of it. This is what I know, I plan on putting the kill switch inside, I plan on a permanent connection to the batteries prior to the ammeter so I can see what sort of current its putting out. The wiring will end at some type of high current quick connector on the outside roof. I hope setup will be as easy as fit the blades to the turbine, raise the mast, fit the unit to the mast and connect the wires.

I'll keep you all posted.

Rob

[FourByLand]

Are the solar panels not enough?

[teotwaki]

Are the solar panels not enough?

I would guess that there are a few reasons why supplemental wind generation would be advantageous. Cloudy days, actively moving the panels to generate enough watts, etc.

in my own setup my one solar panel should be enough to properly charge my second battery IF there were no clouds and the angle of the panel was actively adjusted to maximize the output watts. One way to overcome such factors is to have more panels but that is not really practical for me to carry more than the one 54W panel

[FourByLand]

I just wanted to know what his rationale was... they are huge panels placed on top of his mog and it seems like they would get plenty of charging time, just curious.

Which solar sheet are you using Teotwaki?

[Robthebrit]

The panels are good and they are 150W each but you never get the rated power because of the volt drop in the converter, dirt on the panels, none ideal lighting and temperature etc. The max I have ever got is about 12 amps at 14.4v which is about 170W. A more realistic charge is more like 8-9 amps ( around 120W) and thats only during good light, in shade or shadow that figure drops rapidly. The panels are on the flat root and point straight up and I get pretty low power output until the sun is high in the sky.

8 amps is not enough to run the truck and put back what I used during the night especially if both fridges are going. I did consider adding a new panel to the hatch on the roof so I could angle it towards the sun but I figured a seperate independent system would be better. The turbine was about half the price of the solar upgrade and generates lots more power. I ultimaltey decided on the turbine because it works in the night and there is typically wind in situations where solar is not practical - rain, snow, dust, night etc.

I may be completely wrong, like I said its an experiment, we'll have to see how it works out but I don't see any downsides.

Rob

[spencyg]

A quick release hub would be brilliant but you would still have a 4 foot disk to store.
Rob

I'm actually considering quick release blades instead of the actual hub. I don't think it would be very difficult to pull off, and I've got a full machine shop, so the turn-around between a design and prototype is just a few hours. I think the small bolts which hold on the blades (and the hub into which they thread) won't have much longevity if constantly being tightened and loosened. I agree on the "spinner" cone which acts to streamline the blade hub....no function whatsoever.

Spence

[ntsqd]

Think it's just cosmetic? I'd expect there to be some turbulence there, and turbulence anywhere would effect ultimate efficiency.
It had some reason that an accountant signed off on it's cost of mfg.

[spencyg]

The disturbance in airflow would be at the center of the rotating assembly....even if the first 2 or 3 inches of rotor mass was compromised, I doubt it would effect performance by an appreciable amount. I have a feeling it was included for aesthetic reasons more than anything. "Pretty" sells. If I loose 10 watts of potential output by having blades which remove with the twist of a hub connection, I'm not going to loose sleep.

Spence

[Robthebrit]

Think it's just cosmetic? I'd expect there to be some turbulence there, and turbulence anywhere would effect ultimate efficiency.
It had some reason that an accountant signed off on it's cost of mfg.

The manual says you don't need the hub cover, its for only for cosmetics. I'm just following what it says.

Rob

[ntsqd]

:d

[Martyn]

The panels are good and they are 150W each but you never get the rated power because of the volt drop in the converter, dirt on the panels, none ideal lighting and temperature etc. The max I have ever got is about 12 amps at 14.4v which is about 170W. A more realistic charge is more like 8-9 amps ( around 120W) and thats only during good light, in shade or shadow that figure drops rapidly. The panels are on the flat root and point straight up and I get pretty low power output until the sun is high in the sky.

8 amps is not enough to run the truck and put back what I used during the night especially if both fridges are going. I did consider adding a new panel to the hatch on the roof so I could angle it towards the sun but I figured a seperate independent system would be better. The turbine was about half the price of the solar upgrade and generates lots more power. I ultimaltey decided on the turbine because it works in the night and there is typically wind in situations where solar is not practical - rain, snow, dust, night etc.

I may be completely wrong, like I said its an experiment, we'll have to see how it works out but I don't see any downsides.

Rob

Rob

Keep me posted on how things work out. As you know I spent a long time with the manufacturer trying to package this product for the Overland community and although they were very accommodating in the end they didn't move ahead in that direction.

Turbines are fascinating as power generators. Right now I'm concentrating my efforts on some small blade generators that can spin as the vehicle is driven. I really don't know if this is a pipe dream or not but it's an interesting project.

[Robthebrit]

Martyn, will do. Maybe I'll take a trip out to you guys when its all working.

Is it worth running them as the vehcile is driven? A fast spinning prop blade is like a solid disk when it comes drag. Anybody who as flown a prop plane will be able to tell you how much drag they can create. Overall I think a bigger alternator would be more efficient.

Rob

[Martyn]

Martyn, will do. Maybe I'll take a trip out to you guys when its all working.

Is it worth running them as the vehcile is driven? A fast spinning prop blade is like a solid disk when it comes drag. Anybody who as flown a prop plane will be able to tell you how much drag they can create. Overall I think a bigger alternator would be more efficient.

Rob

Rob

I was think along the lines of having the blades running horizontally when driving (as in flat on the roof), and then having the ability to tilt the blades up to vertical when camped.

That way the drag would be reduced when driving, but because of the additional speed the maximum power from the turbine would be close to 100%.

When camped and the wind speeds were lower drag would not be a factor so the blades could be in a more traditional arrangement.

This company uses a similar system http://www.appropriateenergy.com/patented.htm

[Grim Reaper]

Rob

I was think along the lines of having the blades running horizontally when driving (as in flat on the roof), and then having the ability to tilt the blades up to vertical when camped.

That way the drag would be reduced when driving, but because of the additional speed the maximum power from the turbine would be close to 100%.

When camped and the wind speeds were lower drag would not be a factor so the blades could be in a more traditional arrangement.

This company uses a similar system http://www.appropriateenergy.com/patented.htm
Mounted on a trailer that makes perfect sense to be able to charger the trailer's house battery without the tow vehicle providing power. Would lower the need for upgrades (larger alternator to handle more batteries) on the tow vehicle.

[Grim Reaper]

Hmmmmmmm just how hard would it be to build one?

Seriously a junkyard alternator with built in regulator. Couple pulleys a Bearing assembly for the blades. Wouldn't be as slick as the air x but it is possible on the cheap.

[spencyg]

I'm going to be developing some prototype quick disconnect blade hubs in the coming weeks. Rob as agreed to put one of the prototypes through the paces, and pending his results, they will most likely become available for those who want to utilize the wind to power their campsites. More the come.

Spence

[Martyn]

Mounted on a trailer that makes perfect sense to be able to charger the trailer's house battery without the tow vehicle providing power. Would lower the need for upgrades (larger alternator to handle more batteries) on the tow vehicle.

How about taking an other step forward and have the trailer power the vehicle? Have a look at these wheel mounted electric motors http://www.worldcarfans.com/2060724.006/pml-builds-640hp-electric-mini

No drive train to reduce the efficiency. The possibility of going from 2X4 to 4x4 with the flick of a switch.

Use the trailer to power the vehicle on extended trips.

[Grim Reaper]

How about taking an other step forward and have the trailer power the vehicle? Have a look at these wheel mounted electric motors http://www.worldcarfans.com/2060724.006/pml-builds-640hp-electric-mini

No drive train to reduce the efficiency. The possibility of going from 2X4 to 4x4 with the flick of a switch.

Use the trailer to power the vehicle on extended trips.

Hehe how the wheel comes round. The first 4wd vehicle ever was a motor at each wheel and designed by Dr. Porsche.


Now I did see a guy mount an alternator on a Diff and drove it off the pinion. He used the truck axle for a trailer axle.

[ntsqd]

I think Dr. Porsche was beat to the punch in the first 4wd. FWD was there in 1908 though not with "hub motors" as they are sometimes known.
http://www.4wdonline.com/FWD/FWD.html
http://www.oramagazine.com/pastissues/0503-issue/050312d-old-iron.html

The pinion shaft drive of an alternator is done on some current racing cars. Can easily see that working to charge trailer batteries, though the added complexity may not be worth it.

[gjackson]

Rob as agreed to put one of the prototypes through the paces

Very cool. I'm quite interested in this, so please post any details and impressions of testing.

cheers

[Grim Reaper]

I think Dr. Porsche was beat to the punch in the first 4wd. FWD was there in 1908 though not with "hub motors" as they are sometimes known.
http://www.4wdonline.com/FWD/FWD.html
http://www.oramagazine.com/pastissues/0503-issue/050312d-old-iron.html

The pinion shaft drive of an alternator is done on some current racing cars. Can easily see that working to charge trailer batteries, though the added complexity may not be worth it.
The first 4wd was Dr Porsche in 1900 and it was electric. The first MECHANICAL drive (diffs and case) was 1902 by Spyker who is still around. http://www.spykercars.com/ http://www.4wdonline.com/ClassicCars/Spyker.html. Then Mercedes in 1903 built some that included 4 wheel steer.
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/who.html
http://www.4wdonline.com/A/History.html

[spencyg]

This is what's in the works at my shop...

[ntsqd]

Looks like SW. :)

If I grasp the design correctly the hand nut holds the outer plate in place, which in turn holds each of the 3 blades in place. The 6 pins are part of the blade roots or part of the base part?

The only thing I'm wondering is thread direction. If the mass of the hand-nut is great enough and a gust of wind is strong enough you could see a loosening effect.

Since you already have mill ops involved in the part, can I suggest something like this bull-nose scalloped part? In my sample part the scalloping reduced the Inertia by 31%

[spencyg]

The pins holding the blades in position will be integral with the base block. The cap on top will fit over the pins and apply the pressure from the hand nut onto the face of the blade mounting flanges. There will be no opportunity for the hand nut to loosen on its own as a result of blade forces because the top plate will be locked with the pins coming up from below. The hand knob may end up being a sand cast part, so the initial blank could be dished as you show with little effort. Needless to say, I don't plan on making a lot of these, or I wouldn't be sharing the design. If somebody took the drawing and made their own, more power to 'em :)

Spence

[Green Ganesha]

I'm going to be developing some prototype quick disconnect blade hubs in the coming weeks. Rob as agreed to put one of the prototypes through the paces, and pending his results, they will most likely become available for those who want to utilize the wind to power their campsites. More the come.

Spence

Any news on this?

[JIMBO]

:26_7_2: I've just received, the WindEnergy "AIR X" 400 WATT AIR TURBINE

--I plan on using it at home and for extended periods of camping, I already have a 60 watt solar panel/controller that satisfies my battery/cooler camping needs now

I just obtained the wind turbine-because !!

--The new AIR X, has the alternater/controller/hi speed KILL circuits already contained internally, a kill switch is recommended, but you have to be careful with the hookup because of SHORTING + to -

The new AIR X, wil generate 2.9 amps at a 12mph wind speed and a full 400 watts at a wind speed of 28 mph

I don't doubt the quality of a quick release hub, but I'm afraid I wouldn't trust that method, of attaching a possible DEADLY HIGH SPIN WHIRLYBIRD (think helicopter) to it's turbine !!

If there's any interest, I'll show a small summary of my modifications after assembly

I live in California and there is NO WAY TO legally OPERATE A WINDGENERATER ,ON A VEHICLE, ON A PUBLIC HIWAY, so that idea is OUT !!

I figure the setup time, in camp, should be 15/30 minutes---we'll see

:gunt: JIMBO

[kellymoe]

:26_7_2: I've just received, the WindEnergy "AIR X" 400 WATT AIR TURBINE

--I plan on using it at home and for extended periods of camping, I already have a 60 watt solar panel/controller that satisfies my battery/cooler camping needs now

I just obtained the wind turbine-because !!

--The new AIR X, has the alternater/controller/hi speed KILL circuits already contained internally, a kill switch is recommended, but you have to be careful with the hookup because of SHORTING + to -

The new AIR X, wil generate 2.9 amps at a 12mph wind speed and a full 400 watts at a wind speed of 28 mph

I don't doubt the quality of a quick release hub, but I'm afraid I wouldn't trust that method, of attaching a possible DEADLY HIGH SPIN WHIRLYBIRD (think helicopter) to it's turbine !!

If there's any interest, I'll show a small summary of my modifications after assembly

I live in California and there is NO WAY TO legally OPERATE A WINDGENERATER ,ON A VEHICLE, ON A PUBLIC HIWAY, so that idea is OUT !!

I figure the setup time, in camp, should be 15/30 minutes---we'll see

:gunt: JIMBO

I would really like to see this. Any pictures or links?

[JIMBO]

:chowtime: WOW, what a speedy response

I don't have any pics, yet, but, check out www.windenergy.com for the AIR X model and I got mine from (Northern tool & Equipment) item #339981 for $599.99 and I just got it FEDEX, yesterday-extremely well packed and protected, instruction manuals in English and FRENCH !!

I won't have it functional, for my next camping trip, but I will soon, anyway

As I said my 60 watt solar, is sufficient for my camping/trailer and I just wanted bto experiment for night power

My solar is wired (connecters) to my trailer battery with a DC POWER Sw. to control the Cooler/load and I'll add this wind generater into the FAILSAFE circuits, soon, with a readily-quick-erect pole base

:gunt: JIMBO

[Colorado Ron]

Any updates?

[kellymoe]

Any updates?

X2!

[Carlyle]

Looks like were all ready for a write up!

[spencyg]

Life is in a but if upheval right now due to relocation and new employment. I'm still trying to get my shop moved to our new location. Once all of this happens and I get Boomer back "home", I plan on hitting many of these dangling projects, not the least of which includes the quick disconnect hub for the AirX and a folding mast system which will be incorporated into the roof rack. I haven't forgotten or given up....just been waylay'd by life. Best of luck to those who are following similar paths of research and development.

Spence

[adventureduo]

Any updates guys?

[jkam]

I saw a blurb on Engadget about a cool design for a small wind generator.

http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/BLUE/PAGES/BLUE.html

http://http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/BLUE/IMAGES/wind954c.jpg
http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/BLUE/IMAGES/wind954c.jpg
http://http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/BLUE/IMAGES/wind954c.jpg

[Every Miles A Memory]

Great thread you guys got going here.

I've been doing hours and hours of research on the various wind turbines available for RV type mounts.

We plan on buying one of the Air-X turbines to supplement our 3 100watt AM Solar panels that already do a outstanding job of keeping out 4 AMG 6-volt batteries charged.

What has held me back from getting one of the Air-x's is the mounting situation. The only mount other than a custom made unit is the one they show on the website. That sucker is more expensive than the turbine itself!:Wow1: Something like $800!!

Been talking with a good friend who suggested I buy one of the folding, Telescoping flag poles that is made for big flags used while tailgating. That model is only $150, so it would be much easier on the wallet

I've talked with a few fabricators about fabbing something up to mount it on that would be tied into the camper frame and fold down on the roof of our trailer.

What I'd love to see are some pictures of the mounts you guys that already have the Turbine are using to mount it while stable.

If anyone has any pictures, could you please post them, and once I get mine, I'll make sure to do the same.

[jkam]

Buddy sent me this one built for the sailboat people.

http://www.kissenergy.com/

[Robthebrit]

Great thread you guys got going here.

I've been doing hours and hours of research on the various wind turbines available for RV type mounts.

We plan on buying one of the Air-X turbines to supplement our 3 100watt AM Solar panels that already do a outstanding job of keeping out 4 AMG 6-volt batteries charged.

What has held me back from getting one of the Air-x's is the mounting situation. The only mount other than a custom made unit is the one they show on the website. That sucker is more expensive than the turbine itself!:Wow1: Something like $800!!

Been talking with a good friend who suggested I buy one of the folding, Telescoping flag poles that is made for big flags used while tailgating. That model is only $150, so it would be much easier on the wallet

I've talked with a few fabricators about fabbing something up to mount it on that would be tied into the camper frame and fold down on the roof of our trailer.

What I'd love to see are some pictures of the mounts you guys that already have the Turbine are using to mount it while stable.

If anyone has any pictures, could you please post them, and once I get mine, I'll make sure to do the same.


I'll take some pics late, my camper mog has a metal frame on the back which holds the spare tire. I have an extension tube that fits to the top of that frame and the turbine mounts to that. The tube stores flat when is not in use.

The air-x makes a hell of a noise when the wind really gets going so you want to mount it as far from the sleeping compartment as possible.

Rob

[Every Miles A Memory]

Hey Rob, like you we have our bedroom in the front of the RV.

I've been looking at isolating the mounting pole from the frame with some thick rubber, like in the link that jkam provided for the other turbine.

We stayed a few weeks on a sailboat that had a Air-X and I'm fully aware of the noise that thing can make.

Honestly I think I sort of like the whirl it gives off, and much prefer it to a generator or any motor running. I love to hear Mother Nature making us electricity!! Although the sound of our solar panels is even nicer...LOL

[Green Ganesha]

I've finally gotten around to mounting my Air-X turbine to the Campa trailer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3524987444_dfc21fbd8f_b.jpg

I'm using a sectional aluminum mast from http://www.tmastco.com/main/page_products_mast_sections.html. (In the photo above, I've only deployed half of the 40-foot mast.)

As for noise, the turbine spins fairly silently, with a not-unpleasant whir. The real noise comes from when the over-speed lockout kicks in. In my one use, this happened much more frequently than I'd expect. I need to investigate whether the wind was heavier than I realized, or weather the turbine is locking out prematurely.

The mast comes with a base that anchors to the ground. I've added a bracket to the trailer:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/3528535095_a46f713f82_o.jpg

The cabling descends through the mast, then attaches to the trailer via a Warn Quick Connect/Anderson Powerpole.

So far, I'm very pleased.

[spencyg]

That looks fantastic! Do you have the power cables running through an Ammeter to monitor output? Very cool.

[kellymoe]

Very cool Trevor. I'm heading up to the springs at the end of the month, cant wait.

[adventureduo]

Awesome, thanks for posting one finally in use. Been waiting a while to see. Was it windy your first time out? Did you get enough power out of it? Oh yeah, thanks for my new wallpaper :D

[biglos454]

very cool man. gives me something to think about.

[Cody1771]

thats one impressive setup. how long does it take for you to set up camp? looks like theres more stuff there than i own all together :P

[Green Ganesha]

Very cool Trevor. I'm heading up to the springs at the end of the month, cant wait.

I'll just miss you. I'll be there this weekend, probably Saturday-Tuesday. Should be scorching hot. I'm setting up campsite patio misters to try beating the heat.

[Green Ganesha]

thats one impressive setup. how long does it take for you to set up camp? looks like theres more stuff there than i own all together :P

Thanks! I set up more, the longer I'm staying. That camp was for a weeklong trip, so it was worth deploying all the gear. But the upper portion of the tent is just a five-minute setup, so that's all I absolutely need to go from driving to sleeping.

[Green Ganesha]

Awesome, thanks for posting one finally in use. Been waiting a while to see. Was it windy your first time out? Did you get enough power out of it? Oh yeah, thanks for my new wallpaper :D

Thanks. I didn't clock the wind speed, but it was definitely more than a light breeze. It's rated at 400W max, but all I tested was the voltage.

[Green Ganesha]

That looks fantastic! Do you have the power cables running through an Ammeter to monitor output? Very cool.

Thanks! I had a problem with the connection to my battery, so the turbine was running with no load. Next time out, I'll be able to test current and calculate power output.

[kellymoe]

I'll just miss you. I'll be there this weekend, probably Saturday-Tuesday. Should be scorching hot. I'm setting up campsite patio misters to try beating the heat.

Too bad, it would be fun to meet up out there sometime. I'm planning on heat too. Last August was opresive but still a fun trip with my dad. We explored the canyons accross the valley during the day, hung out at the springs in the afternoon and then drove up to the top of the North Pass for the night. I usualy stay at the palm spring, I turn the source valve off as soon as I get there and let it start cooling off, by morning it's very cool and a pleasure to soak in during the heat of the day.
Your mister idea sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that.

[Green Ganesha]

Too bad, it would be fun to meet up out there sometime. I'm planning on heat too. Last August was opresive but still a fun trip with my dad. We explored the canyons accross the valley during the day, hung out at the springs in the afternoon and then drove up to the top of the North Pass for the night. I usualy stay at the palm spring, I turn the source valve off as soon as I get there and let it start cooling off, by morning it's very cool and a pleasure to soak in during the heat of the day.
Your mister idea sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that.

Yep, too bad, but our paths will cross in Saline Valley again I'm sure.

Just west of the Wizard Pool, on the south side of the road, is my traditional spot.

The misters connect to my trailer's shower outlet, via a standard garden-hose fitting. A compressor pressurizes the air over two 22-gallon tanks. I haven't fully tested the setup, so we'll see how it works this trip. They're fairly low-flow, so hopefully the compressor won't be cycling on-and-off too frequently.