NON PURCHASE OF FUTURE ENERGY ALTERNATOR

Hi everyone @ gotwind, just to let you guys know and all the other members on this forum that are contemplating on buying the future energy alternator, to be aware that fellow gotwind member donnie, has already gonne through 3 sets off bearings, and the customer service that he received from future energy leaves alot to be desired, he still reckons that its a good alternator, but the bearings are just not up to the job, specially if you like me and donnie were thinking of making your own blade set.
so the search for the "perfect" alternator/generator continues.BUGGER
cheerio
super windy

Just remember that he is on a very windy site right at the north of scotland with winds all around .. Id suspect that theyd last longer in a typical urban environment.

I was going to suggest one of the Chinese Ginlong alternators, but they look like they use the ball bearings aswell,and you would have to import
http://www.ginlong.com/wind-turbine-pmg-pma-permanent-magnet-generator-alternator.htm

The only other option I can think of is this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Permanent-Magnet-Generator-1100W-Wind-Turbine-Hydro-Bio_W0QQitemZ250240775721QQihZ015QQcategoryZ41981QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Fungus tried a similar stepper motor type from the same people, but this one is considerably better I believe.

Ben.

Ben - theyre pretty much exactly the same (the one you linked to vs. the one I got) and I can confirm that they too have ball bearings .. but theyre not necessarily bad imho as long as there isnt too much thrust load on them .. if youre concerned its always possible to add an external thrust bearing.

Well done Super Windy for naming and shaming, I know Donnie has had bearing "issues" too and I heartily agree with doing this if their product or customer service is poor!
I think anyone with one of these devices should contact a bearing supplier and seek their advice as there are some better quality bearings than others, also load and speed ratings, better quality seals and it may be possible to fit angular contact or similar type of bearings to avoid having to fit a seperate thrust device.
Hef
PS, just noticed now that the Ginlong uses good quality Brand bearings, but they are C3 type (C3 clearance just means that the bearing has slightly more than standard internal clearance, usually for applications where the bearing would run hot) and may not be the ideal type for this application.

Id be tempted to try some modifications with the chinese 200w turbine.

Ive just acquired one of the 500w versions, the alternators are good and heavy, rugged and more importantly cheap, with no cogging surprisingly.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/200-Watt-Wind-Turbine-Generator-12Volt-applications_W0QQitemZ290224405488QQihZ019QQcategoryZ294QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The blades are notoriously poor and noisy, a modification would be in this area e.g a set of more quiet wooden blades of same diameter.

Best bang for your buck I suspect and you get all the other bits in the price, boom, tail, pole e.t.c



Ben.

Ben - Id just modify the existing blades .. http://thebackshed.com/Windmill/articles/ChineseBlades.asp

Hi all,

For those of you that arent aware, Im the gotwinder that arranged the initial deal with Futurenergy in early January this year and that included Donnies unit.

Yes Donnie does get MASSIVE winds up where he is so cannot really be seen as a typical user. I would certainly prefer that the units had some find of thrust bearing in them, but as long as the furling mechanism works and moves the unit out of the wind AT THE RIGHT WIND LEVEL then that SHOULD protect the unit from damage.

Without checking the stats on the different voltage versions, I think the 24v version reaches it max current output at only around 500rpm, so doesnt need gale force winds to get a decent output. If your unit is not furling at this rpm then youre running the risk that the unit could sustain damage to its bearings and may even burn out.

Being vaiguely mechanically sympathetic, personally I wouldnt run any mechanical device at its maximum rating, so with the Futurenergy units Id be having mine furl out of the wind at around 75 to 80% of its maximum rating.

Id also like to see Futurenergy given a right of reply to put their side on the forum rather than having their prouct dissed on the basis of one user who gets 70mph winds.

Hefhoover also makes a good point about bearing quality. Donnies first bearing wore out vertually immediately so it may have been a dodgy bearing in the first place. As Donnie is off grid he needed the turbine back up and running without any delay so had to source replacement bearings locally and press them in himself. I think (but Im not sure) Futurenergy were going to send him a replacement set in the post. Donnie - I hope I have got this right?

I was wondering if the bladeset on a Futurenergy unit would benefit from a nose on it to sweep the wind around the central flat surface of the unit, or even be better suited to a downwind setup.

There is a chap over in Northern Ireland - I think he goes by the name of "Hilltop Grange" and Ive read some of his contributions on another wind website forum. Anyway this chap uses Futurenergy PMGs and has one on the top of a very tall tower. If anyone is in contact with this chap perhaps he would give his view on the units from his own experience with them.

Thank you for reading

Cheers

Del.

Hi Fellow Windies.
Well yes im on my 3rd set of bearings in this PMG but my gripe was when the first went they did NOT keep bearings in stock that was in my posting back then, as of yet i have had no bearings from them Del, but to hell with them i buy SKF bearings the same size for my seed drill, so spares where not an issue, more a lack of them keeping bearings, but we are swinging home made blades on skate board size bearings, i sold one of my chinese units to a friend after 2 years service, and the BIG bearings where as new, and thats in a 200w unit, which by the way is not much more than a futureenergy unit, (and its a complete ready to use out of the box) geeeezzzzz i thought i was buying the rolls royce of PMGs and would be trouble free for years.
The last time i had it down i noticed all the white enamel paint bubbling with the salt air i guess, once again the chinese unit scores better with having a plastic shroud, over to top of the unit. As for fitting bigger bearings there is no room in the houseing to machine it out for a bigger cased bearing oh believe you me i looked ....lol.

My last correspondence with futurenergy i emailed to ask if they had a secondhand or shop soiled set of blades that i would try these i was prepared to buy, only to recieve a reply that they had nothing nor would they have, just a price for a set of new blades, and listen ....they are balanced to within 1 gram, but reading there website its is the user responsibility to balance.!!!!! Well i have done static balancing tests on my blades and they are fine, i even spun the complete unit up on my wood lathe with swivel headstock, and at 800rpm apart from blowing anything that was not fastened down into the air they appear fine, with no shaking or flexing, (a scarey job) but i least i tried my blade set to test for any imbalance. and all is well with them.

I have watched and studied my furling system in a gale and after some adjustments it too works to within expectations, it starts to furl just a wee bit later than my chinese unit, but in full force of the gale its fully furled.
I can only express my own problems wether they be unique or the fact they are just not up to the job as stated, well certainly not for up here.
To overcome my problems, i have just bought my 3rd chinese unit, imbalanced and noisy they are great, and besides its just a days job to re-work the blades as i have done in the past, just keep the welder handy for any fatigue cracks in the mast and tail fin, but i think 2 yrs hard work with no troubles and for the £230.00 delivered (as then) is cheap reliable generation.

But futurenergy are attending an exhibition in aberdeen, just 200 miles away, well guys ill be there with my pmg over my shoulder and a bag of knackered bearings, and ill be putting my case forward to them.


regards Donnie.

just keep her spinning..

Nice one Donnie.

I think you have the 12v unit dont you?

Ive just checked the stats for that unit and its at maximum output (46 Amps) at 380 rpm, which when using the Futurenergy blades is 31.5mph (14m/s). Your unit should therefore be furled out of the wind at this speed to protect itself from damage. I would think your Chinese unit would be happy at spinning at slightly higher windspeeds than this so you may want to adjust the weight of your Futurenergy tail lighten it) so it furls earlier.

Cheers

Del.