First off, the motor I took out of a treadmill did not really meet the power output requirements of a 12 volt system. It is rated at 130 VDC, and 6750 RPM. I figured I wouldn't get too much from it, but continued on. The first test came with my testing contraption (Figure 1). Basically, I drilled some holes in an old school desk and wedged the frame's square tubing into the holes. The then strapped the desk to the roof of my truck, and drove down the road taking measurements.
Figure 1: Testing contraption mounted on truck
Taking readings while driving proved to be a difficult task. Readings also seemed to be rather variable, it seemed like I was getting a radically different voltage output each time I went a certain speed. I tried my best to record accurate measurements, and created the graph below (Figure 2). The graph shows open voltages (no load). A linear fit would proabably be appropriate for the data however the points were just connected together in the graph.
Figure 2: Graph
Judging from the data, It would take significant wind speed (>20 MPH) to even start charging a 12 volt battery. Granted, the aerodynamics of the truck likely skewed measurements. A real test of the generator has yet to be performed. A friend and I fully erected it yesterday, however wind was not cooperating, to say the least. It was directing itself into the wind just fine, but the wind was too weak to get the blades spinning. More tests will be carried out in the future, as soon as I'm able to put it up on a windy day. Below are a few pictures of the wind generator attached to it's tower. I got the tower from a fire deparment that was throwing it away, and I believe it was used for PA speakers. It works great for my wind turbine and best of all, it was free.
Action Pictures:
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