Roto Luminescent Head Augmentation

Every one loves electricity but the best electricity is the electric we make ourselves. This instructable combines wind power, sensible head wear and frivolous fashion. I can first remember seeing people with propellers on their heads in Garry Larson cartoons i always thought it was a strong look but didn't really know what i was all about. Turns out the propellor beanie was invented in cadillac Michigan in 1947 and was an accessory worn by sci-fi fans. The term propellor-head has come to mean technophile or early adopter of new technology. For more info on the propellor beanie see here https://todayinsci.com/Events/Patent/UltimatePropellerHead.htm.

This instructable is for enthusiasts of renewable energy and the head gear has been optimized for operation in the often wet and windy west of Ireland particularly during dark winter evenings this project borrows technology from campaign for real events stepper motor twirly thing see here https://www.crealevents.uk/diy-info this site is a great resource for energy makers

The generator in this project is a stepper motor harvested from an old printer scanner i found this printer in a bin and stripped it for parts stepper motors are brushless dc motors and work with a motor driver that supplies timed pulses to give very accurate movement. They are found in printers scanners CD-ROMs and the like.

i made my hat from EPDM pond liner of cuts this material is also used as a roofing membrane so if you were looking for off cuts a roofer might be a good person to ask tractor inner tubes may also work and could be easier to find.

will also need low current leds,1 cd, 3 yogurt pots/ plastic cups, contact adhesive, sealant, some wire aluminum off cut 3-4mm thick, soldering iron, drill and drill bits, hacksaw, tinsnips, scissors, marker. chalk, scriber, ruler, printer

use the pdf pattern to cut all pieces of the hat 4 top segments and 2 rim pieces as the rim pieces are to long to fit on 1 a4 page they have been drawn in two pieces and can be joined together.

Mark out the pattern on the material and then add 10mm every where there will be a seam the only place there wont be a seam is the outer edge of the rim.

Paint both sides of the rubber with adhesive and allow to be come tacky before sticking them together as you have allowed 10mm extra for seams on both parts the width of your seams will be 20mm if yo concentrate on keeping your seams 20mm wide your hat will turn out the right shape don't apply adhesive to more than one same at a time or thing will get messy. Start with the top part then check the fit before adding the rim

I disassembled my printer with a large hammer this is fast but it takes a long time to pick up all the pieces of plastic that get strewn about it may be faster to dismantle the printer in a more methodical manner but perhaps not as much fun. I also got a lot of ink on my hands be careful with laser printers as the toner is extra messy don't disassemble a printer on your mums good carpet.

Once you have removed the outer cover of the printer identify the motors my printer contained 3 stepper motors and 2 brushed dc motors dc motors have only 2 wires stepper motors have 4,5,6 or 8 wires. the motor i used came out of the scanner part of the printer. When removing the motor try to leave as much wire as possible attached.

Figure out how to attach motor to hat i like to use a aluminum plate about 4mm thick. Drill a hole slightly under sized hole in the a piece off scrap first and test for tight fit on the motor cog or shaft

once you have found the right size of hole make a plate about 50x50mm square mark the diagonals to find the center and drill a hole to accept the cog.

I made a rotor using a old cd and some yogurt pots draw a centerline in the cd. If you mark six equi-spaced points on the circumference the distance in between them in a straight line will be equal to the radius of the cd. Now scribe 2 more centerlines on the cd. You will now have 6 segments 60 degrees apart. At this point decide how to attach the stepper motor to the CD this will normally be done with bolts or screws but it will depend on your motor mark the motor position and drill holes don't fit the motor till after the sails are fitted

I found 3 yogurt pots in in a recycling bin but i could have used other similar pots or tubs if they were available cut the tubs in half and obscure any branding with spray paint. The cut the 3 pots in half and stick the 6 resulting sails to the cd with contact adhesive.

Use a meter to identify the windings of your motor connect 2 leds to each winding the leds should be wired in parallel but opposite polarity so each led lights at different points of the ac wave my 4 wire motor was wired as shown in the diagram it is a nema 14 type. For more info on figureing out other types of motor see

https://www.crealevents.uk/diy-info

need pic

attach stepper motor to the rotor tidy up the wires secure in place with a blob or 2 of sealant. Attach motor to the hat and wait for stormy weather.

This type of hat uses a vertical axis rotor the draw back with this type of turbine is the rotor tip speed can never exceed the wind speed. Torque can be increased by increasing the diameter of the rotor but this has the effect of reducing the rpm for a given windspeed to achieve better results it necessary to build a horizontal axis rotoilluminated head augmentation.

the horizontal axis version of this project uses the same motor and wiring but requires a different rotor and stanchion it requires a bit more metal work i have used a different type of hat construction, welded pvc and but the hat pattern is the same. the hat required some extra stiffening parts you could use an old hard hat if you had one

first make an aluminium hub to attach the blades, mark diagonals on a square of aluminium about 2mm thick mark and drill holes to match your motor. drill 4 more holes between the diagonals, cut the corners out with tinsnips or hacksaw, smooth edges with a file.

My blades were made from a large yogurt pot. and stuck to the hub with contact adhesive

i used a m8 bolt as a stanchion and bolted right through the rain hat and a old hard hat or pudding bowl below for rigidity. and domed aluminlium plate on the top

the nacelle was fabricated as shown using 3 washers one with a slot cut in it with a grinder or hack saw when the assembly is tightened it will grip the axle firmly a spacer tube is used between the hat and nacelle.

drill holes in the blades for the leds they should all be positioned at different distance from the center of the rotor as in rotation they will describe an arc as they flash. tidy up the wires with sealant or tape and head for the coast. I tested mine on a big fan it worked with about 15 mph of wind which is much less than the vertical axis rotor, that probably why we se more horizontal axis turbines than vertical