I found this by accident and thought it might be useful for people DIYing a wind or turbine system.
The A/C condenser fan on my house went out and I had to get an A/C guy to replace it under warranty. It turns out that these newer fan motors, called ECM motors, are notorious for failing. What fails is the ECM module and the motor itself is fine, but because it is not considered a serviceable part, the entire fan motor assembly is replaced under warranty and the bad one is trashed.
So I thought maybe I could fix mine and have it as a spare. Easier said than done, but it turns out that the motor is actually a 3 phase alternator. It has a permanent magnet rotor so there are only 3 wires coming off of it.
I asked what the A/C guy did with the bad ones and he said he tossed them in the trash. So anybody that wants one, and can talk an A/C guy into giving up his trash, they can have a working 3 phase alternator for free.
In my experiments, I ripped out the ECM junk and got directly on the three stator wires coming from the motor. Across two legs, I was able to get 100W by spinning it with my drill. There are three legs so 300W should be possible.
To make it work, some type of regulator will be necessary. Motorcycles use that type of regulator, but the voltage will be 12V if that is OK. I was able to power a 120V 100W incandescent light bulb with a single leg pair so the voltage can get up there if you aren't careful. I saw it go past 200V unloaded.
So I can't say if this will last or be a good idea, but anyone wanting to play with it can do so. You can't beat the price.
The A/C condenser fan on my house went out and I had to get an A/C guy to replace it under warranty. It turns out that these newer fan motors, called ECM motors, are notorious for failing. What fails is the ECM module and the motor itself is fine, but because it is not considered a serviceable part, the entire fan motor assembly is replaced under warranty and the bad one is trashed.
So I thought maybe I could fix mine and have it as a spare. Easier said than done, but it turns out that the motor is actually a 3 phase alternator. It has a permanent magnet rotor so there are only 3 wires coming off of it.
I asked what the A/C guy did with the bad ones and he said he tossed them in the trash. So anybody that wants one, and can talk an A/C guy into giving up his trash, they can have a working 3 phase alternator for free.
In my experiments, I ripped out the ECM junk and got directly on the three stator wires coming from the motor. Across two legs, I was able to get 100W by spinning it with my drill. There are three legs so 300W should be possible.
To make it work, some type of regulator will be necessary. Motorcycles use that type of regulator, but the voltage will be 12V if that is OK. I was able to power a 120V 100W incandescent light bulb with a single leg pair so the voltage can get up there if you aren't careful. I saw it go past 200V unloaded.
So I can't say if this will last or be a good idea, but anyone wanting to play with it can do so. You can't beat the price.
