windmill

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rious

etc.

iner

=BDI've known

ld

A good friend of mine graduated with an MSEE and is simply terrified to replace a wall outlet. I thought has going to pass out when I decided to troubleshoot his swimming pool light with the power on!

He too took the software-engineer route. I guess like everything else, if you don't use it often enough, you lose a certain competency and comfort level.

-mpm

I keep reading how the current-generation (Gen O, for "Obama") kids are "tech savvy", which means they know how to text and use an iPod. I bet they are mostly scared to replace a wall outlet, too.

I wire most everything hot. Saves time.

John

:-)

The very first actual EE course I took was over one summer (squishing 12 weeks into 8 -- it really made it more enjoyable, believe it or not), where among other things we learned... how to build up 4-way switches. I'm a little embarassed to say that prior to that class I'd never really thought about it nor was it obvious to me or anyone else in the class -- in the 10 seconds we were given to think about it -- that a crossover circuit is needed in such cases.

Better than abysmal.

There are a number of ways to generate electricity with a windmill, for example a bicycle dynamo, or you could mount a motor on it and run it backwards. Can you give us some idea of what resources you have. For example, can you get your hands on an electric motor? If so, what kind? Normally you put current into a motor and it turns. But if you turn it, with your windmill, it generates a bit of current. This is an interesting example of how many physical processes can be made to go backwards, which is an important scientific principle. (Like you can make ice melt... and then re-freeze the water.)

There are windmills where the blades turn like a classic windmill from Holland, and others where the blades spin horizontally. If all you are trying to do is demonstrate the principle, make whichever type is easiest. People who build windmills professionally need to worry about the "best" design for a given application but you are presumably just trying to demonstrate the principle..?

I suspect the tricky part of the project will be getting the windmill to actually turn the electricity-generating thingy. You could perhaps ask for advice at a local model shop, if you have one.

And our survey says "Nothing much here to be learned about windmills, or anything else."

Its not our fault that you refuse to learn.

--

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