How hard is it to make a working Hydro Turbine generator? This one probably didn't take more than 40 minutes. The shaft opening is standard pipe thread, this makes it easy to cut a hole in a piece of stock, cut the same pipe threads in the stock and screw the mount on with a short threaded connector. The motor has two studs that stick through the mounting plate. The drive shaft was made out of a threaded piece of stock, one end slips over the automotive DC motor shaft (threaded hole with Allen set screw), the other engages the slot in the plastic turbine wheel. I hooked it to the garden hose and powered a boom box (radio), I then run a 12 volt automotive tail light; not bad for our wimpy water pressure. What is most impressive is the low volume of water it takes to spin the turbine. Maybe a good way to explain this is... turn the garden hose on, and adjust the water down to where you would drink from the hose, this is all the water this turbine needs to produce a low voltage! Something like this would be great for a site with a hundred or more feet of head, even if the Micro Turbine http://www.utterpower.com/micro.htm (1 of 2) [1/24/2004 11:17:47 AM] volume was VERY low, this mini turbine could still keep your batteries charged. George B. Micro Turbine http://www.utterpower.com/micro.htm (2 of 2) [1/24/2004 11:17:47 AM] How to contact me We will become more SOPHISTICATED some day... but for now. To help reduce Spam, the following email address contains XXX's that must be removed before attempting to send same... send email to George B. <<< click on the name If you're emailing me to ask for a price list of all the things I might sell, the shipping weights, warranties and the likes, you're probably attempting to do business with the wrong person. I like to work with people from a needs basis, I don't care if you have no clue where to start, but addressing a need or desire is far more pleasant from my perspective. In addition, don't expect me to try and sell you something, if you don't sell yourself, you won't find me trying to twist your arm, this is my hobby, not my means of making a living. If you send me email and don't think it's important to share you name, it may not make it through my sophisticated Spam filter, don't take it personal, but the software seems to get annoyed with minor omissions like that... You can lie about your name; just pick one and the software won't get offended. If you send an email asking me to call, know that I do not have a good long distance rate and would find it easier to accept your call, ....just ask for a number in your email. I take calls from 0900-2200 PST most days. I'll try and set up email return notification and let you know when I'm in the field, I do spend time off the grid and in the deep weeds, so if your email isn't answered right away, don't think I'm ignoring you. All the best, George B. Contact Me http://www.utterpower.com/contact.htm [1/24/2004 11:17:48 AM] Devoted to Intelligent AE Solutions Alternative energy solutions, with a focus on equipment you can maintain and rebuild yourself! If you can't maintain and repair it with basic tools, we probably won't like it. If you like to 'DIY', you might enjoy our pages. At present, our focus is on building back up power, identifying reliable and cost effective small diesels, continuous duty generator heads and drive systems, and deploying them efficiently. If it can burn Green fuels, we like it even better. We believe in slow RPM, the slower it is, the longer it lasts. We usually have Listeroids and the Mighty Changfa singles in stock. Utterpower is different, we openly share information with our customers and do all we can to support the DIY philosophy. This site will continue to evolve as a resource for DIYers and the products we like. It is our goal to build on resources and provide parts and service. When we find alternative sources, we often post them for our customers, this builds your independence, and your ability to keep running in hard times. If you bought a similar product elsewhere and found they have no clue how it works; or how to repair it, we'll still do what we can to help. Our pages are living documents, they change often as we learn and evolve. We have readers and customers from many countries with years of hands on experience, our younger readers are often professional people who hold engineering positions, our mean audience are folks in their fifties who have a lifetime of knowledge and experience and grew up understanding the value of DIY. We do our best to learn from this incredible resource; and pass on useful information to our readers. Knowledge is power, it is the primary focus of utterpower. An important reminder How to contact me Engines Generator Heads Products Generator Heads, Generator Ends, Homemade generator, DIY Generato..., Asian Diesels, off grid power, custom pulleys, custom sheaves, http://www.utterpower.com/index.html (1 of 4) [1/24/2004 11:17:50 AM] 4 sale pages shipping info Articles Utterpower's Project page People Show Quality Listeroid Generator plants Our off grid Lab Travel Favorite links Wanted ST Generator Heads Custom designed for the DIY crowd? you can do almost any repair yourself! 4/29/02 utterpower.com to carry replacement parts for ST gen heads Changfa Diesel Engines Simple, efficient, and cost effective one cylinder diesels Sea Pump A complete cost effective water system for your cabin?, you can afford this one. Utterpower Project Page take a look at some of the Generator Heads, Generator Ends, Homemade generator, DIY Generato..., Asian Diesels, off grid power, custom pulleys, custom sheaves, http://www.utterpower.com/index.html (2 of 4) [1/24/2004 11:17:50 AM] things we're doing. The Listeroids arrive! They are like a magnet! 7/19/2003 ...They'll go fast, order your 6/1 Listeroid now MISC ITEMS 4 SALE Useful Information related to DIY POWER Unforgettable Folks Not everyone follows the beaten path. This site is under construction. While we're setting up a few pages, take a look at the following sites: Visit Steve Gray's oldengineshed, you'll be amazed! The internet is full of sites that dispense useful information about home made wind turbines. Hugh's site is a must and an excellent place to start. http://homepages.enterprise.net/hugh0piggott/ Want to learn a few things? Check out windstuffnow.com, Ed has something new brewing all the time, and has some interesting products. Inverters, if you are thinking about buying a modified sign wave inverter, you must visit donrowe.com before you purchase anything! I couldn't find a better price, and you won't find better service or nicer people to do business with. Count on it! Greg Weinfurtner turns discarded stuff into useful power plants, learn about converting induction motors into generators and how to make gas powered battery chargers. It's a fun Generator Heads, Generator Ends, Homemade generator, DIY Generato..., Asian Diesels, off grid power, custom pulleys, custom sheaves, http://www.utterpower.com/index.html (3 of 4) [1/24/2004 11:17:50 AM] place to visit. Generator Heads, Generator Ends, Homemade generator, DIY Generato..., Asian Diesels, off grid power, custom pulleys, custom sheaves, http://www.utterpower.com/index.html (4 of 4) [1/24/2004 11:17:50 AM] We usually have engines in stock, if not, there's usually a new shipment inbound, send me email if you wish to purchase or have questions about engines. Modern engines of the WESTERN World are often 'throw aways'. If they are rebuildable, the cost is often Prohibitive. Our Focus: Is 'off grid' or 'mission critical' power. If you appreciate either, you are a rare individual, you probably fall into a percentage of the population too small to measure State Side, and you can be sure that the big marketing companies won't be spending a lot of time studying your buying habits or needs. We view the world as a complex place where trade offs and compromises are necessary, we know that single cylinder diesels are NOT the perfect prime movers for AC generators...... but they fully meet our needs. What is foremost in our minds, is a dependable generator. We'd give up light weight, mobility, name brands, fancy art work, and more to assure it will run and produce power when required. Shipping expenses are factored into every product you buy in North America. When you visit Home Depot and look over the consumer generators, you will note the use of alloys, plastic, air cooling, and all the other wondrous things that make a portable generator appealing, manageable, and more cost effective to ship to the 99 plus percent of the population that they are designed for. If you decide to use these generators often, you may have problems. The stuff we like is 'heavy', you will pay higher shipping costs in many cases to move them to your site. Once there, you will want this stuff on wheels if mobility is important to you. Part of the pay off is the simple design and ease of maintenance. If you are even half way mechanical, you could overhaul one in an afternoon for a very small investment. These engines were designed from the ground up to run for long periods of time and to be maintained by the mechanically challenged, having simple tools. The following engines have massive cast iron heads with thick decks like we haven't seen since the 50s and early 60s in American products. Valves have massive stems, with valve guides having twice or more the surface area as you would find in a 'modern' engine. Efficiency is important in these designs as well, fuel prices and fuel quality is not always good where they are typically deployed. Following are engines and designs we like! Sometimes we know where you can buy these engines new, other times we can put you on a waiting list or put you in touch with the seller of a good used engine. Parts are easy to come buy, we stock some, we can Engines, Listers, Asian Diesels, Changfa, Petters http://www.utterpower.com/engines.htm (1 of 3) [1/24/2004 11:17:51 AM] order the others. German designed, Chinese built, they come in a number of sizes. I like the units with counter balance shafts, 185=9HP, 195=13.38HP, 1115= 22HP, these engines all have the same design and layout. The counter balance shafts provide very smooth running at 1800 RPMs. We have developed a direct drive coupler for these engines and feel they are well suited for driving generators and pumps. Changfa is a Multi-National Company making use of superior parts from countries outside China. This is an important difference. The Changfa Pages British designed, Indian built Lister 6/1s (Singles) and 12/2s (Twins).These are legendary 650 RPM work horse engines. They are massive, the 6HP single weighs around 750 pounds. Here's an engine that was designed from the ground up to be rebuilt in place! Actual tests have produced .125 Gallons of biodiesel per KWH using the efficient Allmand drive, and the ST head. The Listeroid Pages Inside the lister Drive System for Listers Purchase a Listeroid, email George B. British Designed, Indian built Petters. These engines are more compact and higher speed Engines, Listers, Asian Diesels, Changfa, Petters http://www.utterpower.com/engines.htm (2 of 3) [1/24/2004 11:17:51 AM] than the Listers. They produce their power at 1500 to 1800 RPMs. Singles and Twins are available. The Petter Pages This engine has a totally enclosed valve train and a pressure oil system, this is another durable, time tested design that should perform when you need it. Mine starts the first compression stroke every time. Engines, Listers, Asian Diesels, Changfa, Petters http://www.utterpower.com/engines.htm (3 of 3) [1/24/2004 11:17:51 AM] What makes a Changfa different from other Chinese diesels? they have become a Multi-National Company sourcing superior parts from Partners outside China. Purchase a German Designed, Chinese Diesel Parts for Changfa engines General Design Overview Changfa makes large volumes and types of Diesels, they are cast iron, heavy, and built to last. There's a number of standard engines in China and a large degree of parts interchange between the engines that different Manufacturers in China make. The 195 and 1115 are my favorites, they are German designed, and have two counter balance shafts, they run very smoothly at rated speed. These engines make 13.38 and 22 HP at rated RPMs, I run them at 1800 RPMs for direct drive and longevity. Some of these engines are hopper cooled, others have radiators, fans, belts, and little DC alternators designed to charge a start battery and power a head light. These are popular on two wheeled tractors that are sometimes used to pull carts to market. The belt is something that can fail, the condensers are sized to work with the fan. If you use an adapter plate, and thermo siphon cooling setup with an auto radiator, you've eliminated a number of failure points, if the radiator is large enough, the fan will not be running, and you will run more efficiently when you are NOT running that extra belt, pulley, and fan.. I have some regular visitors that are kind enough to point out things that will be of value to our readers; following is a snippet From Andris V. I could never reconcile their conversions from Hp to kW. They always seemed to be a little off. Then I remembered there are at least four different definitions of Hp (rounded to five places): Changfa http://www.utterpower.com/changfa.htm (1 of 10) [1/24/2004 11:18:01 AM] 1 International Hp = 745.70 Watts 1 Electric Hp = 746.00 Watts 1 Metric Hp = 735.50 Watts 1 Water Hp = 746.04 Watts We Americans use the Electric Hp number of 746 W/Hp but Changfa (China being a metric country) uses the Metric number of 735.5 W/Hp. Now their published conversions make sense! It might help your customers if you mention this on your web site. Here's a link to my first Changfa powered generator. Harry's Changfa powered generator Harry Anderson 7X24 Duty! A great story in progress. Put a Changfa on your Garden Tractor? The belt driven setup fits up against the wall nicely, it doesn't require any walk around room, and all maintenance can be done from the front of the unit. The two heavy belts may last a life time, we'll see. The Changfa comes with a standard pulley that mounts to the flywheel, If you want to direct couple to something, it can be done fairly easily. I like to do the job with junk parts or standard parts, when possible, read on for my approach. First let's look at the stock pulley, the ring cut on the back side 'centers' the pulley into grooves cut in the flywheel face. Changfa http://www.utterpower.com/changfa.htm (2 of 10) [1/24/2004 11:18:01 AM] Here's a Changfa 195 flywheel facing a ST 10KW Generator shaft. Notice the three raised mounting tabs, the inward side is machined to receive the pulley, this arrangement 'centers' the pulley. Changfa http://www.utterpower.com/changfa.htm (3 of 10) [1/24/2004 11:18:01 AM] Above is a picture of our first direct drive adapter. The three holes drilled in the rotor face are used to mount the unit to the flywheel. This work was done by Randy Allmand in Kent, WA... Thanks Randy !!! Changfa http://www.utterpower.com/changfa.htm (4 of 10) [1/24/2004 11:18:01 AM] And here's the back side, notice the lip around the inside, go back up and compare this to the stock pulley cut, this is what the direct drive adapter will CENTER on. Changfa http://www.utterpower.com/changfa.htm (5 of 10) [1/24/2004 11:18:01 AM]