diode question wind ten

kayenta
kayenta Registered Users Posts: 21
Okay I have a question regarding a 10amp diode for a very very small wind generator that I'm about to hook up.

Someone told me that I hook up the diode black end to the generator side, silver side to the inverter.

My question is - do I hook it up to the positive side only. And would this be correct the silver side to inverter and black side to the generator.

Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: diode question wind ten

    Are you connecting to an Inverter or to the + on the battery bank/bus?

    It is usually better to connect all leads to your battery bus/common connections (with a fuse/circuit breaker per wire leaving the + battery bus to each load/charging source).

    Do you have the part number of the diode handy just to be sure?

    You can use a DMM (digital multi-meter) to double check the proper polarity (Probe A is the red/positive lead from the meter):

    Attachment not found.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten

    Another question is: what type of current does the generator put out to begin with?
    Some have DC output, in which case adding an additional diode is not necessary. These will usually have just two wires for output.
    Some have AC output, in which case you probably need a rectifier assembly because there will be three wires producing 3-phase AC.

    It sounds like you've been sold the idea there needs to be a blocking diode in the line. It is doubtful that this is so.

    But as Bill said, always check the polarity with a meter. That's the polarity of everything because the diode can be install 'right' but on the negative line in which case it would still be backwards.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten

    Some of the real old brush type DC generators, unless they have a cutout relay, will need a blocking diode if directly connected to a battery, otherwise when generation stops, battery current will flow and the generator will motor, or at least try to motor. Same thing if using brush type DC motors as a generator.
    We need more info on the whole system, or the proposed system.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten
    Some of the real old brush type DC generators, unless they have a cutout relay, will need a blocking diode if directly connected to a battery, otherwise when generation stops, battery current will flow and the generator will motor, or at least try to motor. Same thing if using brush type DC motors as a generator.
    We need more info on the whole system, or the proposed system.

    Yup. Exactly.
    And those old brush-type gens (as used to be used in cars) would be a terrible choice for wind or hydro as they were not very efficient at all! :D
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten
    those old brush-type gens (as used to be used in cars)

    Haha Many years ago I used one of those as a motor to run a water pump to water the garden. I think it worked better as a motor then it did as a generator. lol
  • kayenta
    kayenta Registered Users Posts: 21
    Re: diode question wind ten

    Yah I agree. Its small but we have super high and constant winds here. And I was just itching to try one out. Its a home made version, and small enough to fit in a backpack. DC two wire - 10A. 12/24 and claims 48v but I really haven't seen that at all yet. Mostly 6-10watts output. And I haven't had a windstorm yet to check it out in. Our winds typically are more than 5mph. I have a wind report from WindAlert that shows we get afternoon winds from 15-40 with gusts over 40 a lot. So when I plugged the little thing into the two panels that I cried about before in another thread... LOL My KillAWatt meter shows 1kw a day for the three of them. I wasn't touching a kw with just the panels. So for that I'm kinda hooked LOL. I probably won't get another. But I was interested in it since it has a jumpier watch factor on the ole display panels. LOL


    When I connected it to the grid tie, it powered the motor of the littlegen. LOL. So I figure I'll have to do the diode so that to connect properly to the generator. I have a wind/solar charge controller, but I have yet to see it connect properly when I tie the dump load to the grid tie. It says dump overload. So I only have one battery and I'm not systematically hooked to the battery because I don't understand why the battery isn't getting drawn off my trailer battery hookups. It just stays charged. And there might be an issue with my battery/inverter set up in the trailer, but don't know enough about it to really focus on it yet as a project.

    With that all said, for my set up, I've segregated the controller, and wish to grid tie to my mppt 1000w, which still has add on space with the two 100w panels. I reduced the wire size to the windgen and pick up a stronger reading on the watts. Too bad there's no trick to pumping up those numbers. LOL

    If someone had a sample set up, to connect the wind/solar controller to the grid tie, I just haven't seen them to replicate the process. And if I could hook the controller to the system ultimately that's the idea. The grid tie, seems to stand alone as well. Eventually I'd like to disconnect altogether, but I'm no where near the appropriate numbers or have an adequate battery bank to do this. However, the goal would be to work towards that with panels one at a time.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten

    ?:confused: A large portion of what you wrote there doesn't make sense, and in some instances is scary.

    5 MPH isn't much wind, and gusts to 40 MPH can easily damage a small turbine.

    You can't plug a Kill-A-Watt into solar panels. In no way compatible.

    Connected what to grid-tie? Grid is a whole 'nother situation and you shouldn't be randomly connecting devices to it. "I wish to grid tie my MPPT 1000 Watt" makes no sense.

    I have this horrible feeling you're messing around with junk equipment and wiring it in ways you do not understand. This is a dangerous practice and can lead to fire and death. No, I'm not joking.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: diode question wind ten

    I have to agree with Cariboocoot. We have no idea what you have for equipment, or what you have going on there, and couldn't make sense of your last post. Sorry.
  • kayenta
    kayenta Registered Users Posts: 21
    Re: diode question wind ten

    We get great winds is the point of the matter. And yah 40 is high. Absolutely. We have monster high winds. High desert. Very remote. Very high winds sometimes.
    So I keep an eye on it. If my wind alert goes off at 40mph I just pull it. Its on a tripod. LOL

    For the KillAWatt meter its plugged into the 1000w 10.5-28VDC mppt grid tie inverter. hooked to an exterior electrical outlet.
    300w Solar and 600w wind controller which is separate at this time.
    And two solar panels.
    100w open circuit VOC 21.60volts ISC 6.32a Max VMP 17.40v Max Current 5.75 amps 40x26.4x1.2
    100w VMP 17.5v IMP 5.71A VOC 21.7 ISC 6.21A Same size.
    The wind gen is a two wire DC 12v but rated to 24/48v 10amp pittman gear motor, with six 15" pvc blades, very small. I know pvc is not optimum, and will have a short life. But its light and portable, and i'm not mounting it 20feet or anything.
    16/18 gauge wire. I just changed it to 16.

    So yah that's why I'm here. Don't want anything to explode. LOL

    I have no knowledge base. So I haven't hooked the mppt grid tie to the solar wind controller at all. If I hook the dump load to the grid tie, it says over, so yah if it can be done I'm clearly missing something. I would prefer to let it run at night for some charge but it doesn't seem like it does it once the solar panels turn off. I hooked up the diode to the positive wire, only and it seems to be working well. Its charging fine, and does not turn on when I hook it to the grid tie. And that was the initial fear was wiring it improperly. So yes, if I could do better i would like to learn using this small gen so that if I ever got one I'd have that bit of prior experience. Don't have a lot of access out here. Very remote. Just starting. I figured if I ruined the junk, I would know what to buy better by that time, with safety as a proper concern. But yah, just buying piece by piece. And I'm in a 24' trailer. So I don't have a lot of energy needs. I think between myself and the person in the main house, we consume approx 4kw per day. So I'm almost 1/3 of that. If that. But it does say that I'm getting at least 1kw measured per day from the grid tie to the electrical outlet. The goal is to increase the pieces and one day have a system that I could survive off grid with. But in the meantime, reducing the electric bill is nice.

    The wind gen is just really a tryout. It seems that it doesn't put out the ratings, as most people online say, that they tout in sales.

    Clearly more panels will be the next step. More batteries after that.