A layer of fiberglass is applied on top of the resin.

Small tools (sticks will do) help to get rid off air bubbles that have accumulated under the fiberglass sheet.

Apply gentle pressure to stick the layer evenly to the resin.

The wired coils are carefully pushed into position in the mould. The more hands the better to keep them in position while sliding them off a temporary plywood base.

Make sure the coils are equally spaced between the black lines on the mould and also touch the island in the middle.

Several more layers of resin mixed with powder are added until the coils are covered.

Approx. 4cm away from the edge of the coils silicon is applied to stop the resin from flowing all over the surround once the lid is screwed onto it.

More resin is poured onto the coils.

The drill is used to create vibrations in the mould (not to drill more holes!) which in turn bring air bubbles to the surface. Use the drill in all corners of the mould.

Use a tool (not your fingers) to cover bits that still stick out in resin.

When satisfied that everything is sufficiently covered, fiberglass is put on top of the coils. The little cut out in the layer should be lined up with the screw/ cables that run from the mould.

Gently press the fiberglass onto the resin.

A final layer of resin is used to cover the fiberglass. Use a tool to spread the resin out evenly, get rid of air bubbles trapped under the fiberglass and...

... make sure no fiberglass sticks out. Better to keep it within the resin casting.

Now put the lid on. Line up the slot in the lid with the screw and cables.

Put in the screws, starting from the opposite corner of the slot in the lid....

That way the excess resin will be squeezed out in the area oft the slot.

Tighten the screws. However do not put too much pressure on (e.g. do not put the mould in a press) as the fiberglass might end up without enough resin.

After the 2 discs and the spacer have been cut (always the same size no matter the turbine diameter) ...

  1. •making the coil winder

  2. •winding the coils

  3. •wiring up the coils

  4. •resin casting the stator

... bend a piece of threaded bar for the handle. Clamp it in a vice and push! Make sure it’s long enough for the additional nuts.

Weld the base for the coil winder and drill a hole that is big enough for the threaded bar to pass through, about half an inch from the top of the base.

Use nuts and washers to fix the coil winder onto the handle and onto the base. Use 4 nails and the arrow marks on the plywood discs to line these up in the same way they were when you drilled the 4 holes through both discs.

Put pipe or wrap tape round the handle of the coil winder to add comfort.

There should also be an entrance hole for the wire to run onto the inside of the coin winder just above the space. (Illustrated further down)

Different thicknesses of coated copper wire for different turbines.

Wind the coils carefully placing one row of wire tightly next to the previous and building up layers.

It helps to have someone else count the turns.

Once there are enough turns/rows on the coil, keep tension on the wire. Push a thin, stiff stick (nail, piece of plastic, etc.) through the gap between the coil and the plywood spacer. Attach electrical tape on the stick (sticky side up) and pull it back through the gap...

... Form a neat layer of tape round the coil. Repeat on the other side of the coil.

Loosen the outer nuts and pull the 4 nails out to get the finished coil out of the winder. Note the two rounds of tape round the finished coils.

Place the finished coils into the stator mould to do the wiring. (1.8m turbine:) It helps to write numbers 1-6 in the centre of the coils. The screw in the mould shows the point where the three ends of coils 4, 5 and 6 will exit ....

The diagram helps to understand how the coils are to connected. The starts (insides) of coils 1,2 and 3 are connected in one point. The ends (outsides) of coils of 4, 5 and 6 are NOT connected to other coils. They will have an extension attached to them. The end of coil 1 is attached to the start of coil 4, the end of coil 2 is attached to the start of coil 5, the end of coil 3 is attached to the start of coil 6.

Before wiring the coils, make sure there are equally spaced (use the black guides) and lined up straight in the stator mould and lie close to the island in the middle. The connection points should be placed in the gaps between the coils and stay away from the three stator mould corners (holes are going to be drilled through the stator after the resin casting at these points). Keep that in mind and hold the coils in the correct position when cutting the wires to length...

Scrape ALL coating off the end of the wires that you want to connect. If you don’t the solder won’t stick to the copper wire. Get someone to hold the wire with a pair of pliers while heating it up with a soldering iron. Hold the iron closely to the wire and apply the solder (already contains flux).

Twist the wires with a second set of pliers.

It also makes sense to temporarily put tape round the wires that will be connected before starting. The screw in the mould should be between coils 4 and 5.

Check that everything is wired up correctly, no wires stick out of the mould, the coils are equally spaced, touching the island and not twisted, connections are roughly between the gaps of the coils and not in the three corners of the mould. Use clips where necessary to hold wires in place and cover the connections.

Finally solder extensions onto the ends of coils 4, 5 and 6...

Put more solder on the joint.

... make sure there is enough solder on the joint.

Cover the joints and place them between the gaps of coils 4 and 5.

... It correlates with a slot in the lid of the mould. The position of the screw/ slot in the mould is flexible.

Coils in bigger turbines are positioned with the short side touching the island as opposed to the long side.

Before starting to cast the resin, two sheets of fiberglass need to be cut to fit inside the mould.

The top one needs to have an extra corner cut out for the three extensions of coils 4, 5 and 6 to exit the mould once the lid is put on.

If you haven’t drawn over the pencil marks with a felt pen, best to do it now to be able to see if the coils are in the correct position through layers of fiberglass, etc.

It’s best to do a dry run to make sure everything fits, is ready and...

... all holes are drilled to keep the lid on the base (including holes through the island).

Made on a Mac

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