Trinity Portable Wind Turbine
04-23-14, 09:58 PM
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Trinity Portable Wind Turbine
Trinity portable wind turbine ... 30 cm in height, 15 watt generator, 15,000-mAh lithium-polymer battery pack and two USB ports.
The plastic-bodied Trinity is carried as a 12-inch (30.5-cm) cylinder when not in use. When you want to juice it up, you pull out the turbine's three aluminum legs, and prop it up to catch the wind. The legs can be laid flat to form a pedestal, or partially extended to form a tripod base. And yes, it is waterproof (rated to IPX6), should the wind be accompanied by rain.
As the blades turn, they spin an internal 15-watt generator that in turn charges a 15,000-mAh lithium-polymer battery pack. Using one of two USB ports on the bottom of the unit, you can then plug in your phone (or other device) and charge it. According to Skajaquoda, the Minnesota-based company that's developing the Trinity, one full charge of the battery should allow for four to six phone charges – you can also forgo the battery, and charge your phone directly from the generator.
As the blades turn, they spin an internal 15-watt generator that in turn charges a 15,000-mAh lithium-polymer battery pack. Using one of two USB ports on the bottom of the unit, you can then plug in your phone (or other device) and charge it. According to Skajaquoda, the Minnesota-based company that's developing the Trinity, one full charge of the battery should allow for four to six phone charges – you can also forgo the battery, and charge your phone directly from the generator.
Andrew
04-23-14, 11:16 PM
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Cycle Year Round
A smaller version, set up to run on the bicycle while riding would be cool.
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04-23-14, 11:23 PM
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04-24-14, 04:18 PM
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My question would be what kind of wind speeds it needs for its rated 15 watts. Wind speed increases dramatically with height, and the turbine is less than 3 feet high with the legs fully extended. That said, this could be a very useful device for tours (1) a long way from human habitation (2) in areas with consistent wind and (3) little tree cover.
04-24-14, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by gizmag
Skajaquoda hasn't stated how long it takes to fully charge the battery, although it obviously depends very much on wind speed. The company plans on providing that information on its Kickstarter page soon – important information to know, for sure.That said, if you just want to bring the Trinity along as an extra power source and don't have the time or inclination to set it out in the breeze, you can also just charge it from an outlet via an integrated mini-USB port.
The suggested retail price of the Trinity is US$399, although you can preorder one now for a pledge of $279. Delivery is estimated for January, assuming it reaches production. Should you feel like shopping around, you might also want to check out offerings such as the Orange Wind Charger, the HYmini or the Powertraveller.
The suggested retail price of the Trinity is US$399, although you can preorder one now for a pledge of $279. Delivery is estimated for January, assuming it reaches production. Should you feel like shopping around, you might also want to check out offerings such as the Orange Wind Charger, the HYmini or the Powertraveller.
$400 (or $279 for kickstarter "preorder").
Here's the "Orange Wind Charger" that link mentioned. From 2007 (!!) and still not available. And equally vague.
Orange Wind Generator
Last edited by njkayaker; 04-24-14 at 04:43 PM.
04-24-14, 04:41 PM
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Generator hubs are proven and easily installed on nearly all bicycles and you can actually buy them now and they cost less than $400. (Though, they don't work off the bike.)
Last edited by njkayaker; 04-24-14 at 04:49 PM.
04-24-14, 05:23 PM
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One of my fantasy design projects is to figure out a way to hook some blades up to a front wheel with a generator hub so when you're not riding the wind can do the work. Maybe the wheel stays in the forks or maybe you have to remove it and put it on another gizmo. Yeah there are those crazy forks with only one blade, but probably they have special hubs & wouldn't work with existing generator hubs.
04-24-14, 05:31 PM
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One of my fantasy design projects is to figure out a way to hook some blades up to a front wheel with a generator hub so when you're not riding the wind can do the work. Maybe the wheel stays in the forks or maybe you have to remove it and put it on another gizmo. Yeah there are those crazy forks with only one blade, but probably they have special hubs & wouldn't work with existing generator hubs.
This is a setup with an Extrawheel trailer I believe.Andrew
04-24-14, 06:12 PM
#10
Every day a winding road
A dynohub is going to be far more efficient. You can add a supplemental solar panel. A wind turbine will provide too much wind resistance that would need to be overcome. This might work at camp if you are willing to haul the extra weight.
Develop a small fusion generator then you will have something.
Develop a small fusion generator then you will have something.
04-24-14, 09:57 PM
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04-25-14, 01:30 AM
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04-25-14, 05:14 AM
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We have no idea whether the wind generator will work (whether it will be practical at all) off the bike in situations that cyclists will normally encounter (it may require fairly high/constant wind, something campers try to avoid, to be useful).
The fact that you don't see any already isn't encouraging (the idea itself is obvious). The fact that the other company that link mentioned still doesn't have a product after announcing it 7 years ago isn't encouraging. The company is 6 months away from supposedly releasing it but can't tell people how well it works. Mounting the as-yet nonexistent product on a bike doesn't seem convenient at all (and may not work very well either).
It does have a 15,000 mAh battery and allows you to use mains electricity to charge it, which would be useful. But you can already do that for $50 (for less weight since it doesn't include the bulky possibly-useless turbine). (15,000 mAh could easily be enough power for 3 or more days.)
The properties of generator hubs are well-known and you can actually buy them and we know they work for cyclists. And, as in the above video, you might be able to add blades to the wheel to make the hub work off of the bike!
(The only case of small wind generator being common that I've ever seen is on sailboats.)
The fact that you don't see any already isn't encouraging (the idea itself is obvious). The fact that the other company that link mentioned still doesn't have a product after announcing it 7 years ago isn't encouraging. The company is 6 months away from supposedly releasing it but can't tell people how well it works. Mounting the as-yet nonexistent product on a bike doesn't seem convenient at all (and may not work very well either).
It does have a 15,000 mAh battery and allows you to use mains electricity to charge it, which would be useful. But you can already do that for $50 (for less weight since it doesn't include the bulky possibly-useless turbine). (15,000 mAh could easily be enough power for 3 or more days.)
The properties of generator hubs are well-known and you can actually buy them and we know they work for cyclists. And, as in the above video, you might be able to add blades to the wheel to make the hub work off of the bike!
(The only case of small wind generator being common that I've ever seen is on sailboats.)
Last edited by njkayaker; 04-25-14 at 07:22 AM.
04-25-14, 05:57 AM
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We don't know how well/practical it would be though (it might require fairly high/constant winds). Given that you wouldn't need to rely on it, it might be OK if it was practical sometimes.
It would be cheap to set-up something to try it (you'd want to be able to remove the blades easily for riding). And it could be easier to pack than a bulky turbine.
Last edited by njkayaker; 04-25-14 at 07:20 AM.
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