{"id":595,"date":"2012-01-22T09:58:27","date_gmt":"2012-01-22T14:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hackaweek.com\/hacks\/?p=595"},"modified":"2012-01-22T10:04:15","modified_gmt":"2012-01-22T15:04:15","slug":"stepper-motors-as-generators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/hackaweek.com\/hacks\/stepper-motors-as-generators\/","title":{"rendered":"Stepper Motors As Generators"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stepper motors are everywhere! They’re pretty easy to find in old abandoned printers. They come in a variety of configurations and number of poles but they all make great electrical generators! Any electric motor will also output a voltage when it’s freely spinning. Stepper motors are much better at this because they have many times more poles to pass next to each other thus generating electrical pulses.<\/p>\n

These pulses are actually AC voltage that can be used to directly drive LEDs. I’ve experimented with different LEDs connected in this way on my bike light stepper generator and none of them have burned out yet. This AC voltage can also be rectified and converted to a DC voltage with the addition of a simple full bridge rectifier explained below.<\/p>\n

HOW RECTIFICATION WORKS<\/strong>
\nBelow is a\u00a0full wave rectifier\u00a0circuit. The stepper motor produces a sine wave whose polarity (positive or negative) changes sign each half cycle. When the direction of the current is from the generator\u00a0into\u00a0the bridge at point c, the only available current path through the bridge is cbad, through the resistor from right to left in the diagram. During the next half cycle, the current direction is from the generator into the bridge at point d. Then the only available path is dbac, but again the current direction is from right to left through the resistor. Therefore the current through the resistor always has the same direction.<\/p>\n

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WAVEFORMS OBSERVED IN THIS CIRCUIT:<\/p>\n

AC SINE WAVE<\/strong>
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RECTIFIED DC HALF WAVE<\/strong>
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RECTIFIED DC FULL WAVE<\/strong>
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As shown in the video below, this rectified DC voltage can be very useful as a power source for LED lights or charging small batteries.
\nThis motor had a peak output of 43 volts at .41 mA.<\/p>\n

EXPERIMENT!!!!<\/strong>
\nStepper motors are awesome hackable items and they’re easy to come by. Think of all the ways you can get a motor to spin from salvaged energy. If something is moving, that motion can be converted into motion of the stepper and used to generate electricity. Wind, water, wheels, drive belts, hand cranks, treadmills. Let your imagination invent a way! I encourage you to try building this experiment platform and then seeing how you can salvage electricity from your environment with a stepper motor! <\/p>\n

POST YOUR RESULTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep on hackin! <\/p>\n