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The problem
Small wind is the poor relation of the renewables lab: solar PV gets panels, simulators and MPPT trainers, while wind is usually a poster on the wall. What students miss is the control problem at the heart of every real turbine — the rotor must be protected from overspeed without being stalled in light air, and modern machines solve it with blade pitch control. The engineering gap is a working, affordable model that demonstrates pitch logic hands-on: how pitch angle, wind speed, rotor speed and electrical output relate, with the mechanism visible and adjustable. This project fills it with a bench-scale horizontal-axis turbine: 3D-printed or PVC blades on a hub with servo-driven pitch linkages, a tower and nacelle, an anemometer measuring wind speed, an RPM pickup, and a small DC generator with a rectifier and charge circuit. A microcontroller reads wind speed and commands the pitch servos, so the student can demonstrate the full operating logic — including feathering above the rated wind speed.
Cup anemometer reporting the live wind speed the rotor sees to the controller.
Follow the working sequence
How it works
- Wind (or a fan in the lab) drives the 3-blade rotor; the cup anemometer reports wind speed to the microcontroller.
- The RPM pickup counts rotor revolutions and the controller computes tip-speed behavior against the measured wind.
- Below the cut-in wind speed the controller holds the blades fine and the generator output is negligible; the student records this as the cut-in point.
- In the operating band the controller trims pitch for the best RPM for the measured wind, and the generator charges the battery through the rectifier/regulator.
- Above the rated wind speed the controller feathers the blades progressively, holding rotor speed within the safe design band while the student watches RPM cap out.
- During the test procedure the student logs voltage, current and RPM at stepped fan distances, producing their own power curve for the report.
Tech stack:
- Arduino-class microcontroller (control firmware)
- 3D-printed / PVC rotor blades (3-blade horizontal-axis design)
- Servo-driven pitch linkage hub
- Cup anemometer (wind-speed input)
- Hall-effect / IR RPM pickup
- Small DC generator with rectifier + charge regulator
- Steel/Aluminium tower and nacelle frame
- Arduino IDE (C/C++ firmware)
- Test procedure with fan wind source and multimeter logging sheets
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Rotor | 3 blades, design tip diameter ~60–80 cm (fabrication drawing dimensioned) |
| Blades | FDM 3D-printed or PVC sheet, replaceable; hub with servo pitch linkage |
| Pitch range | Approximately 0–90° from fine to fully feathered (servo-driven) |
| Wind input | Cup anemometer; design operating range 2–10 m/s (demonstration band) |
| Rotor speed | Hall/IR pickup; overspeed protection by feathering above rated wind speed |
| Generator | Small DC machine as generator; rectifier, smoothing and 12 V charge regulator |
| Control modes | Cut-in hold, operating-band pitch trim, overspeed feathering |
| Power output | No claimed figures at build — the student measures and reports their own V/I/RPM curve |
| Structure | Metal tower and nacelle frame; guyed or weighted base for lab use |
Project features
- [Servo blade pitch control] Each blade's pitch is driven by a servo through a linkage, giving the full operating range from fine pitch (power capture) to feathered (overspeed protection).
- [Anemometer wind-speed input] A cup anemometer feeds live wind speed to the controller, so pitch responds to the actual airflow the rotor sees, not a guess.
- [RPM sensing] A Hall-effect or IR pickup counts rotor revolutions, letting the controller and the student close the loop on rotor speed.
- [Three operating modes] Firmware implements cut-in logic, variable-pitch power tracking, and feathering above the rated wind speed — the same states a utility turbine controller manages.
- [DC generator and charge circuit] A small DC motor run as a generator feeds a rectifier, smoothing capacitor and charge regulator for a 12 V battery or load bank.
- [Adjustable blade geometry] Blades are designed for FDM printing or PVC sheet, and the hub allows the student to test different pitch schedules and re-run their measurements.
- [Student-measured performance] The kit includes a test procedure (fan as wind source, multimeter + tachometer readings) so every power-vs-wind-speed point in the report is the student's own data.
What is included
- Working mini wind-turbine prototype (rotor, pitch hub, tower, nacelle, generator, charge circuit)
- Pitch-control firmware source code (modes, thresholds, servo mapping)
- Fabrication drawings and blade-printing files
- Wiring and control documentation
- Wind-tunnel (fan) test procedure with logging sheets
- Component list with ratings
- Project report PDF (wind theory, pitch control, methodology, student's own test data)
- PPT presentation for final review
- Viva Q&A preparation document (aerodynamics basics, pitch vs stall control, tip-speed ratio)
- Setup and demonstration guide
Limitations & prerequisites
- This is a tabletop teaching model, not a power plant: no power-output figures are claimed at build, and lab fan airflow is not laminar wind — measured values are for comparative study, not field prediction.
- The anemometer reads the local airflow at the rig; indoor fan tests give turbulent, uneven flow, which the report must acknowledge when presenting curves.
- Feathering protects the model rotor, but the structure is a light lab build and must not be flown outdoors in real wind — it is not weatherproof or guyed for storms.
- Blade balance and hub strength are student-verified during the build; an unbalanced rotor at speed vibrates, so the assembly checklist is part of the kit.
- 3D-printed blades are demonstration parts: they flex and their airfoil is approximate, not a certified blade profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it generate usable power?
It generates measurable electrical output into a battery or load bank, but this is a control-study model, not a charger product — the deliverable is the pitch-control demonstration and your own measured data, not a wattage claim.
How is blade pitch controlled?
A servo on the hub drives the pitch linkages; the microcontroller reads wind speed from the anemometer and rotor speed from the pickup, then commands pitch through the cut-in, operating and feathering states.
What wind source is used for testing?
A standard table/pedestal fan at stepped distances, with the anemometer recording the actual wind speed at the rotor plane for each reading.
Can blade geometry be changed?
Yes — the blades are printable/swappable and the hub supports re-testing, so different pitch schedules or blade shapes can be compared in the report.
Can it be installed on a rooftop?
No. It is an indoor lab model; it is not weatherproof, not certified, and not designed for real-wind structural loads.
Is this project suitable for a final-year project?
Yes — for Mechanical and renewable-energy programs. It demonstrates aerodynamics, mechanisms (pitch linkage), embedded control and honest experimental method. Suitable for B.E./B.Tech final-year projects in Mechanical and Renewable Energy engineering.
Components & software requirements
- Arduino-class microcontroller (control firmware)
- 3D-printed / PVC rotor blades (3-blade horizontal-axis design)
- Servo-driven pitch linkage hub
- Cup anemometer (wind-speed input)
- Hall-effect / IR RPM pickup
- Small DC generator with rectifier + charge regulator
- Steel/Aluminium tower and nacelle frame
- Arduino IDE (C/C++ firmware)
- Test procedure with fan wind source and multimeter logging sheets
Delivery information
Built-to-order project. Delivery timeline is shared after order confirmation based on current queue.
Support terms
Complete documentation, setup guide, and viva preparation included. Support for setup and explanation provided.
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