Assembled PicoTurbine
This kit has been used by thousands of students, home schoolers, and even adult
hobbyists to learn about wind power and do energy science fair projects.
It's been used by major universities such as MIT and Caltech, as well as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for summer youth programs.
Your students will have a novel experience when they measure the conversion of electrical energy into wind and solar energy for science fair projects, science reports or experiments, or just plain fun!
DC Experiments Kit
Includes 12 page manual guide.
Intermediate Level Deluxe Solar Educational Kit
Cen-Tech Multimeter
Warning for all kits on this page.
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Science Fair Project Ideas
~ Compare the power of wind to solar energy.
~ Compare the power of wind energy to a hybrid (wind and solar).
Measure all energy out put with the multimeter
Exampe hypothesis: A hybrid will produce more energy output than just a wind energy driven windmill.
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With the PicoTurbine Windmill Kit will build
a fully functioning, electricity-producing scale model of a wind turbine.
The windmill stands 8" tall, produces between 1.7 and 2.5 volts which can light up a bicolor LED
(included) that flashes red and green to show the alternating current produced.
The kit can be easily built in under one hour, less time if used as a group project.
It is the only kit of its kind to demonstrate the power of
wind as a renewable energy resource.
Test different wind turbine blade configurations, various generator components,
the effects of changing wind speeds, or other experiments that are only limited by your imagination.
Each kit includes all the parts you need:
- Four strong magnets (ceramic grade 5-1"x1.75" x 0.25")
- Pre-wound enamel coated copper wire into 4 coils. This saves about 30 minutes from typical project build time over wrapping your own!
- Two feet of 10 gauge aluminum wire for the yoke
- One bi-color light emitting diode LED (red and green) - 2 leads
- A piece of 8" longwooden dowel, sharpened on one end to use as the axel
- A 5" by 8" by 1/2" thick piece of plywood used as a base for the project
- 3-phillips head cross slot screws
- One piece corrugated cardboard about 8" by 10"
- Three retaining lips (small semi-circular metal e-clips)
- One strop of pre-cut double-sided tape pads
- One samll piece of sandpaper for stripping copper wire
- Instruction booklet, including teacher's guide and technical notes.
- Paper templates for cardboard cutout pieces
- The Manual contains classroom ideas and experiments,
as well as technical notes for older students or adult experimenters.
All you must provide are some easily found tools and materials:
Gluestick or glue
A Phillips' screwdriver and scissors
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For the more advanced middle school student and high school student, the
PicoTurbine DC Experiment Kit,
an add-on to the windmill kit, provides lots of fun challenges. Although the DC Experiments kit is optional, its purpose is to convert the AC electrical power you produce with either the windmill or solar kit into DC electricity used to charge batteries, etc. With it you will be able to make a "full circle project". Full circle means that you will be able to vaciliate back and forth between AC and DC without storing it in a breadboard.
For instance, with the DC experiments, and blade design:
the blade offset can be increased or decreased, or the shape altered, the results tested and compared --
an excellent science fair project.
The instruction guide in the Manual shows you how to build four different circuits and test them to see how you can convert energy.
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With the The Intermediate Deluxe Solar Educational Kit you can now develop a very unique science fair project by combining it with the PicoTurbine Windmill or PicoTurbine Windmill & DC Experiments. At the same time your child will acquire the basic knowledge of solar energy. Includes manual guide.
1. When you place the solar cell module under direct sunlight, it generates power comparable to batteries. Discover how to harness solar energy and apply to countless practical applications.
2. Students can do series of do-it-yourself experiments to acquire the basic knowledge of solar energy.
Project Ideas
Make an electrical circuit.
Make a solar circuit.
Learn how to increase voltage.
Learn how to increase current.
How to use solar power to produce energy for a radio, calculator, battery charger, cassette player and more..
Manual
Ages 8 and up
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The Cen-Tech Multimeter is excellent for measuring your output of electricity from all of the PicoTurbines Science Kits. It displays AC millivolts, adds another dimension to your experiments, and helps to tune the alternator.
You will get accurate readings for DC voltage, DC current, AC voltage, resistance, transistor test, diode test, and battery test. Easy-to-read 3-1/2 digit LCD readout, positive set selector switch, and 32" leads. • Automatic zero adjust • Overange indicator • 2.5x second sample time • Low battery indicator • Fuse and diode protected circuit.
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Background information: There are advantages and disadvantages to both solar and wind energy as a power source.
Wind energy requires extensive areal coverage to produce significant amounts of energy.
Solar energy relies on the nuclear fusion power from the core of the Sun. This energy can be collected and converted in a few different ways. The range is from solar water heating with solar collectors or attic cooling with solar attic fans for domestic use to the complex technologies of direct conversion of sunlight to electrical energy using mirrors and boilers or photovoltaic cells. Unfortunately these are currently insufficient to fully power our modern society.
Questions to ask your students to stimulate interest and involvement:
- What can we each do to make a difference in our homes?
- What would happen if each person on the planet changes just one way of using energy? What difference could that make?
- Have each student bring in one idea that would change the way they use energy in their home, such as turning off their computer and unplugging the plug from the wall every evening. How about unplugging the cord from wall that charges their cell phone? Then ask them to ask their parents for the utility bill. Compare the cost the next month. As the family for everyone to cooperate.
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Note: Only the multimeter comes
assembled. You receive parts to
build the items pictured.
Packaging information
The windmill and DC kit comes in
one package.
If you need a different combination of items, please email
us for a quote: Madeline@super-science-fair-projects.com
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You received free The Super Science Fair eBook with all orders below, a $19.95 value.
PicoTurbine Windmill & Experiments Kit, Deluxe Intermediate Solar Educational Kit, 1 Multimeter + Free SciFair eBook
Retail Price: $88.89 Our Price: $69.95
10 PicoTurbine Windmill & Experiments Kits, 10 Deluxe Intermediate Solar Educational Kits, 10 Multimeter + Free SciFair eBook
Retail Price: $888.90 Our Price: $863.00
30 PicoTurbine Windmill & Experiments Kit, 30 Deluxe Intermediate Solar Educational Kit, 30 Multimeter + Free SciFair eBook
Retail Price: $2666.70 Our Price: $2566.00
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