Daisy Kite Airborne Wind Turbine

I mentioned that I intended to have a go at flying a stack of 2 rings together. Using the old baggy slower ring on top of the faster newer one.

It works a treat. Launches easily, Inflates well, Flies steadily. I had hoped to be sharing this in more detail with the cohort of the TU Delft AWE course... but the online component of that course has now unfortunately been closed.

This now really opens the question of scaling viability. And how to get universities and corporations to engage with that.

Please can somebody manage me / this / Daisy / Windswept and Interesting to push the project forward?

Similar to Hackaday is another How 2 site instructables... Hope our good hosts don't mind me mentioning here that further instructions are availabl on http://www.instructables.com/id/Enjoy-a-nice-cup-of-kite-powered-tea/

I'll likewise link back to these instructions

Just some back in from testing.

I sewed a new Daisy without the back end parachute kite and ran it with a torque ladder through my falco e-bike wheel.

It made Power. OK only a wee bit so far. I have a new challenge of making enough for my mum to enjoy a cup of kite powered tea.

I May mix the two spinning kites together now as the back end one had advantages.

Here's the vid

http://youtu.be/2kfpTXT9abs

Some of you may be wondering where the electronics are... Fear not, electronics Bsc ENG is my background so... For communications I plan to re-purpose a few old mobile phones. By installing cyanogenmod Android I can easily use the phone as a tether. so what? If my phone is inside the lifting kite. It gets a much better mobile data signal than I do on the ground... That's why I want to log into a higher altitude phone signal. 

At altitude the phone can also be reprogrammed to network with similar airborne phones... There are other projects on Hackaday making satellite based networks. Satellkite, kitellite, call it what you will higher communications devices work more efficiently. Tethered on a kite there are loads of ways to power them including airborne generation see kitesat

Hopefully my old phones can also simplify posting NOTAM operations data.

RPM and performance monitoring is also easy with old phones... However, check out FALCO EMOTORS

http://www.falcoemotors.com/?page_id=1209

Being oh so cool you can wirelessly adjust the performance characteristics of the generator... yay.

They also have a setting where the resistance of the generator can be controlled by a heart rate monitor... That's easily adapted to an rpm counter.

Fun Fun Fun...

Thank goodness, I'm back to the windy Isle of Lewis. I attended Leominster kite festival with Daisy... luckily I also brought a poly bag, some tiny carbon rods, some thread and tape to make a lightwind sled kite for the kids...

 It was really calm by my standards... But I learned that my Daisy architecture is still overly heavy. I can cut down on the brutal over design.. I can also look back and wonder how on earth that home sewing machine did what it did... loads of WD40.

The kite travls really well folded into a rubble sack. An old kids umbrella cover and a bit of bungee make a good cover for the wheel... This helps to stop lines snagging a lot.

The Disy ring was tested directly inline with the lifter kite.

Configuring this way I had no direct control over the tension in the rotation axis... (actually I had a light back line behind which could take the back end down if needed)

Anyway, Here's the "proto promo" / test vid... I just happen to have been brought up and live on a gorgeous island. So handy for backgrounds

http://youtu.be/t4cebOOEP4w

First completely tower free test run today. Superb test and loads of video feedback available on youtube.

Ran it for around 1.5 hours. Had to reset the handle position at one point to avoid crashing.

 I had the back lines a bit tight. Must not tie thin lines directly to large rocks... I knew that. must practice.