Research Update: The Blue Max

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To make the inserts, we just laid the jig on some stools and slid a polystyrene billet between the templates . . . assuring accuracy by aligning the front of the blank with the templates' flat noses, locking it in place with two box nails pushed into the ends, and weighting it down with two nail cans.

With the current on (we wore protective gloves because the exposed conductor does give a tingle if it's touched), each person must start at the bottom of the indentation just behind one template's flat leading edge and run the hot wire toward the rear, or trailing edge, maintaining the same rate of feed as his or her partner by using the numbered stations as guides. When all three sections are cut, they can be set against the exposed blade frames, marked, then trimmed with a bread knife at the corner tips so they'll fit, within the conduit—and—cable perimeters.

It's important, during this step, that the wider end of the insert be placed against the blade mount, and that the flat, uncut polystyrene surface be forward, toward the face of the blade, so oncoming wind strikes it first.

Once they were set in place, it was a simple matter to pull the sleeves over the stuffed frames and reclamp them to the mounts.

This inexpensive modification did a lot to quiet blade noise at higher rotor velocities and improved upper-end performance as well. We did have to adjust our governor weight values slightly, but they will vary with every plant and site. In the weeks to come, we'll continue to look for improvements, this time evaluating line-loss reductions by increasing the size of the conductors. You can be sure that if we have anything of value to report, you'll see it here in MOTHER'S pages!

EDITOR'S NOTE: A complete set of step-by-step building plans for the Blue Max a available at a cost of $10.00—plus $1.00 to cover shipping and handling—from Mother's Plans, Blue Max Windplant, P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, NC 28793. And don't pass up the chance to win cash in the Blue Max Contest. If you can build your own windplant based on our design and keep your costs below those of anyone else who enters, you'll be $200 richer! a Send to the address above for contest details and an entry blank.

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