Small Wind Turbine With LED

This small wind turbine is cheap and easy to build and can we used to show how wind energy works. A small LED lights up when enough wind goes through the turbine.

Parts needed
Small motor (CD motor works great)
Bottom of pop can
Resistor (100-500 ohms)
Small LED
Plastic bottle top

Tools
Hot glue gun
Soldering iron
Scissors

Step 1: Making the Turbine

First Cut the bottom off the pop can.

Cut it onto 4 parts but not all the way to the centre.

Bend the blades in the same direction.

Glue the CD spinner to the exact center of the blades.

Step 2: Soldering the LED and Resistor

Solder the LED and resistor in series.

The resistor keeps the current low so the LED is not damaged.

The resistor needs to be sized for motor and LED.

Then solder the LED and resistor to the motor.

Step 3: Putting It Together

Drill a hole in the side of the bottle cap that can just fit the top of the LED.

Push the motor (with the electronic in the back and making sure the LED goes into the hole) into the bottle cap. Use hot glue around the motor to secure it in the bottle cap.

Now you can hold it in front of a fan or blow into it to light the LED.