Project · draft
3D-Printed Micro Wind Turbine with Power Logging
- intermediate
- 10-14 hours
SDG 7 · Affordable and Clean Energy
Shows honestly how much electricity a small turbine makes at real wind speeds, building intuition for renewable energy and its limits.
Safety notes
- Spinning blades: test behind a guard, keep faces and fingers out of the rotor plane, and check blades for cracks before every run; printed blades can shed at high speed.
- Mount outdoors only on a secure, low pole away from people; take it down in storms.
Draft and unofficial, not affiliated with Fab Academy or the United Nations. Check prices, GST and parts before you buy.
Summary
A desk-to-balcony turbine: test it in front of a table fan first, then outdoors. The OLED shows live milliwatts and the logger builds a power curve, so students can compare blade designs.
What it teaches
Design and print a 3-blade rotor (airfoil, pitch, balance), mount it on a DC motor used as a generator with a 608 bearing, and log voltage, current and power with an INA219 into a dummy load to plot a power curve.
Topics it touches, in Fab Academy-style terms:
- Computer-aided design
- 3D scanning and printing
- Mechanical design
- Input devices
- Embedded programming
Parts list
Parts cost
Some parts are not priced yet, so there's no total.
7 required parts are marked not priced yet below. Where a price is known it is shown per part, GST-inclusive as the seller listed it on 24 Oct 2026, with the GST rate unverified. Shipping is not included.
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 Development Boardxiao-rp2040 | 1 | pcs | ₹513 | ₹513 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Small brushed DC motor used as generator (~6-12 V)dc-motor-generator-12v | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| INA219 current/voltage/power monitor module (I2C)ina219-module | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 1N5819 Schottky diode (flyback)diode-schottky-1n5819Blocks reverse current | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 100 kOhm resistor, through-hole (pack of 10)resistor-100k-x10Voltage sensing divider if needed | 1 | set | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 1k Ohm Resistor - (Pack of 10)resistor-1k-x10Dummy load bank (series/parallel to suit)Pack: pack of 10 | 1 | set | ₹12 | ₹12 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| 0.96 Inch OLED Display Module SPI/I2C 4pin Blue Coloroled-096-i2cI2C 0x3C; check address vs INA219 (0x40) | 1 | pcs | ₹167 | ₹167 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| 608ZZ ball bearing, 8x22x7 mmbearing-608zz | 2 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| M3 x 10 mm socket head screw, stainlessscrew-m3x10-socket | 8 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| PETG 3D printer filament, 1.75 mm, 1 kgfilament-petg-1kgBlades and nacelle | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 400 Tie Points Solderless Breadboardbreadboard-half-400 | 1 | pcs | ₹39 | ₹39 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Male to Male Jumper Wires (20cm) (20pcs)jumpers-m2m-20cm-20Pack: pack of 20 male-male 20cm | 1 | set | ₹31 | ₹31 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type C USB Cable (1 metre)cable-usb-c-1mSkip if you already have a data-capable USB-C cable | 1 | pcs | ₹65 | ₹65 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Optional extras total, GST-inclusive as listed by the seller | ₹65 | |||||
The Part column links to the shared catalogue. Units are pcs, m, g, sheet or set, and a "set" is the seller's pack, as noted per part.
Tools you will need
- 3D printer (PETG for blades)
- Soldering iron
- Table fan for indoor tests
- Multimeter
Build notes
Step-by-step build notes have not been written yet for this draft. The summary, the topics above and the parts list are what exists so far.
How to buy
There is no online checkout. To buy or import these parts, email info@curiosta.com and say what you need. The button opens your own email app with a draft; nothing is sent until you send it.
Prices on this site are third-party seller listings, not a Curiosta quote. Ask by email for availability, price and GST.