Silentwind Wind Generator

[waterline]

I like this price tag:

Spreco Silentwind 400W Wind Turbine Generator 12V Hybrid Charge Controller | eBay

[raphaella]

Were anchored very close to a guy that had one and we were down wind from him and have to say, WOW it is very silent indeed! Thinking of getting one ourselves.

[mikereed100]

Dunno. Two reports of output below specs and the OP stopped posting after he wired his up. Not a good sign.

[PS37]

I have decided to get a Superwind 350 and just got one. It will be a while before we install it. We're planning to move the boat from the lake to the coast and then put the generator on. As soon as it is up and running I'll be happy to share the numbers.

[Singleprop]

I tried starting my inside the house - it was blowing 20 kts outside - but the genny just didn't perform at all...I'm just saying that location plays a major role in any wind generators performance....

[Mike OReilly]

I have a silent wind gen on board. While not completely silent, it is very quite compared to our old airx. It sits aft of our cockpit, but we easily carry on normal conversation with it whirring away. I am sound-sensitive, but am very pleased with the volume.

As for power output, it seems to perform to spec. Turns at 8 knots, but no real power until about 10-12, when we see 1-2 amps. After that the amps ramp up pretty steeply. I'll have to confirm with our log, but I think by about 15 knots we were around 5 amps. At 25-30 knots we were producing nearly 20 amps.

So far I'm quite pleased with the Silentwind. I just bought the new controller, which accommodates up to 550 watts of solar (the older one limits to 180 watts). Will install this when the water thaws.

[Neptune's Gear]

I've written a bit about them on my site, and why a selected the Silentwind to re-sell, plus our windgen experience over quite a few miles. See here, www.neptunes-gear.com and select the wind generator menu on the left. I'm happy to answer any questions. The new hybrid 1000 controller is NOT mppt. They are working on that.
Matt

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[raphaella]

Just one thing guys, if you anchor too close to land you will eventually get some vibration with your silent wind, as it accumulates minute particles in the air, thus after lets say a month or so, making sure it won't spin take a wet towel and politely wipe the ends of the blads and this will help to reduice vibration and some noise, have been doing this for almost a year now and still is silent.


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[zboss]

Interesting to hear.

We had our generator replaced by the manufacturer about a month ago. The original was shipped with bad bearings. The manufacturer support was great.

Since we replaced it, she is turning out much more power on a regular basis. We had 40 knots gusts about two weeks ago and she was putting out something like 30 amps.

That being said, she usually only produces about 12 to 15 amps a day averaged. Moderate 5 to 12 knots winds. If I were to take it down and instead put in 140 watt solar panel and some new batteries the usefulness would be negated.

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[Singleprop]

The manual for the Silentwind charge controller says that an external stop switch can be connected using a "chinch" connector - never heard of this connector, any clues?

Also, I'm thinking that this external stop can be configured to stop charging by a BMS (like in the LiFePo4 systems). Has anyone played with this idea?

[PS37]

I have just installed Superwind350 on my boat. The boat next to mine has Silent Wind. The Superwind starts moving much easier and starts at 4-5 kn. It moves faster. A lot faster. And the both were on (not stoppedat by the switches) I cannot say though which one is quieter since mine is closer to my ears. The sound goes up with the wind and so is the charge it's pumping. But all in all the sound is more like a flutter than noise. A great and very useful gadget! I will try to upload a little video on here.

[PS37]

I am trying to upload a little video showing the two generators working side by side but I am not sure I do it correctly - it does not show on here....

[zeehag]

i LOVE that hisssss of generating powaaaahhh.

[Singleprop]

http://www.silentwindgenerator.com/t...f?v=1428055316

Page 10, item 7 refers to the external stop switch and the chinch connector.....? I can't find a definitive answer of what kind of connector this is.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Singleprop

http://www.silentwindgenerator.com/t...f?v=1428055316

Page 10, item 7 refers to the external stop switch and the chinch connector.....? I can't find a definitive answer of what kind of connector this is.

I have one installed, but it's on my boat, 2000km away. From what I recall, it's basically a compression connection designed for raw wire to be inserted, and then locked into place with a bolt. There might be a way of removing the "chinch" connector and getting at the raw terminal ... can't recall for sure. In any case, it's a simple connector.

Personally, I'd prefer to have bus-bar like connections with nuts using O-terminals. The previous version of the Spreco controller came this way, but this new one uses these chinch connectors. Still seems to work fine.

BTW, I posted a video of our Silentwind in action some time ago, in another thread. It gives some sense of the noise level.

As for power output, it seems to perform to spec. Turns at 8 knots, but no real power until about 10-12, when we see 1-2 amps. After that the amps ramp up pretty steeply. I'll have to confirm with our log, but I think by about 15 knots we were around 5 amps. At 25-30 knots we were producing nearly 20 amps.