Nerdiskerator 3D-Printed Disk Generator Created with Neodymium Magnets and Handmade Coils

Disk generators are DC electrical generators that produce very high currents at low voltages for any number of applications, including welding, electrolysis, and, most recently, rail guns. Self-proclaimed full-time nerd and project maker Fab designed the Nerdiskerator (NERdiys DISK genERATOR) for his WinDIY (mostly 3D-printed) HAWT Wind Turbine, which autonomously adapts to current wind conditions for generating wind power.

Fab developed his disk generator using 40 neodymium magnets, 12 hand-wound copper coils, and a pair of rotor disks, each containing 20 magnets and a single ball bearing. The coil cores were cast with epoxy (to hold the position for final assembly) and secured with a screw between two 3D-printed coil clamps using ASA filament, which can better handle higher temperatures and keep the stators from deforming. Fab embedded several NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistors between the coils to keep tabs on the heat when the power is increased.

Fab’s initial prototype of the Nerdiskerator had the coils affixed in the rotor with screws, and thus only held four of the 12 coils, but it allowed him to test his design. “A first test with the cordless screwdriver showed an electrical output power of ~ 23W,” stated Fab. “There is certainly more here. But I think that the cordless screwdriver was not able to deliver more mechanical power to the shaft of the generator. More mechanical power would, of course, also lead to a higher electrical output of the generator.”

Fab has uploaded detailed walkthroughs of the Nerdiskerator and WinDIY on his Hackaday project pages for anyone who would like to follow along in his ongoing build process.