Video The Whirlydoodle Project Makes Fun, Spinning Things (Video) 34
Timothy Jones: Hello. My name is Timothy Jones, and I’m the creator of the Whirlydoodle. Instead
of giving you a numerical number for wind speed, I’m giving you kind of a color value. Now, it’s not
perfectly linear, but it’s somewhat linear. And they’re a lot of fun. You could learn a lot about the wind
based on observing the patterns of the wind and the direction of the wind.
Our design is a tailless wind-mill design, which tracks the wind, it ends up down wind, and it’s visible
from 360 degrees. So you can tell the wind speed, you can tell the direction.
What we have here is an illustration of all the components in a generator. And so, we have them laid
out in different ways. We have different cross-sectional views. We have an exploded view. And here we
have a modified exploded view with all the components laid out.
Then you can also generate electricity with this. And what this is, is we have three identical generators
with different amounts of load on them. This generator has no load, so you get an idea what kind of
friction is involved in just rotating a generator without load. This has about maybe a 1 watt load. This
has twice that load there, so maybe 2 watts. And you can tell the difference between how much force it
takes to rotate the generator to generate electricity.
Slashdot: Cool. Thanks a lot.
Timothy Jones: You have some questions or you want to play with this? You can turn these generators if
you want.
Bystander: Yeah, I’ve seen these all around Ann Arbor. I read an article about your invention – you are
the inventor, right? – in AnnArbor.com. It’s really an interesting article.
Timothy Jones: Yeah, cool. Thanks. Yeah, there is a lot of cool things with components and things. I like
taking things apart.
Re: (Score:2)
The end is coming. /. has jumped the shark.
Slashdot just got dropped from one of my select array of home tabs.
editors, please (Score:2)
Is it likely? No.
Re:editors, please (Score:4, Insightful)
Broken isn't a comparative concept. Stupid and sloppy, on the other hand.... I mean httpio:wwwannarborcomentertainmentwhirlydoodle-projectUGI3U41lTnh, that doesn't pass even the most basic sanity test.
What do editors do? They clearly don't edit!
Hey, underemployed technical writer here! Gimme a call.
Re: (Score:2)
Hell, that's something that can be tested by computers! A basic sanity test could just run curl or wget on every link to verify that it's correct and that there's something there (it oculd be completely wrong, but at least you know it's reachable.).
You'd think they could test it using slashcode or something.
Re: (Score:2)
Huh, you're completely right.
I sometimes have jobs that require me to edit HTML by hand. (Once my team wrote a whole goddamn book that way [amazon.com]; yes, I know it's lame, we inherited the workflow from a simpler age). For obvious reasons, I used a Firefox plugin that color coded all my links based on the HTTP codes they returned. Anyone know a Chrome plugin that does the same thing?
But all that requires planning and motivation.
Re: (Score:2)
They've been replaced by a script. Broken script to be exact.
Re: (Score:3)
This [annarbor.com] may (MAY!!) be the correct link. Gees, I've never seen such a botched URL. Does the submitter not know how to copy a URL from the address bar and paste it in the submission? And why did it get past the "editor"?
The first link looks malformatted (Score:1)
Obligatory XKCD... (Score:2)
Look Maa..... (Score:1)
It's very likely I'm stupid (Score:2)
But my Linux box refuses to show me the marvels at "httpio:wwwannarborcomentertainmentwhirlydoodle-projectUGI3U41lTnh"!
Any chance to have a real URL?
Re: (Score:2)
This message has been sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field.
So you are the one sending the ripples, stop it now, I am getting sea sick!
Re: (Score:2)
This message has been sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field.
So you are the one sending the ripples, stop it now, I am getting sea sick!
Magnetic sea sick, you mean!
... and by the way (Score:2)
It looks so insignificant ...
Re: (Score:2)
Hopefully not, but you never know given the patent laws these days.
I used to build these things [abrij.org] when I got bored. There were others before [archive.org] me, and I suspect they have existed ever since the first appliances containing a stepper motor got old enough to be scavenged for components.
That said, I don't know if the claim that the pattern changes with windspeed is just based on the different voltages of different color LEDs. Once I put an independent timer that ran at an entirely different rate than the coils in
Supposed to be educational... (Score:2)
... but it's just a silly, useless toy.
I am so getting one!
Correct Link (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
.
And how bout them spiffy _pictures_?! Must suck pretty bad for them to not have video.
So what do we have here? (Score:1)
Spirogragh? On a computer? Has it already been patented?
By the way, it there a picture or something to see what the story is about?
Did not meet expectations. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Impact on insects? Birds? (Score:2)
Transparent spinning blades with lights on them attached to light poles. I wonder if moths and other insects end up getting attracted to the light and then get whacked by the blades. Hopefully birds are smart enough to stay clear.
Re: (Score:3)
If this were the case (it isn't, mine had no guts on them), then this would constitute a renewable powered bug zapper.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, a zapper that might indiscriminately spray bug guts onto the people walking below =)
And the real link is ... (Score:2)
... http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/whirlydoodle-project/ [annarbor.com]
Re: (Score:2)
permanent magnet is fixed, coils rotate with LEDs. easy peasy. Think of it this way with a common DC motor: The shaft is clamped to the pole, and the body of the motor is attached to the propeller. So the wiring all lives on the propeller.
This is the sort of stuff you make in elementary or jr. high school.
Sheldon
Dear Slashdot editor... (Score:2)
Dear Slashdot editor,
What exactly do you do? You clearly don't check hyperlinks in summaries, which are just about the most important concept on Slashdot (and the entire internet).
And no, for once, I'm actually not being facetious. I'd appreciate an answer.