Do you remember a time when you could only listen to the radio on windy days? Take a look back at Wincharger and other early wind energy devices.
From what I have read, Thomas Edison envisioned using direct current (DC) for power. Thankfully, that never came to fruition, as DC does not travel long distances efficiently. Its main use today is in diesel electric locomotives, where it is a good fit.
One day, while I was giving a group of ladies a tour of our museum, an older lady looked up at our Wincharger and said something to the effect that, when she was a kid, they could listen to “The Lone Ranger” after school only if the wind was blowing. If there was no wind, the battery would not stand the strain of the drain. There’d be too little energy left for Dad to hear the evening news with Gabriel Heatter!
Wincharger was well-balanced
The Wincharger pictured here was sold to be roof-mounted with the express purpose of providing a few amps of 6-volt power, being able to power more than just a radio. Those of us who are old enough can remember the cheery glow coming from the radio, as well as the radio being warm to the touch, in contrast to our transistor units of today, where a little 9-volt battery would last for weeks.
The silver paddles on the unit pictured swing out to prevent over-speeding, acting as “air brakes.” The larger three-blade unit is believed to be from Allied-Jacobs, developed by Mr. Jacobs, an early proponent of wind power. Fortunately, this set of blades was laying in the back of a pickup driven by a fellow who stopped to buy gas at my brother Mike’s station, and Mike bought the blades.
Thinking back, someone many years ago got highline power and had the presence of mind to take the wind generator down, as these blades show very little wear and the paint is intact. On the back side of the blades, close to the hub, are governor weights designed to turn the blades straighter, to avoid over-speeding.
The blades were carefully balanced. One has no weights, the others come to this one. Small red teardrops are several ply thick, in some places three or so, others only one or two. Thus, the unit was well-balanced and would run without vibration.
I offered to pay my brother, but he retorted, “None of your d*** business what I paid! You can have them for the museum!” (Thanks, Mike!)
Batteries subsidized the wind
Delco Light made storage battery generating systems from 1916 to 1947. The most popular was the 32-volt unit, with wind as well as a gas engine to keep the batteries charged. These involved 16 2-volt batteries and required keeping the batteries “topped up” with distilled water often if used hard.
In our travels as well drillers, we often find items of interest. The piece shown was, at one time, a large wind generator, as indicated by the size of the tail. This would have produced a fair amount of energy. So it goes. FC
Jim and Joan Lacey operate Little Village Farm, a museum of farm collectibles housed in 10 buildings at their home near Dell Rapids, S.D. Contact them at (605) 428-5979.
