Mini-Windmill toy project gone wrong

[Christ]

I tried to build a mini-wind mill from a few popsicle sticks and a HDD motor (Computer hard drive) but apparently, the HDD motor won't produce power, only consume it.

Anyway, it was turning out pretty good, but didn't work, and wouldn't have been very efficient, since those motors are high-initial resistance (Until it hits high speed, you can actually feel the magnetic force acting on the armature.. It feels like it clicks around)

Here are pics, though:

[cfg83]

Christ -

I don't blame you for trying. The hard disk motors I have yanked appear to be sooooooo smooth.

CarloSW2

[Christ]

I actually did it to prove a point to my sister in law.

We just had 15+ windmills go up on the hill behind my house... they all face different directions, and the average windspeed out here is about 1/2 of what is necessary for a 15 year payoff. Yet, the school district invested in them. Go figure.

So she was asking what's really involved in making power from wind... I explained it, but she didn't really get it. You could tell by the look in her eyes. It was cute, honestly. Anyway, I got some fudge-sicles, and we ate them. I took the sticks, angled them, glued them to the bottom of a pre-natal vitamin bottle from my wife's stash of empties, and glued that to the HDD motor. I didn't test anything before hand, though.

I did find out that the angles I used were good for pushing air, though... a quick flip of those blades and you could feel some air move about 10 feet away!