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Old 26-12-2022, 09:14   #1
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Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

A recent study listed the Automaxx 400 as one of the top 10 wind generators on the market. I liked the unit for its price, size, and weight. I really do not have room for a larger unit.

I recently purchased one of these windmills from EcoMart and I am quite disappointed in what I received. The specifications and marketing information, available*pre-purchase,*describe*the unit as a 400 watt unit at a certain wind speed. However, the manual that accompanied the unit indicates that the integral MMPT controller is set to limit the windmill's output to 20 amps or 240 watts at 12.0 volts DC or 286 watts at 14.3 volts DC. This windmill can never attain its rated output with this 20 amp limit. I find this very mis-leading.

Also, the deliberate downrating of a device to 60 or 70% of its published rating also suggests a potential durability issue if the unit were to be run at its rated output.

Has anyone had experience with these generators?
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Old 28-12-2022, 07:11   #2
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

I did get a response from EcoMart. They claim the unit is rated at 20 vdc max (the manual says 15 vdc max) so that 18 volt (?) batteries can be properly charged.

This sounds like a bit of smoke and mirrors. Are there really 18 volt marine batteries out there?
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Old 31-05-2023, 06:19   #3
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

After several months of use, I can report that the unit, with one exception, never output more than 5 amps at 12.7 volts, barely enough to keep the refrigeration unit running.

The one exception was a one time surge in output voltage to 16.8 volts that shut down all my electronics with overvoltage protection.

I appear to have purchased a very expensive 60 watt trickle charger.
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Old 31-05-2023, 06:37   #4
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

Oof. However pretty much inline with the dismal performance of other marine wind turbines.

While it should have been marketed as 286W (or 300W) it is likely that downsizing the MPPT had no negative impact on performance.

Wind is just terrible for boats. When solar was $20/watt and boat power consumption were a lot more modest wind made a bit more sense. With solar at $1/watt and advanced MPPT controllers to eake out all the power even under non-ideal conditions and electrical demands on modern boats so high wind (on boats) seems dead. Haven't met anyone in the last 5 years who had anything good to say about their wind turbine.
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Old 31-05-2023, 06:49   #5
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

The 16.8 volt output is particularly worrisome as I expected the MPPT to shut the unit down before the output reached that high a voltage. When the warranty runs out, I plan to try to bypass the internal MPPT and run the output to an external MPPT that can be programmed.
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Old 31-05-2023, 09:17   #6
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

Sounds a bit like my cheap "Nature Power" 400 watt generator. In reality, it puts out 250 watts. If it ever goes above 300, or the wind tops 25 knots, it goes right into safety mode. As best I can make out from the terse manual, its limited by maximum RPM, not the power output.

That said, there were days in the winter, when the wind was pretty steady (not gusty) that it produced all the power I needed. I got nothing from solar on those days. So it still has its place.

Some neighbors have five-blade generators that start at lower speeds and are much quieter. But I could get two (or ten!) of of these cheap ones for the cost of one of those.
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Old 31-05-2023, 11:50   #7
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by crosswire View Post
After several months of use, I can report that the unit, with one exception, never output more than 5 amps at 12.7 volts, barely enough to keep the refrigeration unit running.
But that's still 5 amps of power you wouldn't have otherwise, and unlike solar, it can contribute all night long.
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Old 01-06-2023, 06:34   #8
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Re: Automaxx 400 watt wind generator

Regrettably, the 5 amps was not continuous, it was a maximum. The unit output was oscillating between 0 to 5 amps with a load of 8 to 10 amps on the battery bank and wind across the deck of 15 to 18 knots. The maximum rated wind speed for the unit is 25 knots. I would have liked to have seen at least a fairly steady 10 amp output.

The output varied as the unit twisted around the axis of the mast in response to boat movement. I had thought there would be some gyroscopic action that would keep the unit somewhat steady, but not so. My previous wind generator was a four winds II and it was much more stable as the boat rolled.
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