Low-Cost Generator Design: Best Neodymium Magnet Shapes for AFPM
Low-Cost Generator Design: Best Neodymium Magnet Shapes for AFPM
(OP)
This continues from my other post titled "Low-Cost Generator Design" to help the poor people in our country recover from the earthquake devastation here.
I need to design a low-cost generator that can produce about 80W/hour and 160W/hour. I see various AFPM (Axial Flux Permanent Magnet) designs, but I don't know how to evaluate which are the best approaches. I wrote down questions that I'm trying to solve:
I need to design a low-cost generator that can produce about 80W/hour and 160W/hour. I see various AFPM (Axial Flux Permanent Magnet) designs, but I don't know how to evaluate which are the best approaches. I wrote down questions that I'm trying to solve:
- What is the best magnet shape in regards to overall generator performance and cost? Rectangular or Arc-Segment?
- Is it more cost effective to use larger weaker magnets with longer coils for the magnets to cross over?
- Is it more cost effective to implement an iron-core into the design rather than an air-core?
- Instead of wrapping several iron straps into a core, why not use Carbonyl Iron or similar iron/resin mixture to make the iron core?
- Can place coils on both side of the iron core (top and bottom) and sandwich them in between a matching pair of magnets? I was wondering if this offered greater efficiency.
- Can I overlap each of the 3 coil phases onto each other to squeeze in more performance?
- Is there any advantage to spreading the coils out wider and more flat? or should I just keep the coils as round or square based upon some of the principals found in the Brook Coil design?
- What formulas help me to correctly design an axial-flux generator to maximum potential?




