Hi everybody!
I want to thank everyone for a great FIRST season.
In the mean time to improve on my engineering knowledge I took on a project that involves testing different configurations of a flywheel. To start this project I will need to find a suitable motor to spin the flywheel and a generator with a resistor block to simulate load. From there the calculations for the flywheel will be made (Size, mass etc…) and the different configurations tested. The problem is that there are so many companies offering motors and so few offering generators, that I got lost. I would appreciate any suggestions from you, the bright minds of FIRST.
For the power of a motor a figure of 1/3HP was thrown (Does any one by any chance have any idea on how to convert that into Watts?), since the power rating of the motor is the starting point I’m open to suggestions in this aspect. The motor should be around 12V DC, since this is one of the most common voltages. The generator should have a rating comparable that of the motor, so it would be able to effectively provide the load on the flywheel. A built in tachometer would be a nice feature to have.
If anybody has any suggestions to where I could find those materials I would really appreciate it. I will keep posting the progress of the project once I get it started.
Thanks a lot for your support!
Eugene