Spinning Wheel Of Color
Anyone who says you can’t see the wind hasn’t seen a group of Whirlydoodle wind turbines in action. When a wind current moves through one, the LED lights change from red at low wind speeds to green to a full spectrum of color that gets brighter as the wind speed increases. The spinning light can be seen as far as a half-mile away.
The colorful spinner was invented by Timothy Jones of Ann Arbor, Mich., who has had a lifetime fascination with windmills. The Whirlydoodle is a simple device with a 20-in. blade made out of clear high-strength polycarbonate plastic fitted with 18 multi-colored LED lights connected to a high efficiency generator. Wind spins the blade to power the generator to light the LED’s.
Assembled in Michigan, the Whirlydoodle sells for $50 (plus shipping) and is popular with gardeners, homeowners, wind enthusiasts and grandparents eager to impress their grandchildren. The spinning light show also attracts the attention of teachers who use them as an educational tool as well as people interested in public art.
The colorful turbines were a big hit when he partnered with the City of Ann Arbor to test them as public art by mounting them on street poles. Jones hopes to create the world’s largest windmill farm, in terms of the number of windmills, by installing 1,000 of them in a landscape public art display.
Work on the next generation of Whirlydoodles has started with University of Michigan mechanical engineering students studying the existing design and conducting wind tunnel tests. By late summer, Jones hopes to have more shapes and versions available as well as a new form of solar-powered art.
The Whirlydoodle is mounted on a piece of metal pipe that slips over a 1/2-in. OD pipe (supplied by the customer). It can be displayed in a variety of places – in the garden, on fence posts and on a deck, for example.
Check out videos of it in action on the Whirlydoodle website.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tim Jones, Whirlydoodle, 410 Jackson Plaza, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48103 (ph 734 546-8549; www.whirlydoodle.com).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
Spinning Wheel Of Color FARM HOME Miscellaneous Anyone who says you can’t see the wind hasn’t seen a group of Whirlydoodle wind turbines in action When a wind current moves through one the LED lights change from red at low wind speeds to green to a full spectrum of color that gets brighter as the wind speed increases The spinning light can be seen as far as a half-mile away The colorful spinner was invented by Timothy Jones of Ann Arbor Mich who has had a lifetime fascination with windmills The Whirlydoodle is a simple device with a 20-in blade made out of clear high-strength polycarbonate plastic fitted with 18 multi-colored LED lights connected to a high efficiency generator Wind spins the blade to power the generator to light the LED’s Assembled in Michigan the Whirlydoodle sells for $50 plus shipping and is popular with gardeners homeowners wind enthusiasts and grandparents eager to impress their grandchildren The spinning light show also attracts the attention of teachers who use them as an educational tool as well as people interested in public art The colorful turbines were a big hit when he partnered with the City of Ann Arbor to test them as public art by mounting them on street poles Jones hopes to create the world’s largest windmill farm in terms of the number of windmills by installing 1 000 of them in a landscape public art display Work on the next generation of Whirlydoodles has started with University of Michigan mechanical engineering students studying the existing design and conducting wind tunnel tests By late summer Jones hopes to have more shapes and versions available as well as a new form of solar-powered art The Whirlydoodle is mounted on a piece of metal pipe that slips over a 1/2-in OD pipe supplied by the customer It can be displayed in a variety of places – in the garden on fence posts and on a deck for example Check out videos of it in action on the Whirlydoodle website Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tim Jones Whirlydoodle 410 Jackson Plaza Suite 200 Ann Arbor Mich 48103 ph 734 546-8549; www whirlydoodle com
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click
here to register with your account number.
