DC motor as generator.

[7yler]

I am attempting to build a wind turbine, as many have successfully. I have read that a permanent magnet dc motor out of a treadmill will serve well as the generator for the turbine. I'm not very electrically savvy, but I'm attempting to learn. I hooked up the red wire on the motor to the red wire on my meter, and the black wire on the motor to the black wire on my meter. I then chucked the spindle of the motor and spun it in my drill to see if I could get a reading on the meter. I had no reading on any of the "DC V" settings, and no reading on any of the "AC V" settings. BUT, I did have a reading of around 10 on the "12A" setting. I tested all settings turning the motor clockwise, and well as ccw. What does this mean? Am I able to use this as a generator for a wind turbine? Thanks for any help.

[myocardia]

Hello, 7yler. Welcome to Nature2Energy. It sounds to me as if you either made a mistake or two with your meter, or more likely, it is just malfunctioning, and you need a new meter. DC motors are definitely not the best motors for use in wind turbines, but since you already have this one, you might as well use it. After it wears out in the next few months to a year, you can replace it with an AC motor that will last many times as long.

Just make sure that you mount the turbine mounted a minimum of 10 feet, and preferably 25-30 feet above the nearest trees or structures. Good luck, and if you have any other questions, just let us know.