Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Alternator using printed circuit board stators

Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Alternators (AFPMA) are a popular choice for small-scale off-grid wind turbine applications. Many off-grid wind power systems are home-built by energy conscience hobbyists. Building alternators of this type often require stators to also be built from scratch. The task of winding stators for an axial flux alternator is tedious and complicated. Recently, printed circuit board stators have appeared in the market place. The performance of these radical new stators has, until now, been unknown. It was the purpose of this research to build and test an AFPMA using these new stators and compare the results, specifically output power, to alternators of similar size using traditional wound stators.