Water Turbine Generator – 5V DC

Hydro power generators are one of the eco-friendliest ways to produce energy. Many who think about waterpower imagine large water wheels spinning in a flowing river, but we don’t actually need a whole river to harness the power of water. We have pipes with flowing water to our gardens, fish tanks or fountains. Granted, pipes are far smaller than rivers and the energy output you could get will also be a lot smaller. But, Makers can use handy water turbine modules to power many lightweight appliances like their fun electronics projects. This Water Turbine Generator from DFRobot fits onto your G1/2” piping and produces up to 5V DC!

This generator can act as the perfect power supply to your Arduino board or most other light electronics. Designed to easily fit onto the outlet of your piping system, the Water Turbine Generator contains a small water rotor that rotates as the water flows through. The energy produced is transferred through its 2-pin dupont connector with a maximum of 150Ma output current. A great use of the DFRobot Water Turbine Generator is to set it to work with lithium battery charger. That way you can reserve backup energy into your lithium batteries when your project doesn’t need to be powered. The battery also helps to stabilise the voltage output, ensuring that the generator never spikes or dips in a way that damages whatever it’s connected to.

As a final note, it’s important to consider the maximum operating temperature of 80°C. Exposing the parts within the generator to temperatures exceeding this level can cause damage.

Typical Applications for the Water Turbine Generator:

The Water Turbine Generator of 5V DC is a handy gadget for a wide range of different applications, and can be used within all kinds of liquid-based projects like microbreweries, water level monitors or even just connected to your indoor plumbing. It uses the flow and pressure of liquids to generate clean, renewable energy for lightweight projects requiring up to 5V, or to simply subsidise the energy required by larger systems.

As such, customers who have purchased this generator have reported success with the following projects:

• Building a smart faucet that powers its own flow control system.
• Creating a water powered lithium battery charger.
• Making a shower room lighting system that is powered by its piping system.

As you can see, wherever liquids offer flow or pressure, this Micro Hydro Generator can be utilised for exciting projects. Whether you want to power an entire project or are simply eager to subsidise the energy consumption of a project with clean, renewable (and free) energy, this generator is a great investment.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.