New changes coming soon

July 11, 2026, 08:01:16 PM

Hello everybody,

There will be some changes coming to the forum soon. Not major changes, but a restructuring of the Categories and Boards. They will be simplified in a way to stay focused mainly on DIY alternative energy and off-grid and remote living. And they will be reorganized to make it easier for users to figure out the best place to post their questions or projects.

When I put this forum together, I didn’t have much experience with forums. I created too many categories and boards that made the forum look confusing, so I decided to ask for help from some of the experienced forum members.

You have probably wondered why some members have the title “Driver” under their names. Those are members of a group called Steering Group.

The members of this group will be able to suggest and recommend forum structural changes, like new sections, categories, boards, etc. They can provide input on key decisions like major website changes or upgrades, and they will help to maintain technical credibility and accurate evidence-based discussions to ensure that we build a database with high-quality content that will provide useful material for the users of the forum.

Basically, they will help to guide the forum’s long-term direction to make sure that we grow this community in a healthy way that will benefit all members and users.

This Group does not have moderation or administration roles; that will be the responsibility of the moderators and administrators.
I chose the team members based on their experience with forums and also based on their knowledge with DIY alternative energy, especially wind power. So far, this team has done great work.

Personally, I haven’t had much time to dedicate to the forum. There have been a lot of exciting things happening in my life that require a lot of work and time. Also, some not so exiting everyday breakdowns and annoyances that have taken a lot of my time because I am by nature a DIY type. Now, I’m finally getting caught up.

I have a lot of projects that I want to post that I think will be of interest to the users.

The projects that I want to post include:

An axial flux alternator using neodymium magnets with the magnets of different thickness that can be stacked to create thicknesses from .25 inch to over 1 inch. I want to compare power output at different thicknesses.

A medium-size axial flux alternator using ceramic (ferrite) magnets.

A small alternator using small neodymium magnets to be powered with a regular bicycle to charge a battery. This system will have a USB regulated power supply output that can be used to charge a cell phone.

I also want to build a medium-size Hugh Piggott type alternator.

All these projects will have lots of clear pictures and complete specifications including output power at different RPM. That way anybody that want to build a similar system will know exactly what to do. Most of the projects will use inexpensive and easy to find parts.

I also want to post about some experiments that I’m doing growing vegetables, and many other projects that can be useful to users.

The restructuring of the categories and boards will be taking place in the next few days. In order to complete the changes, the website will be in maintenance mode for a day or two.

Thank you all for continuing to post and a special thank you to the Drivers for all their help.

Ed

Re: New changes coming soon

Reply #1 – July 13, 2026, 08:48:57 PM

Hello everyone again!

The changes have been made but it still not perfect.

That is why I created a new board named: Forum Help & Suggestions. That gives everyone the opportunity to contribute by making suggestions. Anything that you would like to see, or would like different, you can participate by posting it there. Then we can eventually make it perfect