Windmill

Basic windmill attached to a house.

A windmill is a multi-block structure that transforms wind into mechanical power . Mechanical power can be used to automate a quern , and is necessary to operate a helve hammer and pulverizer .

Building considerations

See also: Weather

When choosing a location for a windmill, the only geographical factor to consider is elevation. Setting up a windmill often involves building a dedicated tall structure or tower to maximize its elevation while making it accessible. Elevation is the number of blocks above sea level , which affects wind speed.

• In a world with default height settings, sea level is at Y-level 110.
• Starting from 10 blocks above sea level, wind speed receives a multiplicative bonus of 1% per block of elevation.
• For every block below sea level, wind speed falls drastically. At 4 blocks below, speed is reduced by 50%. At 16 blocks below, speed is reduced by 80%. The maximum wind speed reduction is 96.5%.
• If there is no wind currently present, wind speed will be 0, regardless of elevation.

The structure itself also needs to have clearance around the windmill rotor for the sails to rotate freely. If a sail collides with a solid block, all of the sails will break and drop as items. Windmills do not work underground or inside buildings, as they require a sunlight level of 5 or higher. If multiple rotors are located too close to each other, each windmill will be affected by turbulence and its power output will be halved. A windmill's turbulence radius is 1.5 times its sail radius (e.g., for a windmill with 10-block-long sails, another rotor cannot be present within 15 blocks).

Materials

There are two types of windmills: normal and large. A large windmill produces more power than a normal windmill, but its materials require progression into the iron age . Each type of windmill uses a different type of rotor and sail that cannot be interchanged.

Windmill rotor

The rotor is the mechanism that holds the sails. The wooden and metal rotors are used in normal and large windmills, respectively. For the metal rotor, the following material types must be used:

• Support beam : oak, maple, kapok, redwood, ebony, walnut, or purpleheart
• Heavy metal bracket: iron , meteoric iron , or steel

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
1x Hammer 1x Chisel 2x Log 1x Resin 1x Rendered fat

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
4x Rod 4x Heavy bracket 4x Support beam

Sails

Sails are the wind-catching parts that generate wind power. The windmill sail and large windmill sail are used in normal and large windmills, respectively. For the large windmill sail, the following material types must be used:

• Support beam : oak, maple, kapok, redwood, ebony, walnut, or purpleheart

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
4x Support beam 6x Stick 4x Linen

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
8x Support beam 12x Board 8x Linen

Sails are created in sets, with 1 set containing 4 sails. The total material costs are as follows:

Sail type	Material	1 set	2 sets	3 sets	4 sets	5 sets	6 sets	7 sets	8 sets	9 sets	10 sets
Normal	Support beam	4	8	12	16	20
	Stick	6	12	18	24	30
	Linen	4	8	12	16	20
Large	Support beam	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72	80
	Board	12	24	36	48	60	72	84	96	108	120
	Linen	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72	80

The rotor's Block info HUD shows the current wind speed and potential power output. Adding a set of sails will increase a windmill's sail length and its required clearance by 1 block. For a normal windmill, 1 set of sails has a potential power output of 20 kN at 100% wind speed, 2 sets have a potential output of 40 kN, and so on. This does not account for changes in wind speed—if wind speed drops to 50%, 2 sets of sails will only produce 20 kN.

• 1 set of sails (20 kN) can power a quern or pulverizer with a strong breeze, albeit slowly.
• 1 set of sails is not enough to start a helve hammer at sea level, even with storm-level winds. 2 sets of sails (40 kN) can power a helve hammer with a strong breeze, albeit slowly. 3 sets of sails (60 kN) can power a helve hammer with a medium breeze, albeit slowly.

A large windmill can hold 10 sets of sails, with each set having a potential power output of 25 kN.

More sails on a windmill do not necessarily make machines faster. Rather, more sails can make the difference in getting a machine to start in lower, less favorable wind conditions. One way to achieve higher machine speeds is to "change gears," as described in Mechanical power .

Wooden axle

A wooden axle transmits mechanical power in a straight line. These can be placed vertically or horizontally in any direction. The player may need to place a supporting block before placing an axle in the desired position; afterward, the supporting block can be broken safely.

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
1x Hammer 1x Chisel 1x Log 1x Rendered fat

Angled gear

An angled gear allows mechanical power to make a right-angle turn by connecting a horizontal axle to a vertical one. It is one of several optional mechanical parts that may be used, depending on the power train design.

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
1x Hammer 1x Saw 2x Stick 1x Chisel 1x Resin 1x Log 1x Rendered fat

Construction

1: Angled gear. 2: Wooden axle. 3: Rotor with sails.

A normal windmill requires up to 5 blocks of clearance between the rotor and ground (and in all other directions), depending on the number of sails. A large windmill requires up to 10 blocks of clearance.

	1. Begin by placing a wooden axle. Then, attach a rotor to it from the outside of the structure. It is recommended to place them in this order to ensure the rotor is immediately supported and oriented correctly.
	2. Next, add a set of sails by pressing on the rotor while holding 4 sails. More sails can be added at any point to increase the sail length.
	3. The windmill will spin if there is wind present. The player can then direct mechanical power from the axle elsewhere—to a clutch and transmission setup, a large wooden gear , or directly to a machine —using more axles to extend the line and angled gears to make right turns.

For power train designs, see Mechanical power .

Video tutorials

How To Build A Windmill & Automate a Quern.

History

Version		Description
1.11.0	pre.1	The windmill was introduced.
1.11.5		The maximum sail length was increased from 3 to 4 sets, with the output of 3 sets being readjusted to 75%.
1.12.6	rc.1	Windmills with a sail length of 2 or higher now ignore the outermost corner block when testing for breakage or sail addition validity.
1.12.9	rc.2	The maximum sail length was increased from 4 to 5 sets, with the output of 4 sets remaining unchanged at 100%.
1.21.0	rc.3	Windmill sails can now be stored as a ground pile.
1.22.0	pre.1	The large windmill and turbulence were introduced.

Notes

• The following command allows windmills to function at sunlight levels below 5: /worldconfig undergroundWindmills [true|false] (default: false). This can be useful if a windmill is not receiving enough light due to a nearby mountain or other landform.

References