http://web.archive.org/web/20031012091914/http://mindismoving.org/hexayurt/hexayurt_gallery/hexayurt_gallery.html
The very first ever built. You can just about see the solar powered
swamp cooler. It used a different design from the current models, I
dunno if it's better or worse, but let me try and describe it.
The Electrical Part
=====
12v output solar panel connected directly to a computer case fan. All
very basic, no batteries.
The Water and Air Part
=====
The container was a large plastic tub from Wal-Mart. High up in one side
I cut a hole for the case fan, and mounted it sucking air out of the
box. In the other end I cut another hole, as large as I could manage
while still leaving a six inch "bathtub" in the floor.
In the sides, I drilled a series of tiny holes with an awl. Each hole
held a twister paperclip. The paperclips were stuck through hanging
washcloths, literally rags like you can buy in big bags in the car
section of hardware stores. The rags were arranged in a zig-zag pattern
like so:
|-------- |
| --------|
|-------- |
| --------|
|-------- |
| --------|
|-------- |
| --------|
Here's the clever bit. To stop air going up over the top of the baffles,
a sheet of plastic (from a strong garbage bag) was placed on top of the
box before the lid was closed. The suction of the fan pulled it down
tight on top of the baffles, and that kept the entire thing sealed
effectively enough to hold the airflow.
Just fill with a few gallons of water and turn on. The rags soaked up
the water and produced a long, long, long airflow path through the box,
with roughly laminar airflow (it's convoluted, but with large turning
radiuses at the corners.) Off a 10w panel, the 6' hexayurt would get
good-and-cold but the best application was as a refrigerator. We'd just
put cans in the water and they'd get chilled. It was heaven. Important
to insulate the base otherwise your precious cold goes straight into the
ground. Air intake was recirculating air from the hexayurt, rather than
outside air, I'm still not sure which approach is best for that.
I never documented the design properly - we didn't get pictures, it was
the early days! - sorry, that might have been useful at some point. It
was pretty easy and pretty forgiving, and as cheap as cheap can be.
Enjoy,
Vinay
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