Genny's

[missasip]

May 21, 2012 17:09:34 GMT -7 Cwi555 said:

May 21, 2012 16:29:23 GMT -7 missasip said:

No doubt. I've built several very simular. Though I would not use a generator at all. IIRC a VW gen is only about 28-35 amps and needs more consant speed and more rpm than an altenator. A 35-55 amp altenator of any brand will do a much better job. An altenator will start charging as soon as it starts spinning. Plus the charge rate is much easier to control.

But if your just wanting to use that generator, it'll will work, just not as effective or efficent.

Keep us up on your progress.

Jimmy

I picked up the parts at a VW show, 10 bucks for the gen and 20 for the regulator.
Correct me if I am wrong here, but this is my understanding of the alternator vs generator.

The circuitry of an alternator needs a good voltage from the battery to feed the alternator windings so that a magnetic field is established inside, before the spinning rotor produces anything as it needs feed back voltage. An alternator has diodes that convert the AC current which is rectified to produce DC. This is what feeds the back current to the battery. Alternators do produce more power over all, but my concern was in the need to produce a magnetic field in order to work properly. I don't think thats a good thing when it comes to EMP. An alternator does have a higher output, but the generator starts producing power as soon as it spins.

The EMP part is the primary purpose of doing it this way. I can also rebuild a generator a lot easier than trying to rebuild three stator windings and potentially blown diodes due to an overwhelmed P-N junction.



My understanding is that is the home threat to vehicles. If a current overwhelms the junction, it will fry it, and or degrade it to the point that it starts going downhill over time.

If I have the function and build of a generator vs alternator wrong let me know.

Ok you do have to produce a magnetic field with the generator also. They are the field coils that are mounted to the inside of the "can" of the gen body. The gen will not produce as soon as it starts spinning. In fact the rpms have to be in the 1500-2000 range before it will start to charge. It has to make enough current to close the contacts on the regulator before real charging can happen. Then remain high to continue charging at a good enough rate. When I worked on these for a living in CA, we used to do some mods to the little gas tractors that were being used for spray rigs. Used as a spray rig they travel extremly slow and the batteries would go dead.
We tried reducing the pulley diameter to spend the gen spend faster adit worked better, but spinning a gen that fast has it's drawbacks. #1 being thrown solder from the armature.

Sooo we changed them to altenators and proble sloved. The alt can charge at very low rpms. We put just a small 35 amp Delco with a Chrsyler 2 pole regulator. Simple, cheap and works perfectly.

Yes you do need some voltage to excite the rotor, but normally there is quite a bit of redesital (sp) magnetism left. Plus you can get rotors that are self exciting. The slipring/brushes/regulator take over the charging.

I'm in the process of aquiring parts to build a new battery charger. It will use a 5 hp horizonal shaft motor, 100-120 amp alt and that good old Chrsyler regulator.

Clear as mud huh.

Jimmy

[Cwi555]

Clear to me. Thanks for the info, think i have what i need to know to continue.

[onidah]

May 19, 2012 10:32:20 GMT -7 missasip said:

One other thing I forgot to mention. If you want to get the max life and use from your genset, purchase a $15-20 box fan to set in front of it. This will take maybe 50-100 watts. That is nothing compared to the life extention to your engine. Moving that air thru your set will make it run cooler and be more efficent.

Jimmy

Or get a water-cooled generator like the Honda ES6500.

[onidah]

Start by figuring out how you are going to store the fuel and how you are going the run the power to your house or appliances, then get the generator. So many people do it in reverse order. Unfortunately, generators make poor wheelbarrows if you don't have any fuel for them.

We started by getting a 550-gallon tank with a 12-volt pump for unleaded gas. We then had a transfer switch installed for the important circuits in our house by a neighbor who was an unemployed electrician at the time. Then we found a great deal on a Honda ES6500 generator with only 19 hours on it. We had to go with a larger generator so that it could run our well pump.

My reasoning for the above order is that if I have gas and a way to run the power into my home there will be plenty of generators around with empty tanks in an extended emergency that I could borrow, trade for, or buy if necessary. However, if I bought the generator first, how long would I be able to run it with the little bit of gas I used to store?

Now, at roughly one gallon per hour, we can run our generator for about an hour a day (which should be enough to get the essentials taken care of) for many months.

I just need to remember to run our generator (not just the engine) on a more regular basis to help make sure that it will be ready when needed. I also need to finish making a different muffler/silencer system to help quiet the generator. My plan is to run the exhaust through a nice muffler before running it through several underground chambers.

Onidah

[ColcordMama]

Welcome to the discussion board, Onidah. How about going to the Introductions forum and letting the rest of the folks welcome you too?

[olebama]

I have a 3500 watt generator (gasoline). When I was trying to decide on what to buy, I was considering a gasoline and a natural gas one (plumbed into the underground gas line). I decided on gasoline because of portability. I could take this to another family member's house if necessary.

I also got my electrician BIL to help me install some lines into the house. When I need the generator, I move it to my designated site. I have a line with two male plugs. ONe to the generator and one into a box on the outside of the house. This box has lines run to three plugs into the house. I have painted these plugs red. They will ONLY work when connected to the generator. They are NOT connected to the power company. This way, I don't have doors and windows cracked open to run an extension cord into the house.

[onidah]

May 29, 2012 16:47:49 GMT -7 ColcordMama said:

Welcome to the discussion board, Onidah. How about going to the Introductions forum and letting the rest of the folks welcome you too?

Done. Sorry for not doing it sooner.

Onidah