48VDC generator head

Re: 48VDC generator head

You see, these are the times I want a DC genset for - we woke up this morning and our little MidNite battery meter had gone from green to yellow on the left side:

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That little MidNite meter, at first glance, might seem like a very useful thing because it's too simple. But it is. I was sort of shocked to see that light not green because we had an excellent power week last week. For folks who don't have one of these meters, if that light stays green it means your bank has been properly absorbed in the last week. If it turns yellow it means your bank has not received a proper absorb cycle for one week. If it turns red it means you don't care about your batteries and you should crate them up right away and send them to me so I can put them on with my bank and take better care of them for you

So with the yellow light it means I have to run a low voltage EQ cycle for at least two hours, a couple tenths of a volt above the normal absorb voltage. Except for one problem - not QUITE enough RE power today from the wind turbines and solar panels to get it done. When the wind picks up the Classics were going to Equalize, but then the wind dies down a bit and they drop back to EQ MPPT, sometimes a couple volts below the target voltage.

There's only one thing on days like that, that is going to get the job done - the generator - and supplying enough power to hold the voltage at the EQ level. So now what do we have? A Honda EM4000SX generator running at about 4-5 amps load for 2 hours. This is where an inverter gen would be nice. But it's also where a DC generator would be nice because the DC generator can supply the power right to the bank without having to go thru the inverter charger, and it could do it with the little GX160 just idling at 2200-2300 rpm.

The sooner I get this little DC generator built, the better it will be.
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Chris

Re: 48VDC generator head

solarvic wrote: »

Chris, Do you think a little champion like this might work? http://www.championpowerequipment.com/generators/42451/ Solarvic I saw one at Tractor supply today. Think it was $199.00.

Oh yeah. For small stuff it would be fine. I've found nothing wrong with those Champion generators. I think they're a pretty good unit.

I have to pick up a couple PS205 bearings tomorrow so I can mount the generator on this thing and get the stator support welded into place.

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I found a 9.75" diameter cast iron, balanced pulley. So I need a 3.9" B-width pulley for the engine crankshaft. Once I get the generator mounted and the stator support on it, then I'll know exactly where the engine has to go so I can weld on the engine mount plate. I think I'm going to mount the engine with rubber isolators. The Honda rotates counterclockwise viewed from the PTO end, so the belt tighter pulley/clutch will go on the top of the belt.
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Chris

Re: 48VDC generator head

solarvic wrote: »

Chris, I am very interested in this project and hope there will be more pictures. Are you planning on putting any shields around the rotor and stator similar to shielding over a snowmobile clutch?

Oh yeah! It'll have a heavy duty scatter shield over it. If that axial generator ever explodes it would blow holes the size of your fist in the shop ceiling.

I just figured it out - each of those magnets on the rotors weighs about one pound. At rated power the magnets are traveling at 92 ft/sec. So if a magnet departs from a rotor it carries about the same amount of energy as a bullet from a large caliber handgun, except that the magnets are 2" square. Suffice it say a human would be severely damaged if he got hit by a magnet coming off that rotor.
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Chris