DC Generator, Battery Bank Charger.
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- 100 Amp DC Meter
amzn.to/3UYDcSm
100 Amp AC Meter
amzn.to/43Vf3Ah
100 Watt Solar Panel
amzn.to/43XB5lL
8 Gauge Copper Ring Terminal 25 Pack
amzn.to/40yE94U
3 Pole Double Throw Electric Brake Safety Knife Switch 380V 100A
amzn.to/3H84QXq
100 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller
amzn.to/43XBXXz
3000 Watt Pure Sinewave Inverter
amzn.to/3n11Bu8
10AWG Solar Panel Extension Leads
amzn.to/3n1PVXV
Digital Temperature Controller Switch
amzn.to/3mVX4sH
12 Terminal Distribution Block Pair
amzn.to/41RhDFD
250 Amp Bus Bar Pair
amzn.to/41yN1J5
200mm Dc Fan
amzn.to/3N3c172
100 Amp Solid State Relay
amzn.to/3oFb2j6
SSR Heatsink
amzn.to/3oAhJDk
300 Amp DC 3 Way Switch
amzn.to/3H7GDQR
Tumo-Int 1000W MPPT Wind Turbine Controller (24V)
amzn.to/3LlOpt4
300 Amp 3-phase Rectifer
amzn.to/3N7O0vz
7" Universial Cooling Fan
amzn.to/3LokEaY
12V Solar Hot Water Heater Circulation Pump
amzn.to/41yWtfx
Portable Ceiling Fan Mini USB
amzn.to/3KXNsG1
Thermodyne Dump Load Controller
windturbineusa...
Theromdyne Dual Core PMA
windturbineusa...
3/8"Odx15'Ug Copper Coil
amzn.to/3LnTdhr
24V to 12V Step Down Voltage Converter
amzn.to/43VLnCW
Stainless Steel Supply Hose 1/2" I.P. Female Thread to 1/2" I.P. Female
amzn.to/3LobOKp
Here is an update on this generator...
czcams.com/video/Puj2umQ_bVs/video.html
don you think a 79cc 3hp would have the torque to turn a 220 amp alternator?
@@helivesinyou3208 it'll turn it but you'll never get max power out of it. You could always fab it up and if you find more power, swapping a bigger motor in is easy.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 thanks for the reply. I was told to expect around 100 to 120 amps anyway. I was thinking of going with a 6inch pulley so a 3:1 ratio should lower torque requirement but I really was just looking at efficiency. they say 1 pint gas per hour per HP is the calculation so I was just looking for bang for the buck here. charging a 8 battery deep-cell. when solar power wont hold through the night or cloudy day. right now I have a single phase 3/4 hp motor turning just a basic delco alternator prob 40 to 60 amp that I just plug in to my generator and let it go while chargeing the batterys I still have power from the generator for the camper but I just purchased a high output alternator and thought I could start this and keep the inverters going instead. figured it would be a lot more gas freindly
@@helivesinyou3208 is the alternator internally regulated? Traditional alternators have a hard time charging 8 batteries. They just don't have the duty cycle. I fried 4 delco 10si 150 amp and got about 4-6 momths out of each of them. The HUGE benifit to permanent magnet alternators is the output is easily regulated by speed. A traditional alt will try to make full power, even at low rpm and thats hard on the engine and voltage regulator. If its only charging 1-2 batteries thats not a big deal because it gets up to "goal voltage" fast and can load down. 8 batteties however.....do not climb in voltage fast so the alt have to continue to push amps until the regulator allows it. The rectifiers in them are not built for contineus full power. You could beef up the rectifier and get more life out of it but it will be very hard on that 3.5 hp engine.
I'm going to do another update on this gene aftet 3 years of use and some of the thing i've changed.
*I had great luck with my Thermdyne PMA's. I built 8 of these charging systems for all my neighbors and the PMA's are pumping out great power up here in the Alaska winters. It's true winters can be rough since the Sun is gone for almost 4 months a year. What else can we do but supplement with a genny.*
This is a no nonsense video describing reality and the issues that you will often face with "solar" systems. I actually prefer the term "Least Expensive Available Power" (LEAP) systems to "solar" - since solar is often in the dark and wind power often sucks >>>:) lol !
Haha!....ain't that the truth. Wind is rarely impressive here, better now with a good controller but solar makes in a day what wind does in a week. This generator was the 6th try at a good way to charge a battery bank. Before this i bought and killed 1(off the shelf) generator and 1 battery charger a year trying to top off 10 batteries. Normal equipment is not made to charge large banks. This however rocks! Year and a half later and zero signs of wear, loss of power. I swapped belts 3 times but they're being loaded down hard so whatever....$5. 1 gallon of gas gives me 3 tops off my 980ah bank and im good without sun or wind for 3-4 days.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Clearly, a good system. I had thought that this was a good, inexpensive approach just for economic reasons - but your experience shows that it is a good nuts and bolts system - a PMA run from a small 4 cycle. I really like it. Nice work ! So do you just run the PMA directly into your inverter charger ..... ? that is what I am planning to do.
What are you using to rectify the AC from the PMA ? Did you craft together a heavy duty full-bridge rectifier or did you find something off-the-shelf ?
@@smde1 using a solid state 300 amp, 3 phase rectifier on a large heat sink with a 120mm computer fan to keep it from melting down. From there, straight into the main buss bars.
I need a alternator battery charger like you built. I have a 560 amp hour lifepo4 24 volt battery that i built and another 24 volt 7kw battery i built from nissan leaf modules. I have plenty of solar and a couple 120v chargers but id really like one like you built. Im thinking ill order a 150 amp 24 volt alternator and get a motor from harbor freight. Thanks for showing how you built this
Great video and simple but reliable method to basically top off batteries. I chose to use a standard automotive alternator just for cost and logistics reasons. For those out there interested I found the technical people at Delco Remy very helpful with data and recommendations. I did find out that in general automotive alternators are good for up to 15,000 RPM so I put a larger pulley on my engine to keep the engine RPM lower than 3600 RPM.
Man... Outstanding!! Seriously!! I love it!!
Great! Also good to hear someone read, and follow, the directions.
Wasn't a cheap PMA...figured it was worth reading the paperwork written by the guy that hand wound my stator. Thermadyne is a great company. If you email them, the guy that builds the parts responds!
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 g. Dd
The heat sink is MUCH more effective if the fins run vertically so the air passes up through them for convection cooling.
The automatic fans does pretty well.... been going strong for almost 6 years. But yes....if it was just passive, that is how it shoyld be oriented.
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. I bought two of those same PMA’s with the intention of building my own inverter generator + vehicle battery charger. Basically an auxiliary power unit for my van to keep the vehicle 12v system charged + also produce 120v power to run tools, etc. I have a 7.5hp lombardini Diesel engine from an old sign board that has an alternator bracket built onto the engine so I’m hoping I can use that. Seems like the only difficult thing is regulating the rpm’s which is the major advantage of traditional alternators. Thanks again for the info.. your setup is pretty awesome
Cool idea! PMA is still going strong. So glad I made this thing. It doesnt get frequent use but when i need it, it's the only tool for the job. Thanks for watchin, God bless!
Very nice! a quality job technically and mechanically inclined! Thank you for sharing your project.
Zombie apocalypse,world war, tornado, hurricane ..your safe.
I hope so....thank you.
This video... Rekindled the interest. My wife thinks I have gone mad! LOL!!! I have outfitted the camper with solar and 6v batteries like yours. At first, she was skeptical. Last summer when we went camping the generator never had to be started. Trips of five to seven days, brewing coffee daily, and the batteries were happy the whole time! She thinks that is awesome. Now I have bought a few small diesel engines from old semi truck APUs. She thinks I have lost it again. I can imagine these small liquid cooled engines spinning one or two of these PMAs each! And since they are liquid cooled, I can use their waste heat to warm living space. I guess I better get in touch with Themodyne, and start stacking batteries! Thanks for getting me going again! And I wonder, do you suppose in your early work with your system, did accidentally foaming the group 31 batteries upset the acid balance? I can't help but wonder if some sulfuric acid was lost along with the water... Thanks Joe!
Very nice video! And I like how you have the links below nice and clear for finding easy the parts you used, good job, and thanks for sharing!
You betchya! Thanks for watching!
Hi Bud if you would like to cool your alternator better I tricle water over the fields on my alternator and no the water won’t bother it and if you think about you occasionally get water from puddles up under the hood of your vehicle, I know this by the head lights that use to go dim from the belts slipping back in the day and yes I also have a temp control to cut off the current incase I loose water, I’ve been using it when needed for over a year now, I use it a few days to a week at a time when we don’t have enough sun but it works awesome mine is also a 24v 1200w alternator, also I’m over in the Philippines so I don’t have to worry about freezing up
Also I use about a liter of gas per hour with a 13hp engine I would like to upgrade to a 80A alternator and I have a small 5 kw battery bank I charge in about 5 hrs or so depending how much I’m using while charging
When you get around to a wiring diagram, I would like to see it. What batteries are you using and what AH do you achieve? Good job on the video!
I could probably do a diagram on a white board in the future. Batteries are group 31 deep cells. 110 Ah each but the bank is series/parallel at 24 volts so 10 batteries, 5 pairs @ 24v, 110Ah....550 Ah total. Ends up being 13.2kwh, half of that is useable. Thanks for watching!
I live on boat .I have 2 wind turbines and 2 solar panals. I've made same as you with small Honda gx160 engine and a alternator too charge batteries in winter .when there's no free power. I wouldn't mind putting 240v generator on pulley too..so I can have electric while the alternator is charging my batteries then it probably charge batteries quicker.. as I wouldn't be drawing power from batteries
Sounds like a pretty great life! Not a bad idea you got to pulley an A/C generator of your battery charger setup. The engine speed would have to be set rite and steady however and the load could be a bit for the engine...but, that's not to say it can't be done. An interesting challenge at the very least.
Questo e' uno di quei video che dal punto dell'assemblaggio farei delle considerazion che non voglio divulgare, se poi tecnicamente funziona onore al merito. Pero' per motivi di sicurezza lo dovrebbero oscurare.
English.....
You're right everybody thinks solar panels are expensive Batteries is most expensive in the world I have $13,000 worth of lifepo4 batteries
Exactly...was just talking to a potential customer yesterday who was very confused about the price of a system i quoted. The big part is always the storage.
Nice video! I don’t know where you’re located but The weather looks like where I live in the winter in Michigan
Well thank ya! I reside one state to the west of you...home of the green and gold.
I’m sure that generator got put to good use during the blizzard Thursday and Friday My place got hit the hardest out of the whole state So far we’ve gotten 15 inches still getting lake effect too 😨🥶
Yeah it's been nasty cold here since the snow. We got 10" thursday night and yeah, I ran a gallon through the gene friday while i scraped the snow off of everything. Wind has been blowing since to battery voltage has been holding fine.
I’m glad I found your channel thanks for being so informative And for your great content. I’ve been searching for a channel where the creator lived in the same region with similar weather and how they executed They’re off grid set up. If you ever plan on upgrading from lead acid batteries to lithium batteryhookup.com is a great source New and used cells
@@Ezekiel-OffRoad well i am glad to help! Being off grid in the northern states certianly is a challenge...almost a way of life. My routine requires a bit more then "on grid" folks with automated everything. I love it though and would never go back. My girls have learned more then they even realize in the way of sustainability. They're great wood stackers and i don't know of many teenage girls that know how to raise a wind turbine. Stay warm over there eh!
Nice video. What video of yours explains more about the bank and other equipment?
I should probably do a video going over everything but it's mostly condensed into the one titled '500 and 800 watt turbines from Green E Solutions' and 'Off Grid Solar System Overview'. I will get on making one that briefly goes over it all....it's a lot of stuff though. More then just the generation side of the system but the conservation side... I redid quite a bit here to maximize total system efficiency.
Have you considered using a single cylinder diesel engine like a 6.56HP Yanmar L70AE with Electric Start? The reason I am asking, I have an All Power 7,000 watt Diesel generator that I am running on Waste Veggie-Oil that I collect for free from local restaurants. I then do a course filtering at 400 microns, than 200 microns. I then add Gasoline 10% by volume summer blend, 20% winter blend, 30% for real cold weather. I then run it through a 5 micron, and finally a 1 micron filter. No need to heat the oil blend, it is used directly by the engine. You could run that great PMA for a real long time for almost free like we do.
I absolutely have. I have been dabbeling with distilling alcohol recently but want to learn how to make bio-diesel for that very purpose. I am a bit of a prepper and don't believe fuel will always be available for purchase so i plan to just make my own soon. Also want to experiment with wood gassification.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Our diesel generator only had 75 hours run time when we got it off of Craigslist for $400. The problem with Bio-Diesel, it is very expensive and complicated to produce and it will still jell-up in the winter. I get our waste veggie-oil in 4 gallon plastic cubbies. The restaurants refill the containers the oil came in from their supplier. Before use in the engine I filter it and thin it with a solvent like petrol (gasoline) or #2 fuel oil same as (diesel no road tax). I store my settled and per-filtered veggie-oil in used 275 Gallon IBC Totes I got from Craigslist for $40 each. I thought about wood gas, I think it is great as long as we keep the tar out of the final gas because it will wreck the engine. I evaluated many methods and found the least amount of effort (work) with the biggest return was Waste Veggie-Oil. We can heat the house, make hot water and electric from one product that is free to acquire.
@@stevenfrazier8939 i definatly understand the benefit and availability as i have some time in the food industry. Weekly we would drain 6 deep fryers. I have a small diner across the street im sure i could save the cost of disposile. Bio-diesle is just something i would like to learn as a last resort but i'd feel comfort in knowing how to do it. The engine currently running the gene costed me $99 new and a gallon of gas tops the batts off well enough for 3 days of normal use. With gas prices going back up however, a diesle engine mite make its way onto my shopping list sooner then i had planned.
What size diesel was in that 7kw when you got it?
@@curmudgeinnak 10 Horse Power
The power meter link in description isn't valid anymore but I'm looking for something similar I think.
I have a dc generator I built with a harbor freight dual fuel motor and an old portable jump starting unit. It puts out tons of electric and is capable of charging a large bank of batteries in 12v or 24v . I need to figure out a sensible way to meter, regulate, monitor, the output while charging though.
Hello , John butler here. I have the same engine you do but my alternator is a leech Neville 165 Amp. If I let my battery bank run down to 12.4 the engine doesn't have enough power to keep running. Bogs down. If I put a starter battery between the alt. And the battery bank do you think that would help
Thanks john.
In reality with that size altenator you need about a 10 HP engine to drive that altenator at full out put - on the other hand if your altenator puts out full power for over a minute you will chance burning out the diodes -
Automotive altenator's are rated by VA or KVA - that means full power for one minute on a given size starting battery -
If it's a car alenator that would be a 800cca battery or 100 amp hour battery -
If it a commercial truck altenator that might be 2 1500cca battery's it can raise to 14 volts in one minute -
In your case you might have to either use a smaller altenator or larger engine -
The other is to remove the regulator and set up a 100 ohm 200 watt OHMLITE variable resistor and manuely adjust the altenator out put - with a car altenator you want to stay at or below 30 amps out put - with a commercial truck altenator you want to be at 50 amps or Bellow - with a car altenator that's 450 watts with a truck altenator that's 750 watts - with belt drives there can be 1 HP lost in the belt drive 165 amps that takes at least 8 HP -
I greatly just manually control my altenator's when I use them for charging - also you can safely run the engine at 2700 RPMs - it takes 1 hp to generate 385 watts so 2 HP with belt transition loss will give 30 amps at 15 volts at the altenator terminal - you need amp meter you can put on the altenator lead to see current out put -
Altenator should not exceed 150° or so while charging or diodes might burn out - - what I stated are safe limits at 2700 RPMs -
At 2700 RPMs air cooled gas and diesel engines are most efficient with out building carbon in the head
His explination is way better then mine... i tried what you are asking before i built this rendition...didnt help any. More batteries, more load. Any regulated alternator is not going to like charging battery banks. They'll do it but they won't last long. PMA's are the way to go. They put out what you put in.
nice work bud
I just put my washing machine and v.cleaner on at the same time I run my alternator, don t have to wait for sun or wind.
Running your generator or running from grid power?
Thanks for a great informative video.
You bet! Any questions, i try to resond to every comment.
If those are radiator fans, they are sucking not blowing by their orientation? Not that it necessarily makes a big difference.
I can definatley tell the differance....and they are both definately pushing air into to box. They're permanent magnet motors so they can run either way. Get the polarity rite and they spin the way you want. And for the purpose of this machine it does matter.
I have lithium batteries and I live in the bush in Alaska. I do not use a lot of 120v items. My system is 24v. Would love to build a system like this on a old Diesel engine. Ideally 100amps would be perfect as i can put 100 amps in per battery an hour.
I don't know a lot about lithium honestly. I know there's BMS's involved in the proper charging amp/volt range and its unsafe without the rite stuff. Perhaps if you had a 100 amp wind turbine charge controller that was programed for lithium. Mite be hard to find bit they definately exist.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 not enough wind at my location. The batteries are high end and have worked fine thus far. Just would love to charge faster.
@@curmudgeinnak well what i was thinkin was, if a guy built himself a generator like mine....you could run the 3 phase from the PMA to a smart controller for making sure its charging your lithium correctly and safely rather them just a straight rectifier like i have. My thirsty ol' lead acid batts with take amps any way then can get'em but lithium is more sensitive.
MWandS sells inside windings and magnets etc. for Delco alternators, if you have one of those yourself, don t know current prices.
I'll check it out
The Power Meter link is dead. Could you please link us again?
US $14.09 16%OFF | ATORCH DC 300V 100A Accurate Energy Bluetooth Meter Voltage Current Power Voltmeter Ammeter Overload Alarm Function indoor
a.aliexpress.com/_mtkeSKR
If you wrapped the exhaust with some of that exhaust wrap stuff it would keep the heat in the exhaust pipe and keep the heat out of the box if it every became an issue.
Could you run more than one of those alternators at the same time to double the apps you're getting out of it? Run a belt or chain back to a jack shaft with a couple pulleys that would go to the alternators. Also, rather than having to ramp the throttle up on the engine, why don't you change out the pulley on the engine to a larger diameter which will change the ratio to spin the alternator shaft faster at lower engine RPM, which would end up being more fuel efficient. I have been thinking of getting a pair of high output alternators and run two at the same time, then will power them with a very small, quiet and efficient 4 stroke engine that actually runs off propane tanks. It will accept 1lb bottles that I can refill or I can just run a 5 gallon tank with a remote line going to the engine.
The exhaust wrap would definatly keep more heat out of the box. The pulley ratio however is as high as it can get already. In early development stages i tried about 12 combinations of pulleys on both the engine and alternator. You wou be amazed at the amount of resistance an alternator makes to make energy. It's simply a transfer of energy with a loss ratio from mechanical to electrical. I didn't truly understand this until i built my pedal powered generator. I'm rather strong and been in good shape my whole life and with all my might i can only generate roughly 300 watts and sustain for about 2-3 minutes before im just spent. The problem with a higher ratio was the engine couldnt even start. I'd have to build in extra mechanics to start the engine in neutral, then throttle up and engage the belt. More parts, more problems. Getting something like this to work good is a challange....but a fun one.
Be even better if you could route the exhaust through a heat exchanger in the house for extra heat, a catalytic converter inside would also kick the heat output way up
That is a great idea and If i owned the house i could do so much more. I biggest challange here is its an old old house with crap insulation/windows and the owner is unwilling to invest in the property. I havw total freedom to use it as if it were mine but some day ill pack up and move and this all has to come apart and come with us. Whenever it finds it's permanent home i can do everything i've wanted to which will cut my fuel use down having walls/windows that the wind can't blow through.
I haven’t had a good experience with hydrogen appliances company. Purchased their $85 220 amp meter , returned it because it keeps freezing up and 3 weeks later they won’t return calls or emails. Also purchased their 3500 watt Manta 2 Generator ( these have only been used for a little over a month) and now have issues with a broken plastic cooling fan inside the unit and get no response from anyone there! I would not recommend doing business with a company like this. I originally wanted the same PMA generator that you use but it was out of stock and Bob talked me into the Manta & it’s been nothing but a headache from day 1.
Geese....thats dissapointing to hear. Bob was rather helpful with me but 2 years can make a difference. I think after the grid down situation in Texas, people there have begun investing in back-up power and perhapse they are slammed but being busy is still no excuse for bad customer service. I know what your talking about with the meters also. I have a pair from a different brand but they're the same thing inside. After so many hours of generation they freeze and you gotta disconnect them for a second and they restart just fine but yes, it's annoying. There should be a reset button.
I had great luck with my Thermdyne PMA's. I built 8 of these charging systems for all my neighbors and the PMA's are pumping out great power up here in Alaska winters. It's true winters can be rough since the sun is gone for almost 4 months a year. What else can we do but supplement with a genny.
Where can I find that digital meter.? The link to Amazon is not working anymore. Thank you.
US $14.09 16%OFF | ATORCH DC 300V 100A Accurate Energy Bluetooth Meter Voltage Current Power Voltmeter Ammeter Overload Alarm Function indoor
a.aliexpress.com/_mtkeSKR
Too noisy aha, but yeah really good design. Have you got bike riding from human energy convert into electric energy combine with your current alternater? If not so would you consider to combine bike ride convert energy into your current project?
Yeah it was kinda noisy. Much better now. This is an update of this generator.
czcams.com/video/Puj2umQ_bVs/video.html
And here is my bike powered generator...amazing how much effort it takes to make 200 watts pedaling.
czcams.com/video/hLcS5kWobQ8/video.html
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 yeah I've seen it like 1sec ago
@@ukchub6633 my 7 year old daughter like riding it and making power.
Great job ,me like that .
Thank you! This project came witha hell of a learning curve. Who would have thought charging 10 batteries could be so much more difficult then charging 1? Maybe I can save some folks stress and money by not buying the wrong equipment and destroying it.👍
What is the voltage coming out of the rectifier for alternator, is that hooked up to the mppt charge controller? Looking at a similar setup for my off grid, i totally get the generator and charger issues!
Well....that depends on rpm and what ever voltage bank you tie it to. Open circuit votage can get dangerously high but tied to a load, (battery) it equalizes with the resistance of the load. The voltage is what you see but if i disconnected it'd be much higher. No mppt controller for the generator setup. I'd need such a large controller. This can kick over 100 amps ar 24 volts so just straight rectifier and throttle control here. Simple but very very effective.
It would be cool to run that alternator off a steam engine and small boiler. You wouldnt even need sun or wind.
That would absolutely be cool! Something like that mite just happen on this channel if the correct parts present themselves.
Look at methane gas a 45 gallon barrel should provide all gas you need for the geny on just food waste alone free energy
@@douglaswindsor120 that's a great idea.
This is a good idea. I did price out a boiler and steam engine - roughly $11,000.
@@douglaswindsor120 Now this is brilliant, and cheaper... but would a biodigester continue to work in such cold / freezing temps?
very interesting. Could this be done with Lithium?
If you making 200 amps with the alternator don’t you need 00AWG wires going to the battery bank?
It has the ability to produce 200 amps... i set it for more like 80-100 for deep charging. It does have 1/0 stranded copper which is plenty for the short lenght of wire from the rectifier to the bus bars. I kept a very close eye on it for every used the first couple months just to make sure everything was safe and reliable. She's good.
Great uploads. This unit works both 12v n 24v battery bank? Thank you
Yes sir! This PMA is wired for 12/24 volt but they make higher voltage PMA's also. The rectifier will apply power to whatever voltage you pair it to. A higher volage bank would br safe with a lower amperage rectifier. Im using the big heavy duty 300 amp rectifier but on a 48 volt system a 100 amp would be plenty.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 thanks for your quick response. They have few different models for rated each voltage 12, 24, 48v. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong one.
@@Crestone-saju what voltage do you require?
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 24v
@@Crestone-saju www.hydrogenappliances.com/powerpmasdual.html
Would this work safetly with LiFePO batteries and a BMS ?
Well....yes. however you would have todo some research into how exactly your batteries like to be charged because it matters. Ohms law prooves true, whatever voltage your set-up is, a rectifier will feed in power at the appropriate voltage but this set-up is controlled manually as far as amps go. You will want to be in control of the throttle so you can feed in the safe amount of amps until it gets to goal voltage at which point you dial down the throttle to float the batteries at their desired float voltage. Every chemistry charges best with slightly different conditions. If you know those conditions you can perform then manually....OR buy generator control system and program it to run at your specifications. But the short answer is.....yes.
Cool set up bro
Thank you....it serves me well!
Sweet my first video. I need to run a truck crane. 24v DC. I want to make my own generator to charge two 12V series car batteries. Any recommendation on the watts required. It will not be used every day. but for sure might be run a total of two hours or so on a busy day.
Howdy! Glad you liked the video. Well, to calculate what you need for charging amps you first need to know what kind of amps you'll be using. Solar might even be a cheaper, maintenance free option if the crane won't see daily use. 2, 100 watt panels in series to a 24v solar controller would help top off the batteries between use without requiring any fuel.
26.8 at 55amp was good
At the higher RPMs, I think the PMA you have puts out well over 30 volts. If you have the rectifier connected directly to your batteries, that could be why the the higher watts going in caused you to have to add water back in. My question is why not use a charge controller that can limit the voltage going into the batteries and boost the amps, such as what is talked about with the wind in this video czcams.com/video/JA7Sh9ylAzQ/video.html? Something like that might save your batteries from accidental over voltage.
The short answer is, simply cost. The guy it that video has the output from his rectifier going into a $500 charge controller that does the same thing as my $100 dump load controller. He's dumping excess power into a water heater just as I do. The little use I get out of my back-up generator doesn't justify the extra cost of another controller when it works fantastic as it is.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Might be good if you added a dump load to the generator's PMA too.
Ok felicitari
Would it help if you used a bigger pulley on the motor end to increase rpm's without using more fuel? Sort of a gear ratio setup...
Simple answer. No. I spent nearly $200 in different size pulleys. That was my original idea. Put a 5" pulley on the engine and 3" on the PMA....assuming the engine could nearly idle and the PMA would make good power while savimg tons of gas. Nope. Wouldn't ya know it.... Newton was correct. The engine could'nt even start because it was to much load. There is actually a formula to convert KW to HP....there is obviously loss in the transfer of energy so you need to start with more. Putting a big pulley on the engine will only hurt your shoulder trying to get the engine started. I tried about 2 dozen combinations of pulleys before i found a drive ratio that the engine could start, warm up and i could throttle up to a standard and consistant charging set-point. With a bigger engine maybe, but will you save any gas?....
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 How about a small diesel engine?
@@DeeJayHouser1 have you seen the price of diesle these days? I have though about finding a small diesel engime just to have around if there was ever a situation where fuel couldn't be bought. It's easy enough to make....
Hi can you tell me what are the advantages of using an alternator in this way over using a standard generator to recharge your batteries?
My first 2 years off the grid, i used standard generators running to battery chargers. I burned out 1 generator per year and the batteries never got charged the way they needed to. Most 'off the shelf' generators are not meant to run full tanks of gas though them over and over, which living off grid in northern states...is a reality. Most battery chargers only put out 15-25 amps and are absolutly not designed for the ultra low resistance of a large battery bank. My setup here has survived 2 straight winters and going into it's third. I can precicly control output to fit the bank's needs and if i need to i can crack it up to 3000 watts. You will never find a battery charger that can do that continuous duty. 3000 watts on my 24 volt bank is over 100 amps....on a 12 volt bank.... double. It's a simple, reliable setup built from time proven components. Absolutely recommend the Dual Core PMA from Thermodyne! It's a power monster!
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Thank you very much indeed for your in-depth response, so if I understand you correctly using a high powered alternator is much more of an efficient way to recharge your battery bank in an off-grid scenario then a traditional generator. I am in the west coast of Ireland and I don't want to be connected to the grid so this would seem to be the best option for me, I would like to use a single cylinder small diesel engine to run the alternator the only problem that I see is potentially getting one of these high power alternators over here to Ireland. May I ask how often do you need to run the alternator and when you do how long do you run it?
@@bh635 it gets a fair deal of use. November and march are very grey here so the gene runs probably twice a week or more in the grey weeks. If throttled to produce 1000w, it runs about 6.5hrs on 1 gallon of gas. When I fill it up, I start it and let it ryn out and that always fills my batteries. Aproxamatly 6.5 kwh goes into the bank.
@@bh635 www.hydrogenappliances.com/powerpmasdual.html
It would be cool to run that alternator with a steam engine and small boiler.
Do you think I can assemble same set up with AC motor which will be plugged in to grid, unfortunately I live in apartment building. eg motor like 115v of some sort.?
If you could make that work...you'd have one very very valualbe machine. There's a thousand challeges to overcome. However, many people run permanant magnet alternators into grid tie inverters. I am completely, physically disconnected from the grid so i havent researched the different equipment much.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 I'm trying to build one to cut my electric bill in half, I thought I ask as it's similar idea as what you have in the box
@@YannisG278 that would actually be really complex. To backfeed power into the grid, you have to produce higher voltage then the grid to puch the power backwards and also be perfectly sincronised with the city powers sine wave. The ac you produce would have to match the Hz and floctuation absolutely perfect otherwise serious damage would occur with both your equipment and the cities hardware. Grid tie inverters (good ones) analyse the city power and match its sinewave but ramp the volts up a tiny bit to get the electricy to flow backwards into the grid. Voltage is "electrical pressure". Like pressure in an air line. Think of the city as one air tank with a hose running to your apartment. If you wanted to push that power (amperage) backwards, your generator would be like another airtank and would need more pressure to get it to do so. Voltage is the pressure, amperage is the actual electrons that flow through the wire and do the work.....and thats the simplified answer.
I’m about to do the same setup. How is this working out still? I want to do this to make a home made inverter generator for my camper. I’m going to use a YanMarr Diesel engine about 6.5 hp. But a lot of torque.
Still working fantastic! Just shot another video with a few new updates. I'll try to get it uploaded tonight.
Yes I would like to do the same thing - Yanmar Diesel LN100 air cooled engine driving a belt connected alternator to charge 48v battery banks. There is a lot more involved in all this then you would think. Have you seen the wakespeed WS500 alternator regulator ?
@@jimjones7821 I'd like to see that setup. Always more then what meets the eye. Just getting the RPM matched so the engine can even start was difficult. Went through about 6 combos of pulleys to get it rite where the powerband of the engine matched the PMA. I have not seen the regulator you mentioned but i'll check it out.
This ..... czcams.com/video/ccWg_G-ECSI/video.html is not run through a wakespeed controller but its an interesting setup. Expensive though and I cant work out why its so expensive. Sure the 48v 100 amp alternator is $1495 alone, the Yanmar engine is around $2000 I think. So I dont know how they end up at $6995 for the setup. Thing is, the video shows it can be done and it is working. They have that Yanmar setup with the belt/pulley setup to spin at 1800 RPM which is nice - a bit quieter and sips fuel
@@jimjones7821 nice! I wonder what kind of run time that engine gets with a gallon. Generators are fun projects either way. I did lots of testing at different throttle set points and recorded kwh output/gallon of gas. I finally have mine where I like it. I did an update on this project recently. Much quieter now and zero degredation after 2 winters.
How many amps and watts can you get out of one? That’s a 12 V permanent magnet generator
I've had it up over 2600 watts, which at 24 volts is over 100 amps. It is technically a permanent magnet alternator. It puts out 3 phase AC and the rectifier turns that into DC and just jams the amps into the batteries. If your curious about using this in a 12 volt system, this same setup would make over 200 amps. Amps × volts = watts.
does the pma have to spin clockwise or counterclockwise?
Rotating either way works fine. I recall in the book that did actually say the PMA performs better rotating clockwise but it works either way.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 thank you
@@staym925 well of course. I try to answer anything i have an answer for.
What is the size pulley do you use and what do you use to top off batteries with, thanks
It looks like a 2.5 inch pulley - it works far better to use two drive belt pulleys on those set ups - you have far fewer belt problem with two belt drives -
You can get 4 inch racing pulleys for altenator's there the better -
Outstanding
Would adding a properly sized solar charger controller between the 3phase rectifier and the batteries automate the charge cycle for you? That way you could start it, throttle it up and walk away and not worry about boiling the batteries.
It would have to be capable of lots of amps...perhapse but i don't want to spend a thousand dollars to try it. I have the micro processor and servos to control output via throttle control.... now to build it, learn to code and dial it in. Should be fun.
Very nice
so cool
What type of charge controler do you have to handke that kind of wattage?
The geneeator feeds into a 300 amp, 3 phase rectifier and then straight into the batteries. I manually control the input power with the throttle. The solar feeds into an EPEVER 60 amp charge controller.
hello sir how did you achieve your alternator excitation @ small city homesteaders
No excitation required....it has a permanent magnet rotor. Output is then regulated by RPM rather then any module. Still running strong, 3 years later.
thanks for reply so you had to modify the alternator to a permanent magnet first.
how do you achieve variable charging current as shown in display.
@@delion534 i wish i could take credit for the modification but the alt was hand made by Thermodyne. They hand wind the stator and install the biggest strongest magnets they can fit on the rotor. There's 3 wire out so you have to run it to a rectifier before the batteries. I regulate output, as shown on the meter, by throttling up or down the engine.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 thanks for explaining... i only have the of getting strongest permanent magnet ... which i can use to induce magnet flux to the core for alternator to generate power.... I don't know whether you can direct were i can buy one .... to reach me in Kenya +254
Hello.Can you tell me what's the name of the last device on the right side please?If you have a link to purchase that device can you send me the link please?Thank you.
Are you asking about the power meter or the resistor bank?
Another shoe and tell you what I Got video, how many amps is your alternator?
If i ran it at 12 volt, easy 250 amps. At 24 volts i've had it at at over 130 amps. It's a monster. That isn't just peak amerage..... thats over hours and hours.
Why the stepup to 24V?
Double the volts, cut the amperage in half. Safer for all the individual components and my family also. At 12 volts there's just SO much amperage involved in every process before it comes out of the inverter. Doubling the voltage allows my to get all 1200 watts out of my panels because it's an 80 amp charge controller so at 12 volts the controller would only allow roughly 800 watts though the line. Also I can save money on wire because I'm carrying half the amperage. It's easier on my generator...half the amperage, half the heat. The 24 volt inverter is also more efficient because it doesn't have to step voltage up so high. Higher voltage also travels through long wires easier. Voltage = Electrical Pressure.
Many reasons. Honestly I'd like to step up to 48 volts to be yet even more efficient but that will require a new inverter.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Thanks for the replies! Battery banks are rather intimidating. Thousands of bucks in equipment and so much to learn. It's now or never, though, I reckon.
@@anonymousjr1140 Seems to be, indeed. Group 31 deep cells are pretty reasonable. Believe I paid $120/battery for 10 of them. Your demand could be different then mine though. I run a full size fridge and a large deep freezer year round. We also have 3 daughters so we run laundry. We line dry clothes to save power but can run the dryer if needed. I also do all my fab in my home workshop...welder is used frequently and occasionally the drill press, grinder, ect. The huge, expensive "off grid" batteries are nice but not cost effective to me. If you learn how to properly service your batteries they last longer then the sealed "maintenance free" ones. Worth the trade off to save 50% and not have to replace them in 2-3 years. When there one's no longer serve my purpose however...I'm buying a forklift battery. Expensive up front but they last nearly forever if taken care of. Shop around locally. Make relationships with smaller businesses and you get better deals and service if anything goes wrong. If you have a local forklift service shop, contact them and see if they have used batteries for sale. When the wind isn't so loud I'll do a more complete rundown with a cost breakdown and list parts used. In my descriptions for all videos I list parts with links. Hope I can help.
Eat your heart out Edison!!!!
I think Edison would wanna fist bumb and do the 3000 watt dance along with me! Yeah....thats a thing.
This work is awesome! Wish i understood what it all was
@@twohats8462 Haha!....a little too much to break down in the comments but I promise if you subscribe to my channel, the more you watch, the more you'll understand. I make an effort to break every system down in detail and update on different systems overtime or after changes...how things hold up and or why they didn't.
my system is 12v I'm going to make one
3 years and its still a powerhouse!
If anything the engine is starting to get a little weaker, the PMA is still perfect.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 ok i need one because It has been raining for the last 4 days and no wind. The news is saying it going to be raining for 4 more days
@@solarandwindinsouthtexasda1473 and 1 gallon of gas will put you back in ths green....how much is a gallon of gas down by you rite now?
Yeah but you only have 25v at 40 amps wo t charge battery real good
His engine was running slow at that time. He was demonstrating how he could control the voltage with throttle speed. He also shows 2280 Watts at 27.8 volts at 83 amps. I guess you were not paying attention. I just bought my DC1212 from: hydrogenappliances.com/powerpmasdual.html and I have it running a small 5hp gas engine with a 3.5" pulley and I am getting 2800 Watts at 132 Amps before the governor turns the motor off. I have 16X Trojan L-16 batterie's which is about 2000 Lbs. of lead acid. It's configured series/parallel. After only 2 hours charging they will run my home for 5 to 7 days with heavy loads like electric space heaters and a 65" plasma screen TV and such. Not bad for $1.25 in fuel making my power bill about $5.00 a month. This efficiency of my Dual-core is genny is *mind boggling* for a tiny 14 lb. unit. Really amazing. I purchase road-tax-free Red-dyed gas at the Tractor Supply Co. for only $1.45 per gallon which is legal for electrical power generation. - www.google.com/search?q=red+dyed+gasoline+for+generators
What's happened to your voice 😆😅😂😂
Hi! Im in the process of creating a generator and Im taking a lot of inspiration from your video. But Im also confused and have some questions.
Firstly, why do you not use a regular car alternator? I have access to very cheap/free alternators from old cars. Would it make sense for me to use that? My batteries are used (but good) truck starter batteries, 235ah, that I also have a free supply of. So battery lifetime is not my highest priotrity, and 90a or less from an alternator will do just fine.
Secondly, why do you use a solid state rectifier when this guy does not: czcams.com/video/bjv1SEx5iNA/video.html
And thirdly, is your system more like the first method or the third method in this guys video (minus the starter battery) : czcams.com/video/TAEzCcayI0g/video.html
Thank you!
Well without watching the other video, i can answer your questions. First, if your using a 12 volt system, normal automotive alternators do work. Before I upgraded to this monster PMA, that's what this generator was originally built for. I used a delco 10si from 90's diesel chevy trucks. 120 amp rated. I also used to have my system wired for 12 volts so it ended up working quite well. I did however need to run a small power wire to the alternator to activate it. Normal car alternators use electromagnets to produce power so they need starting current to "excite" the coils then the internal regulator took over to control the current and voltage. Sounds great and easy rite? Yup.....until its not. Very few alternators are built to withstand the heat generated while putting out max amperage. To charge a bank of batteries, rather then just 1 or 2, it needs to put out max amps for an extrnden period. So it did work great...while it did....i ended up frying 5 heavy duty, brand new purchased alternators. That was getting expensive. When i decided to rewire the system for 24 volts to increase overall system effiency(more volts/less amps) i ordered the large PMA (permanent magnet alternator) for thermodyne. The benefit to a PMA is it can be wired to any volt system through the rectifier and because of ohms law, it will feed power in at that voltage. It is then regulated by alternator speed. I use the solid state rectifier because its built for 300 amps and as long as it has a large heat sink and fan it can actually do it continueous duty.
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 Okay, very interesting. Thanks. I think I will try with regular alternators based on what you have told me and get a PMA if I get tired of it. In the months that I need it can be consistently -15c here in Sweden. The alternator I have currently has a big pipe attachment on the back and perhaps I can force air through it. And I will build the frame to make it easy to change alternator. In one of the videos I linked he is using a delco 27si. Is this one such alternator that can handle the heat? Will the throttle only adjust current and not voltage? How many rmps should the alternator have? Did you get your batteries fully charged then and did you drop motor speed for float charging?
I don't know if your still trying to get your 12 volt altenator set up going -
A 12 volt car altenator works well enough if you don't over do it -
There many 1000s of sail boats that use air cooled and water cooled small 3 HP diesel engines driving standard car altenator to charge there boats house battery's-
It does take some understanding to make a car altenator into a charging and running altenator -
Most altenator's today have built in regulators - they regulate the terminal voltage at the positive terminal at about 15 volts -
The problem with car altenator's is you can't draw much over 30 amps with out burning the diodes out - with large frame commercial truck engine alternator's they can handle 50 amps at 12 volt continuesly -
30×15 = 450 watts - so a car alternator will handle a continues 30 amp load even in the hottest weather when driven by an air cooled engine at 2700 RPMs-
It's done on boats and in many areas through out the world - it's also the most efficient means of charging a battery when done correctly -
There are problems to overcome with a do it your self project - you have to understand battery technology its a lost art in developed countries -
I live in a rural area of the US - many farm houses had farm power or farm lighting plants as they were called - that.was from about 1900 to around 1955 -
Farmers lived just as sail boat live aboards do today that are ancored away from docks -
The homes ran on 32 volts DC - that was common among rural homes world wide -
They understood charging technology and battery technology - today few understand that technology -
The reason hybrids are used on sail boats is because there up to 10 times more fuel efficient than a engine driven generator running 24/7 -
If you don't learn the technology your better off just getting a power station and a inverter generator - other wise you will burn up a lot of altenator's and battery's while you try to make a system work -
I worked on generators in the off shore oilfields for decades also I'm 3rd generation in my family
Power Meter- amzn.to/2TayPoS is a dead link
They may have discontinued the part. Which meter were you looking for?
@@smallcityhomesteaders1600 I think I found one that will work: www.amazon.com/dp/B07T9LV66P/?coliid=I2VCODH23EQSO1&colid=253JAODAL3C7M&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it