[T2] Run engine on idle to charge batteries

[Daniel Martinelli]

Thank you for all your opinions

I really liked the youtube solution for a removable PV and especially the
statment that 'the engine was meant to run'. Did you hear that, engine?!

Overheating could be an issue as there is no air flow below the engine. So
I think an oil temperatur sensor would be a good thing to have and to
monitor, just to make sure the engine does not overheat.

So I conclude: should I strand in the middle of nowhere on a rainy day with
low batteries I should be able to run the engine on idle to recharge
without risking to blow up my engine.

Cheers!

Daniel



On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 1:53 AM, jon <scintilla_22 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Looks like John's dad knows his noise. http://www.tappedin.com/hop/**
> html/litegen.htm <http://www.tappedin.com/hop/html/litegen.htm>  For
> those that don't want to read the details the EU1000/2000/EM/EX650 have
> essentially the same specs at similar power output.  Nitpickers can read up
> and quibble.
> I won't pass on the next clean EM/EX series unit I see at garage sale
> prices.  The EU 1000 is quite a bit lighter and, being plastic cased,
> doesn't rust as obviously.  Both good attributes for field gear in my
> environment.
> jon
>
>
> On 10/2/2013 11:52 AM, John Anderson wrote:
>
>> I do trust Jon's opinions and all, but I actually called and chatted to
>> dad.  He has two now, an EM500 and an EX650.  Both still run as fine and
>> quiet (with no real maintenance) as they always have, and both are mid-late
>> 80s vintage.  I know we ran those suckers at night in scouting after the
>> younger kids had gone to sleep and you could barely hear them.  They start
>> in a pull or two, and as I recall them (and he says it is still true) run
>> quieter than either my EU1000i or my Chinese Kipor knockoff (McCulloch
>> branded) 2kW, even though their mufflers are near 30 years old.   He
>> changes the oil irregularly, and probably uses them every 4-5 years.  He
>> does run them dry when done with ethanol gas now days.  Certainly for clean
>> waveform 110V, they aren't perhaps up to the task, but he actually prefers
>> the EX650 for his ham equipment because he went through a lot of effort
>> when new removing a bit of paint under all the screws both sides and
>> putting some NO-OXID between each steel panel on the case on it and it
>> ended up better shielded than his EU2000i that he bought to replace them
>> with.
>> So I guess you never know sound wise, probably depends on the muffler
>> state.  I will say, his buddy had one that got dropped a couple times and
>> although the motor noise was OK, the steel case buzzed louder than the
>> motor at times, and he could never get it not to do so.  There is an EX1000
>> on CL up here now for a massive $150, beat to hell, but reported to run
>> well, but they end up pretty much the size of the inverters, just in a
>> steel case instead of plastic.  The only issue I've ever read about any of
>> these is losing the field magnetism and can't for some reason be re-flashed
>> successfully, though I don't know why that would be.
>> I'd like to find one of the little ones for recharging, I mean running
>> 30-80 cc's seems a lot smarter to me than spinning a 67hp motor to run a
>> couple hp to the alternator.  Those tiny ones are just so damn compact, and
>> so damn cute.  Even the original E300's are a choice but are getting quite
>> collectible now, to sit by your mid 60's Airstream at shows I guess, and
>> command $300+ even in beat up condition if they run.
>> John
>>
>> *From:* jon <scintilla_22 at yahoo.com>
>> *To:* type2 at type2.com
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:06 AM
>> *Subject:* Re: [T2] Run engine on idle to charge batteries
>>
>>
>> JohnA et.al.,
>>     We had an early 350 watt Honda generator in the late 80's at one of
>> the PWS field camps.  It ran for ~ 8 hours on one tank every Friday to
>> charge our battery bank while we were in town. it was quite practical
>> for that purpose _provided you weren't in it's vicinity_. For sure the
>> background noise level in Olsen Bay was as low as it gets, short of a
>> cave, but that thing, all 35cc or so of mighty Honda tech,  was
>> definitely not quiet by EU genny standards.  I also doubt you could
>> find a 30+ year old Honda that was working worth anything.  We have a
>> couple in our warehouse, but they are just taking up space. Haven't been
>> used in >10 years. We _never_ take anything but an EU series to the
>> field any more, there is no comparison in reliability, fuel efficiency,
>> or noise level. In an alternate life I am around thousands of generators
>> in the desert every Labor Day weekend.  Amongst many other things, that
>> event has engendered a rapid evolution in power generation
>> systems-solar, wind, and fossil fuel. You will get some pretty harsh
>> vibes if you run a construction type genset in the camping areas. Folks
>> would instantly loan you enough extensions to tap into their EU just to
>> shut it off.  Yamaha makes an equivalent series, and there is an
>> authorized, Chimp knock-off of the EU 1000 that has a good rep with the
>> RV crowd (who are very frugal, and harsh in their reviews if things
>> don't last).  As an aside, the inverter parts last much longer than the
>> motors (which last a very long time) in the Hondas.  How come no one has
>> come up with a replacement motor for them?  We have not been able to
>> find anyone who will rebuild the motors either.
>>
>
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-- 
_____________________

Dr. sc. nat.
Daniel Martinelli
Mikrobiologe
Höschgasse 80
8008 Zürich
Schweiz

Mobile    +41 77 408 63 70
email: daniel.martinelli at gmx.ch