chrisgreen
Funster
intresting :thumb:
same engine as im useing:thumb:
12 Volt Generators.
Link RemovedPetrol battery chargers (i.e.12 volt generators) are essentially a standard vehicle alternator attached to a small petrol motor. Many were initially home made and even the current wave of commercial ones are far from "consumer" products.
Most (all?) of the current ones seem to come from Australia although they may be assembled in the UK. Unlike mains generators you have to adjust the engine speed manually and if you suddenly apply an extra load the engine may stall.
Unless you are happy to use crocodile clips to connect to your battery each time you use the generator then you will need to do some serious heavy duty wiring and fit an external 12 volt high current socket. Note that disconnecting your generator whilst it is running may damage it.
The one illustrated above uses a Honda four stroke motor and a Bosch 55 amp alternator. It weighs 12kg and is only 410mm long.
Whilst significantly noisier (74dba @ 7 metres) than a top end mains generator (say 59dba @ 7 metres) it is considerably quieter than some no-name generators listed at an ear shattering 91dba! It will certainly charge your battery far faster than most battery chargers running from a mains generator and thus annoy your neighbours for less time! 12 volt 55 amp generators are available for around €775 at the end of 2008.
Because the current range of 12 volt generators do not incorporate a proper three stage battery charger they should only be used for bulk re-charging of a well discharged battery.
Unfortunately my testing of the generally well made 55 amp Christie generator (above) was cut short by an intermittent fault with the ammeter after a little over an hour of use. Whilst the generator itself was an interesting alternative to a mains generator my experience with the (only?) UK supplier was unsatisfactory (Trading Standards and my Credit Card company are currently involved and we may yet end up in the courts).
On balance I don't think the current range of 12 volt generators (petrol battery chargers) are yet ready for the overland campervan market. The need to manually adjust the engine speed, the absence of any current limiting electronics (so the engine does not stall when you switch on the inverter) as well as the need to add heavy duty 12 volt wiring together tip the balance in favour of a high quality (inverter) mains generator.
Note that many mains generators also provide 12 volts for battery charging at "up to 8 amps". My Honda EU10i will charge my campervan battery at around 6 amps but only if the "eco throttle switch" is set to off. This significantly increases the engine speed and noise level. With the "eco throttle switch" set to on, it charges at under 3 amps.
Stephen Stewart.
same engine as im useing:thumb:
12 Volt Generators.
Link RemovedPetrol battery chargers (i.e.12 volt generators) are essentially a standard vehicle alternator attached to a small petrol motor. Many were initially home made and even the current wave of commercial ones are far from "consumer" products.
Most (all?) of the current ones seem to come from Australia although they may be assembled in the UK. Unlike mains generators you have to adjust the engine speed manually and if you suddenly apply an extra load the engine may stall.
Unless you are happy to use crocodile clips to connect to your battery each time you use the generator then you will need to do some serious heavy duty wiring and fit an external 12 volt high current socket. Note that disconnecting your generator whilst it is running may damage it.
The one illustrated above uses a Honda four stroke motor and a Bosch 55 amp alternator. It weighs 12kg and is only 410mm long.
Whilst significantly noisier (74dba @ 7 metres) than a top end mains generator (say 59dba @ 7 metres) it is considerably quieter than some no-name generators listed at an ear shattering 91dba! It will certainly charge your battery far faster than most battery chargers running from a mains generator and thus annoy your neighbours for less time! 12 volt 55 amp generators are available for around €775 at the end of 2008.
Because the current range of 12 volt generators do not incorporate a proper three stage battery charger they should only be used for bulk re-charging of a well discharged battery.
Unfortunately my testing of the generally well made 55 amp Christie generator (above) was cut short by an intermittent fault with the ammeter after a little over an hour of use. Whilst the generator itself was an interesting alternative to a mains generator my experience with the (only?) UK supplier was unsatisfactory (Trading Standards and my Credit Card company are currently involved and we may yet end up in the courts).
On balance I don't think the current range of 12 volt generators (petrol battery chargers) are yet ready for the overland campervan market. The need to manually adjust the engine speed, the absence of any current limiting electronics (so the engine does not stall when you switch on the inverter) as well as the need to add heavy duty 12 volt wiring together tip the balance in favour of a high quality (inverter) mains generator.
Note that many mains generators also provide 12 volts for battery charging at "up to 8 amps". My Honda EU10i will charge my campervan battery at around 6 amps but only if the "eco throttle switch" is set to off. This significantly increases the engine speed and noise level. With the "eco throttle switch" set to on, it charges at under 3 amps.
Stephen Stewart.