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Forum Index : Electronics : Petrol gen for TV reception
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| domwild Guru  Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Hi, Cheap Auto sell a 2400W gen for $400, which looks good BUT the TV symbol has been lined through and there is a message re "sensitive electronic equipment". Looks like it is a modified sine wave one and that would not suit our frequent power failures in the bush. Apart from warnings re these el cheepos with casting sand in the carby, etc., which the forum warned me about, does this mean I have to buy a dearer inverter type gen if I am desperate enough for sat TV (repeats!) in the evening? Does "inverter" mean DC is generated, which then produces a clean AC sine wave acceptable to TVs, PCs?? Is a cheap one at least useful in driving hand tools, like drills for working in the bush or do they get hot and eventually burn out? Assuming the fridge is small enough for the gen to get over the starting amps, have fridges ever survived modified sine wave generators? Thanks. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Dom In the past I have used an induction motor with a flywheel mounted on it to stabilize the output of these poorly regulated units, it acts a slight synchronous load when it comes up to speed and absorbs a bit of power but not enough to worry about. I have used most things including power tools and fridges TV Computer,and Ham gear. With this mod they start loads better due to the flywheel feeding back into the line and not putting all the load on the generator. Really if it's just TV you use it is better buy a 12 volt TV than use petrol power. I use mine as a back up only, and running power tools out in the field. My laptop works on a boost module from 12 volt to 20 volt input 55 watts. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Thanks, Bob. Have you connected a petrol engine to an induction motor as your generator? I have a 5 HP petrol motor off a rotary hoe, any idea how many watts a fridge is allowed to have to start properly and not burn out using your setup? Rather than buying another fridge as I have become addicted to HD, is the wave form from your setup clean enough to run a TV? I take it that most members of this forum have bought larger stand-by gens for their bush properties and those larger (diesel?) units are better built and also come up with a cleaner wave form. I forgot to give Glenn the brand of gen, which is being flogged as I asked the same question before. I am also ignorant what is meant by an "inverter brand" gen. Do they generate DC and then convert it to AC? The question then is, is it modified sine or pure sine? I take it these are the dearer units, which are OK for TVs (pure sine) and they are the ones running in caravan parks to annoy the neighbours! Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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sPuDd Senior Member  Joined: 10/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 251 |
I see Bunnings & others now selling Inverter Gensets (even Jaycar!). They produce AC, rectify to DC, then produce AC at 230V 50Hz, long story short. I bought the same make as this Jaycar 3kW Sine wave Inverter Generator from eBay for about half the price with LCD display & remote start/stop. Its my home backup power supply, is over a year old now, gets ~15mins run per month and works a treat. I've started & run a 2.5hp air compressor, fridges, 2400W kettle, 3kw 12V inverter/charger etc. All work fine. Looked at waveform on Fluke Scope and it was very clean. I can only suggest something in the 3kw or better inverter market as a far better solution to the 4000rpm screaming banshee gensets. But for a better solution you would have to tell us what loads you put on it. ie; washing machine, whole house, just a TV etc. sPuDd.. It should work ...in theory |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Thanks, Spud. 3 kW looks good and I will have a look at your link. Load in workshop would be welder, lights and hand tools and once the power fails I am looking at TV, lights and small fridge, a restricted "whole house". Luckily for us, the power goes off for four hours max. only, but regularly. Since businesses in Walpole (SW WA) have successfully sued our electricity company, that provider has started charging excessive installation costs to businesses. To answer Glenn's question, which I forgot to answer: As an example of el cheepos, Home is selling "Xceed 2200W 4-stroke gens" for $399. 240V and 12VDC output. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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