Re: [VAC] generater

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sam,
 That sort of outfit CAN work well, but you might want to check out
charging curves before committing. Home Power Magazine has had several
articles on such outfits, and an ideal one does NOT use the standard
automotive regulator. Although the information is available elsewhere,
I'll repeat it here:

A deep-cycle battery, when run down a ways, requires replacement of the
'used' electricity, plus a bit more. (10-20%) Most of this *can* be put
into the battery very quickly, within 2 or 3 hours, without harming it;
the remainder (topping off) will require maybe a couple or 3 additional
hours. However, this requires a special regulator in the charging device
because a standard automotive-type charger (car alternator, standard
battery charger, etc.) begins 'tapering' the charge rate way too soon.
What this means is that the battery will never get fully charged unless
you operate your generator/charger for very long periods of time, maybe
8 hours or more.

I think StatPower has more elaboration on the subject on their site at
http://www.statpower.com. West Marine or another supplier to the
marine/boat industry has more information, and they sell special
regulators for automotive alternators that give the proper charging
curve for fast, efficient recharging.

The simplest hookup for a non-technical person would be a Honda
generator in the 1000-watt size, more or less, coupled with a StatPower
charger. The most elegant would be a lawnmower engine with oversized
muffler, coupled to an alternator with a special regulator.

Or solar panels. :-)

                        <<Jim>>