Chinese gennies - again!
Submitted: Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 13:12
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Hendo
Afternoon all
Bought one of the GMC generators at Bunnings (price too good to pass by), and works fine on 240 volts - will run the 650 angle grinder no probs - but the DC output is around 19 volts (tested with a multimeter), rated at 8 amps in the literature, (but I don't know how to
test that). The specs also say 14.4 volt is the DC ouput.
I want to use it mainly to charge the second (deep cycley) battery on longstays.
Two questions:
1. Is 19 volts too high for battery charging?
2. Can I run the Engel (E series) directly from the generator?
I've searched the
forum but these questions don't appear to have been discussed.
Cheers
Hendo
Reply By: Member Eric - Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 19:12
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 19:12
you do have to run something to get the right voltage , get a battery and connect it to your 12 charger , make sure the battery is away from you and there is something like a panel nest you , also place a old towel over the battery . Start the Gen, and take a volts
test. The reason for the precoutions , if it is charging 18 or 19 Volts , it will blow the battery in around 30 sec ,
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Hendo - Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 20:15
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 20:15
Eric
Actually, this afternoon I hooked it up to an
old car battery (still in my daughter's old Peugeot) and ran it for a few minutes, and the charge output dropped to about 14.5 to 15 volts "under load". The battery was already fully charged at about 12.7 volts, so that was an encouraging result.
Hendo
FollowupID:
314113
Reply By: Meggs - Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 19:13
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 19:13
Hendo don't run your fridge from the 240v supply use the 12 v with a battery in parallel to smooth out the voltage peaks. I thought these generators were better than they are but I was wrong
check post 11066. These generators are fine for battery charging, lights, and any resistive load or universal motors but due to
the governor I would not use it on induction motors or any expensive 240v equipment eg computers.
I wouldn't worry about the open circuit voltage as they could be a bit like the charging circuit of some small outboard motors just half wave output. You would be better off using a 240 v battery chargerfrom the 240v output.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Hendo - Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 20:20
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 20:20
Meggs
Yes, I'd already thought of running the charger from the generator (like most, I already own a 240 volt charger for
home use) and then using the charger to keep the battery topped up. This would even out the spikes etc. Unfortunately it is a 6 amp charger, so would be even slower than the generator itself!!
Also, as mentioned above, the charger drops voltage once it is under load.
Also, if I run it with a surge protector (as against overload cutouts) that should provide good protection for AC equipment. Will this help protect the fridge?
Hendo
FollowupID:
314115
Reply By: ianmc - Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 22:51
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004 at 22:51
Meggs has just reminded us of the problems with deep cycle batteries & the difficulties in charging them.
Most frig manufacturers advise that the frig should be run direct off a 12v battery, not a genny.
Today I was in Kmart & saw a Scorpion 800w genney at $249-.
As they are going for about that on Ebay PLUS $27 postage & no insurance I grabbed one and Kmart are usually good with returns of faulty stuff at least in out local store.
The Scorpion is said to be a Chinese Mitsubishi product & hopefully e bit better than some others. It seems to retail at tool outlets for $389 so big saving.
Have yet to open the box & may comment more later.Interseting comments above about getting the best charge rate, ie 240v charger or direct link.Would the 240v charger of the right amperage give more boost than the direct 12v connection?
Must read the instructions tomorrow.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: ianmc - Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 13:18
Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 13:18
I opened my Scorpion 950 $249 genny this a.m. & did the right thing & read the instructions first. There were a few jokes in the Chinese/English but generally made sense. Complete with diagrams & parts list too!
Recommended 50-1 mix which I tend to think is bit lean for an airccoled 2S.
Also says 40-1 summer. As 2S oils are relatively smoke free now I tended towards a bit richer for first start up anyhow.
Starts first pull each time when warm.
I overstretched it a bit and ran a 500W spotty & 550W 240v power drill at the same time plus link to a 12v battery for charging. This may not have taken much as it was near fully charged anyway but even tho it was overloaded it started & stran the drill a number of times with the other stuff in place & was fairly quiet.
Hope that helps folks.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Meggs - Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 16:31
Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 16:31
Thanks for that I am about to go and get one did you ger the "Bonus" 4 outlet power board as
well might as
well get all that is offering.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Hendo - Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 23:42
Monday, Mar 29, 2004 at 23:42
ianmc
i looked at the Scorpion on the web (
Cairns mowers, from memory) and it appears identical to the GMC one being sold at Bunnings.
I ran the angle grinder (rated at 650 watts) OK on it, but didn't add additional appliances.
My main question remains: unloaded, the DC puts out around 19v. Have you measured your Scorpion? As I said above, when I put a load on it the voltage dropped to about 14.5 to 15 volts, which I would be OK with.
Could you
test yours, and let me know?
Cheers
Hendo
FollowupID:
314316
Reply By: Meggs - Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 at 17:14
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 at 17:14
I went to Bunnings today and asked them about the GMC generators and they had them, I missed them before so I got one at $198. One of the main selling points was 2 year replacement warranty as to give a warranty like this they must be reasonable sure of the product as warranty work costs. I believe there are at least 6 of the same generators sold under different names proberbly made in the same prison in China.
I did some tests on mine the 240v output at no load 265v and 53hz and at a full 600w load (Toaster) it dropped to 51hz and 240v, these figures are acceptable.
The 12v side was more interesting. I had a battery that had been charged a couple of days before but was stuffed due to poor capacity and I connected this up to the 12v output. The current draw was 9.5 A and after about 20sec the CB tripped. I put this down to short leads and the normal initial high charging current. If you are relying on this for charging a flat battery you will have a problem. The best bet would be battery charger on the 240v side or some longer thinner 12v charging leads.
Other than the position of the starter cord I am happy enough with it.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Hendo - Thursday, Apr 01, 2004 at 06:44
Thursday, Apr 01, 2004 at 06:44
Meggs
Yep, thats the one I have bought, and unloaded, the DC output on mine is about 19 volts, but drops to 14 - 15 volts when hooked up to an already charged battery.
As discussed above, the best bet is to probable use a 240 volt battery charger to run the fridge, via the second battery in the vehicle.
But, at $198, can't complain about that!!
Hendo
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Ferda - Thursday, Apr 15, 2004 at 09:16
Thursday, Apr 15, 2004 at 09:16
ATTENTION PLEASE
I WANT JUST SAY, BE CAREFUL WITH SCORPION GENERATORS. (AUSTECH INDUSTIES) I BOUGHT ONE FROM K-MART AND RETURNING TODAY BECAUSE OF FUEL SPILLS. THE FUEL IS LEAKING FROM TOP OF THE TANK VHERE ARE THE HOLES FOR HANDLE SCREWS. THE CAP IS FAULTY TO. IT CAN BE DANGEROUS IF THE GENERATOR IS TRANSPORTED IN THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL IN.
I DID LOOK AT FEW AND FIND SAME PROBLEMS.
GOING TO BUY HONDA, LOCAL DEALER SELING FOR $880 NEW, CASH IN HAND.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
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