This project hasn't been at the top of my list lately.
I sort of didn't do anything more on it since that contest, but being up at the MREA fair a couple weeks ago, I was throwing around a few ideas with other people.
The main problem is that there's a 15 amp outlet on this generator, yet it has a 30 AMP main output. That means that I am only getting half of what I potentially could out of it!
I looked on the web and found that 30 amp bridge rectifiers (to change AC output to DC) are cheap - like $10 or so!
Running 115v AC out to DC should give me somewhere in the neighborhood of 160V DC! That's MORE than enough voltage to charge my battery pack! In fact, I would have to figure out how to LOWER that voltage. (How about a 30 amp Open Revolt with the throttle PWM set so that my battery pack "sees" an appropriate voltage? That way it would be adjustable in case I change the number of batteries)
Hmmm.... Wait, how's the math work?
AC volts times 1.41 (bridge rectifiction) = DC volts, right?
115v AC x 1.41 = 162.15VDC (minus, what, a volt? for the bridge rectifier?) Call it 160VDC. 160V / 12 batteries = 13.33V per battery.
Could it be that simple? Run a generator through a bridge rectifier to a 144V battery pack for a simple hybrid?
Not sure how many amps I would pull while crusing at 144V, but I only need the AVERAGE to be 30 amps to be able to drive indefinately on the LP generator!?
I was also talking to an electronics friend. He said that the generator has an internal sensor that regulates the output voltage. If I was able to change that, I could send something OTHER than 115V AC out of the generator.
I think somebody mentioned doing something like that a while back, but I really didn't want to mess with the generator, and STILL don't know much about electronics.
I'm sort of liking the idea of a 144V Hybrid car though...
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