DIY Volt Hybrid - Open ReVolt style

[Nerys]

not sure how these LP gennies work but "I THOUGHT" gennies put out DC and had an inverter essentially to change it to AC ???

[bennelson]

Well, not this generator anyways. It puts out AC pretty much directly.

Mines a slightly unusual generator too, in that it's a permanent magnet generator with the magnets on the rotor. No BRUSHES! Easy maintenance.

[MPaulHolmes]

It's 160v peak, so as soon as you put a load on it, the voltage drops a lot. You can charge a 108v system by rectifying 120v AC, but 144v DC would see almost no current.

[cujet]

Originally Posted by bennelson

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...

Yes, it's easy and quite simple, IF everything is set up properly. The number of batteries, the voltage regulator on the generator, and how the maximum generator current is limited. Some of this is beyond your control. Some generators will slow down when overloaded. Some won't, but the voltage will sag (a good thing in your case). So, the regulation is important.

Try it! But start out on charged batteries. It won't take long for the generator to load up. Measure the results.

[bennelson]

Cujet, what you just said is exactly what I was thinking.

I just ordered a Bridge Rectifier. It was under $10, shipping costs more than the parts does!

I'll try digging through the misc generator manuals that I have and see if I can find some schematics on voltage regulation.

[bwilson4web]

You might want to look-up synchronous rectifiers:

Method provides self-timing for synchronous rectifiers - 2002-05-16 07:00:00 | EDN

They have lower, forward losses, and coupled with a feedback circuit, provides voltage regulation.

Bob Wilson

[trooper Tdiesel]

OPD or what ever its called...

limits filling to around 80% with a shut off valve.
when no hose is on it or in a case of big 500,000BTU weed burner torch and you open the valve it will stop flow.
vertical tanks are not to be used on there side, and same for the others.


tanks over 40LBs, and.....
RV truck camper tanks mounted side ways, manufactured before October 1, 1998 are not required to have the OPDprovided they are so labeled

only requer ment for those tanks is to be inspected 12 years from when there new and every 5 years there after.

standard 20lb BBQ tanks are 5 gal

[gor]

so, Ben, what is your impressions and thoughts after a while of running it?

[bennelson]

Originally Posted by gor

so, Ben, what is your impressions and thoughts after a while of running it?

Well, a couple of things.

To start off, there's still something not quite right with that generator. It just konks out on me whenever I put too much load on it. It should be able to get up to a certain RPM and current level, and it just never does.

Aside from that, the entire CONCEPT of the system works pretty well.

The reality of it is that I REALLY LIKE how quiet an electric car is. Having the generator run is NOT quiet. Also, the Metro trunk space isn't large at all - the generator setup takes up nearly the entire cargo area - whether you are even using it or not.

The other thing is that the generator is NOT large enough to run the motor directly. That means that the generator can only extend range by some percent, so the batteries are still the limiting factor, not the generator's fuel supply.

Also, the generator system was an after-thought to the entire car. If the car was designed as a hybrid to start with, it would have been easier to integrate and make everything work together a little better.

In the end, I think it either ends up in the style of a Nissan Leaf (just lots of good batteries, with good all-electric range) or that of a Chevy Volt ( some electric-only, but really with an engine big enough to push the car down the road.

Right now, I am leaning towards putting more bigger better batteries in the car. I also really need a new battery charger. My old K&W died on me a while ago now. I've been very busy with the baby, work, and my other responsibilities to do much work on the car lately.

Overall, I like the idea of the serial-hybrid concept, but think it requires just the right size generator, better integration (get the generator under the hood) and some more sound-proofing.

[MPaulHolmes]

I'm really wanting to get a basic serial hybrid working with cheap Lead Acid batteries. If a run of the mill deep cycle golf cart battery is charged at 30-40 amps when it's in the bulk charge phase, is that a problem?

Also, a generator has a fuse on the 120v and 240v outlets just to protect the electric motor from being overloaded, right? Or to prevent the gas engine from stalling due to too much load?