Anotherpower.com Forum

Transportation => Fossil / Other Fuels => Topic started by: birdhouse on March 12, 2012, 11:21:28 am

Title: generator auto start questions
Post by: birdhouse on March 12, 2012, 11:21:28 am

hello-
i'm dabbling with the idea of having a dedicated generator for battery charging.  i'd like for it to be automatic start/stop. 

i understand i'll have to purchase an electric start generator.  i do have a morningstar ts-60 in dump mode, and understand a RD-1 relay driver might be the first step to get what i'm looking for.  will the RD-1 work with a ts-60 in dump mode? 

then there's gotta be something connected to the generator to adjust the choke ect? 

costco offers a pretty reasonably priced electric start gas gen that put out ~3200 watts. 

i'm really new to this scheme, so any advice would be great! 

thanks!
adam

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: rossw on March 12, 2012, 02:59:03 pm

You might like to have a quick look at how I did mine.
A little larger than what you're describing - but the principles are the same.

Generator proper: http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,148.0.html (http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,148.0.html)

Control system: http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,149.0.html (http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,149.0.html)

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: birdhouse on March 12, 2012, 03:52:43 pm

ross-
thanks for that.  it's a good read!  i think you remember how many questions i had just to add a resistor to the trim pot of my 24v 15a chinese charger.  i think that building my own controls for a generator is a bit above my head! 

i don't mind spending the money for an "autostart module"???  i'm guessing there will be some relays involved as well.  even that may be a learning experience for me. 

any thoughts in the dumbed down version?

adam

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: rossw on March 12, 2012, 03:58:23 pm

Quote from: birdhouse on March 12, 2012, 03:52:43 pm

i think that building my own controls for a generator is a bit above my head! 

i don't mind spending the money for an "autostart module"???

A friend of mine recently purchased a chinese genset and found a "universal remote start/stop" unit on ebuy. I'll have a quick poke and see if he's about on IRC and ask him.

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: rossw on March 12, 2012, 04:12:52 pm

Quote from: rossw on March 12, 2012, 03:58:23 pm

see if he's about on IRC and ask him.

He's not, so I had a bit of a look myself.

Ebay item 160718439556 is of a similar function, but isn't the same one. It's designed for Diesel, but would probably do petrol fine. I think the one he got was more "bare bones

Ebay item 200724997858 is pretty expensive, but may be more flexible.

Either way - search around - there's a LOT more available now than there was when I built mine!!

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: birdhouse on March 12, 2012, 08:33:50 pm

thanks ross! 

starting to get my head wrapped around this.  do you know if these have like a solenoid or something that adjusts the choke automatically? 

adam

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: ChrisOlson on March 18, 2012, 08:33:12 pm

Typically the choke is operated by a stepper motor.
--
Chris

Title: Re: generator auto start questions
Post by: birdhouse on March 19, 2012, 10:16:55 am

thanks chris!  the more i look into this, im thinking i'm going to have to make the choke control.  any genset that has the auto start feature, is way larger than what i need, not to mention way out of my price range! 

for now, i still have my little 15A @24v chinese charger that i can manually start/plug into my 2000w gernerac inverter generator. 

adam