I too am encouraged BruceP by MattR’s current works.
First he is actually USING it for his daily use power.
Second he is crafting around to a total make-power solution from the raw woods IN (his electric splitter → to now drum chipper → rotating drum separator/classifier); then to safe, all-use, conditioned electrical power.
Thirdly he is doing this wilh all current new production off-of-the shelves components and raw materials.
That is the solution set than can be replicated out, and out, in unlimited multiples.
Sure. Sure. I like the durable simplicity in many old systems. But face it . . . every year, every decade, less and less of those around.
And more and more folks every year needing now reasonable amounts of their own made power.
MattR works like a just a very few others is much more than the sum of it’s mechanical/electrical pieces.
He also shares out a lot his operational experiences. And that is pure gold, shared.
Regards
Steve Unruh
And if you are just going to convert to dc anyway, you could make your own generator with an old 3 phase motor. Frequency isn’t important becuse you are inverting it anyway. It might be a SHTF scenario. It is an option.
You can buy a used small car and get a used industrial 3-phase motor. Then the whole loss of power from gasification is a null because of the bigger engine, and you can run it at a more efficient speed like 2k rpm’s.
Ha! Ha! There are lots of Could Of’s; Should Of’s; Would Of’s.
Much as I like the making something from set-asides and cast-off’s . . . that works only for true mechanical artificers. (means making shits stick together and work)
Take just one factor in set-asides matching . . . coupling them together!!
Lot and lots of industrial buy-out solutions. Few long-term durable DIY solutions. A cut out tire tread disc bolted between two three legged shaft couplers for direct drive.
Speed ratio changing up or down?? Belts. Chain drives (WayneK’s tractor PTO speed changer); or gear boxes.
But face it. For the majority it will be new off the shelf electrical generator sets.
Two here on this topic along with me saying just go-big enough as in these 420/459cc engines systems from the get-go.
Save the 212, 224cc and other small systems for gasoline and propane fueled backups.
As MattR is has said lower voltage systems do work just fine too if you do your cabling and wiring runs overbuilding.
What is simpler? Big damn cables you can reach out and touch for heating? Or an electronics mystery box? Answer is Both, used best practices. Having the tools and stocks to make up more cabling. Or spare magic mystery boxes.
S.U.
Matt has more engine and mechanical chops then the majority. It also isn’t something ‘new’, it is what the Gek’s used with the exception, they used a crate motor, and they used an off the shelf generator that regulated the frequency. Inverting is what EVs and those range extenders do use.
The only real issue is the cover for where the tranny attaches, and that isn’t new either. the original Fisker Karma did exactly that.
No we did all that too. I had actual had GM engineers working with us and one guy had come to our shop many times. You didnt see all those GM performance engine builds we were doing? I also worked with Kohler and Mecc Alte (never ever again either one of them)
You can not piece a system together and beat the inverter generators you can just buy and plug them together. Its way cheaper, less expensive initial investment along with life time expense. You can not beat this not at all. Put all your eggs in one basket ( Giant V8 engine ) and when it fails the whole thing is a failure. Then fixing that thing if there is catastrophic failure like the LS machine that went to Italy; we smashed all the valves on the left bank. That machine did not run again for an entire year!! Break a Predator, go get a new engine! You can buy a new engine for less cost then repair work on V8 all day long. Its just not worth it.
So I put a new switch and a new coil on the 9500 and no dice. Same condition
However after playing with the on / off switch along with the Eco Mode Switch. I can get it to act right sometimes. For instance if I get it running smooth in Eco Mode and switch it out it will go wide open and then it will sputter and puff out black smoke. Or If I switch it off and let it ramp down, but turn the switch back on sometimes ramp back up and it will run right. I think I might be chasing the wrong cause to the problem. Might be carburetor issues.
On wood gas it does not do any of this. However I am having a hard time keeping it going today. Not sure if there is still an issue with the generator (just acting a differently on gas) or if Im just having a bad wood gas day. lol.
One thing I am going to make changes too is the hopper vibrator. Its not working all that great. I think sometimes its actually making the bridging worse and it just packs the fuel on top of the hearth instead loosening it. So Ive ordered a mountable rubber dampaner. The idea is; there will be a through hole thru this dapener for a rod. On the inside will be a steel hoop welded too this rod, (imagine one of those large soap bubble hoops that make those large soap bubbles) The outside end will attach to one end of a mounting plate and the vibrator will mount too this plate. On the other end of this mount plate will be an anchoring bolt. So this plate will be able to flex on this anchoring bolt and jar hoop rod in a linear direction. Ill place this hoop just a few inches above the hearth. Ive thought about this concept for many years just never got around to try it. Flash USA did something like this as well. But I think this will solve the bridging issues and without packing machine.
No there is still something going on electrically. The low oil light keeps lighting up even with the sensor disconected. The CO detector is by passed. It stalled out and I had to refuel the gasifier anyways, so serviced the machine and then went to fire the generator back up and that light is lighting up for some reason. Something is intermitently grounding out somewhere I dont know it is.
This generator is well beyond its expected life. Most small engines including Honda are only good for 1500 hours. Getting over 2000 hours is beyond good for this size generator. I dont think there is anything wrong mechanically with the engine. It still seems to have good compression. It might just need the carb cleaned is all. But we are going to investigate and tear into later this month or the next and pull the alternator head off and see what shaft it has. Hopefully its not tapered and is a straight shaft like the engine you can buy.
Hey MattR. Demount the stepper motor and check for throttle shaft gumming/binding.
I do not figure that the stepper motor has the power to overcome any amount of soots or tars dragging.
Lazy there would affect on both gasoline or producer gas.
Look at the installed engines output shaft side casting. Unique to form the one side of the generator housing and even half of the exhaust shrouding. Have to swap over on the replacement engine.
On my 2000 Honda and 2800 Yamaha inverter units the crankshaft extensions are not taper. Straight with shoulders.
S.U.
Nice so there is a chance this has a straight shaft. Yeah Id like to get rid of the electronic control and convert it to mechical. Dont know if that is pre existing though so maybe not. But yeah it is sticky and that may have something to do with it. Im planning on yanking the carb and cleaning it. In that process we may swap the carbs out with the other one just to rule it out.
If the predator generators are anything like the ones we get over here they will be running a clone copy of a GX390 , that has a straight shaft , also the stepper motor will get gummed up i have had mine freeze when the machine has sat idle for a few days no way could i get the butterfly free , only way was to try and unscrew the butterfly and then take float bowl off and drill into the blind casting up into where the shaft is and then tap it out , nearly ever single inverter gen i have has had this done to it .
Predators and the Lifan variants are actually not really Honda clones any more. Honda sued Lifan, so they made their engines better than the Honda. Lifan is a huge engine manufacturer, they dont build junk. Dont feel like you are getting something inferior. Everything you get we also get this is globalization, we are not different than you and you are to us. If anything Austrailia is more like the US than any other country. Except you guys drive on the wrong side of the damb road. Other than you guys are cool.
yup, and you aren’t going to make a product from it. Which is part of the reason why I said shtf scenario, but the other reason is overall cost. but the cost isn’t that terrible with the predator. 400 dollars/ (2000 hours * 5 kw) is 4c/kwh. I would have to check but we are paying like 12-16c/kwh after fees not including service hookup.
Yeah just need solid parts sources. I think Harbor Frieght maybe getting better there is a number you can call. But part of the Honda law suit is the no Honda parts dealer can offer parts for any of these engines. This is why so hard to find rebuild kits. But we can get the parts they are cheap and fairly easy to rebuild. The cylinders show hardly any wear just hone and re ring they could posibly last decades.
They are lined cylinders not alum wall. Dont know what the material is used, all I know is when we tear into them the cylinder walls still have the hone marks. But you do have to hone them out Ive rebuilt a few 420cc engines and the rings will not set unless this is done.
