Using power from an alternator

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by Robert1982, Feb 6, 2014.


  1. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Why not go direct with mechanical power, if turning a prop is what you want it to do? Run it through a gear train, and turn speed into torque.
     
  2. Duck

    Duck Monkey

    Engine was old & worn out. And it was a smoke factory. I wish it wasn't seized up though. I'd love to pull over right at the California state line & leave it running.
    That would make more sense from an efficiency standpoint but the trolling motor on the raft was just another way to load test it & see if that engine & pulley size would work. It might've been too big of a pulley for a 3HP. I was planning on taking the raft out anyway & decided it would be a good way to test it under a heavy amp load.


    I just got a reply to the e-mail I sent to someone at General Motors:

    I knew it would work, but my question was specifically whether the fan could be flipped around and what I should torque the pulley nut to. If I can figure out the best way to mount it when the drive belt is in the way, I want to stick an alternator on an old riding mower that has no mower deck, and use the pulley on the crank that used to run the blades.
     
  3. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Perhaps you could thread the output shaft, and either screw the fan directly on to the shaft (with a thread that would tighten under load), or add a coupler to extend it?
     
  4. Duck

    Duck Monkey

    I was thinking about taking the alternator to a machine shop to have a coupler made so I can extend the alternator shaft so I can have the alternator inside a hollow area in the body of the mower, but have a shaft sticking down through or past the drive belt to reach the height of the blade pulley. I'd need to add a crossmember and an extra bearing to hold that extended shaft as close to the pulley as possible though. And replacing the drive belt would be a headache if the shaft ended up going through it.

    Or I can just add some idlers & get a longer drive belt so I can make room to mount the alternator right where it needs to be to put it's pulley inline with the blade pulley. It's not like adding some extra idlers is going to affect a machine that has 12.5 hp and is geared to only go 6 mph.

    1.

    Plenty of room for an alternator down there, if the drive belt can be re-routed.

    I posted my intention to redneckify this old mower on a truckers forum but all those clowns want to do is reply with pictures of the guy from Deliverance.
     
    Sapper John likes this.
  5. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Not really. Just put the pulley beneath the crossmember, and just through the bearing. Add an idler for ease of access and proper tension. (you could mount that to the crossmember.)
     
  6. Duck

    Duck Monkey

    When I get the time to actually do this, I'll probably drain the oil, remove the battery & gas tank & flip the mower upside down on saw horses or something. That'll make it a lot easier to figure out the best way to do it.
     
  7. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Why not mount two, in place of the mower blade shafts? As part of the deck?
     
    Duck likes this.
  8. Duck

    Duck Monkey

    How about an alternator and an air compressor? Then I can upgrade my yard cart to air ride. :D
     
  9. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Wellll, add another motor or two, and we could make it a hovercraft.....
     
    Duck likes this.
  10. escro123

    escro123 Neophyte Monkey

    I was wondering what exactly I would need to set up a few alternators to a battery array to power an airstream trailer with a desktop computer. I would like to mount a few alternators to water wheels to keep the batteries powered. The computer would probably be the only thing drawing from the power during the day and a tv and a few led lights at night. I'm trying to do this as low budget as possible so any advice would be great.
     
  11. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Alternators, would not be your best bet (IMHO) because they are designed to be spinning quite fast. You would be better off with a solar panel on the roof of the trailer.
     
    3cyl likes this.
  12. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Vehicle Alternators are CHEAP, and easy to find, HOWEVER, they have one serious Drawback.... The are terribly inefficient at Generating DC Power. You would be much better off finding a Permanent Magnet DC Motor, and spinning it, with your Input Source.
    In a vehicle, you really don't care if you waster a couple of HorsePower while charging the Starting Battery, and running the electrics, as the engine has plenty of extra. In an Off-Grid Situation, Energy is KING, and you need to be as Efficient as possible, in the Generation, Storage, and Use, of what Energy Inputs you have... Grid Energy is the CHEAPEST Energy Going, and if you have it, you need to use it FIRST. Then build you Power Plan around BackUp Energy Inputs to replace the Grid, when it ceases to be available, either Temporarily or Permanently. Hydro is the next cheapest Energy Source. High Initial Expense, but Low Maintenance Costs per Unit of Energy, generated, once installed. You also have to OWN the right Land to make that work. Then comes Solar. Again, High Initial Expense, and it only works about 12 hours, a Day, on average. Batteries are Expensive, and have finite Life Cycles. The farther North you go, the less Energy you are get. (In Alaska, during the summertime, it works Good. However in the winters, you likely won't generate enough Energy to even overcome the Self-discharge Rate of your Battery Bank.) Finally there is Petroleum Based Energy Generation. It is the Most expensive Energy, one can produce. There are lots of ways to do it, and not all of them are based on Internal Combustion Engines. Just MOST of them.
     
    Cruisin Sloth likes this.
  13. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    You guys have it pretty well covered.
    I suppose you could use a modified wind generator. But you'd probably still have to gear up a water wheel (usually turn pretty slow). Then there's the added expense of the low speed alternator (wind generator) along with a mechanism to attain enough speed. Probably lose too much efficiency.
     
  14. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Try the DC motor out.of a treadmill. They are often used to make windmill generators.
    Water wheels vary in design depending upon YOUR circumstances. Shallow stream would need one low and wide and before being g geared up. If you have the drop, a taller wheel developes more power with less work, and going over the top is more efficient than going under.
    If you have enough flow, one wheel could both generate power and pump water. Or run two separate wheels for each purpose.
     
  15. ljmacad

    ljmacad Neophyte Monkey

    I have a 24V 15KW inverter currently powered by (4) 12V deep cycle batteries set up in series/parallel. I want to charge the batteries with a 24V alternator, but I need the inverter to run with the alternator is feeding the batteries. Does anyone have any thoughts on how I can accomplish this?
     
  16. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    This shouldn't be an issue, as long as the alternator has an Overcharging Limited in it's Regulator.....
     
  17. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    Years ago I built a 105 amp unit. I used a GM 1 wire alternator, an electric start chinese knock-off of a Briggs 6.5 hp, and an SLA battery (18 ah) for starting it up. From the alternator I had 2 20' 1/0 welding leads to a set of clamps. That was our backhoe, tractor, and dump truck starter for a lot of years. Just crank it up with the leads on the dead battery and find something to do for 10 minutes. It has also been used in a few hurricanes hooked to a boat battery and an old 1 KW inverter, worked just fine. I've been a wrench turner all my life, and never saw a good alternator put out more than 14.5 volts. Most wont start making power until 3-5 thousand RPM. And I think it was noted that there is a 10-1 ratio for the inverter, but it is more like 13 to 1 because inverters suck at making 120 out of 12. Throw max load at one and it doubles as a space heater. So to the original poster, go for it and have fun. You'll have something that works, it just won't be that efficient.
     
    Homer Simpson and oldawg like this.
  18. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Modern Inverters are much more efficent than the ones you likely are used to.... My Trace runs in the 85-90% Efficent Range are full Rated Load (4KW) and it isn't even close to the State of the Art ....
     
  19. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I used the engine / alternator set up for about 4 years living on the desert , especially during the winter months when the sun was low on the horizon . I had about 6 - 15 watt solar panels and a 5000 watt generator and 18 12 volt deep cycle marine batteries all cast off from the boat yard I worked.
    It was far more efficient to use the engine alternator making 12 volts charging the battery bank and running my lights than the 5000 watt generator . Lights in those days were standard automotive incandescent or quartz and they did demand the power . I loved when the LED became available it changed every thing.
    Note that it takes 5 "Five" horse power to provide the energy to drive the alternator efficiently and the pulley on the motor needs to be the same size or smaller than the pulley on the alternator .
    car batteries do not do well , if you let them loose too much charge they die quickly, hence the deep cycle batteries are more correct.
    As a matter of fact my system uses 6 volt dep cycle golf cart batteries because that take a charge faster and are designed for this load. Being 6 volt I can make any combination of 6 volt to fit my needs ,6,12,18, 24, 36,
    I have 6 volt lights in the house as well as 12 volt .
    Final note .
    My system has switches on every single component, each battery, solar panel wind mill ,and generator . to meters to see by the flip of a switch who is working and who is not and isolate this that have problems . If it's not making power it's drawing power.
    I can tie in as many panels and batteries I wish depending on the need. by the flick of a switch.
     
    chelloveck likes this.
  20. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I did a search on the TEG systems and it is intriguing the idea if making power form heat or cold which means one could use the exhaust from the engine and make power or the wood stove or any other heat source and or cold source like snow .
    Check out the info for your self . I think it's worth a look see.
     
    Ganado likes this.
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