T&L Publications

This article may get you started:

http://www.edn.com/article/CA159691.html

I'm looking to do something similar to read a 0-20vdc range. I'd be curious to see what you come up with.

I'm closer to the Fremont Fry's, but I used to work down by you. Fry's is horrible about keeping their shelves filled with electronic components like these, but I'll try them first. Maybe I won't have to drive down into the south bay. I went down to the parts store and picked up a test specimen. Her...

Peter, I've got an AC motor that I can drive an alternator with which I'll use as a test apparatus between now and when I actually mount up my gas engine. With the circuit you laid out here, I'll be getting you readings from the leads marked +5v and +10v and armed with them, we'll have more clues as...

Phil brings up another thought I'd had. This particular project is only the first unit I'm hoping to build. When I need more power for a house later on I want to set up a Rabbit diesel-based genset like this one: http://utterpower.com/vwdieselgen.htm -or- http://www.oldengine.org/members/jdunmyer/ge...

Tell me more about the solid-state servos. Pricey? I think '70s-era regulators were just on/off switches. But, you're suggesting I can have more control. I'm into that! I want this generator to be hands-off once I flip a master switch. That is, I'll just suck power from the batteries with the invert...

I used to bench-test alternators at one of my after-school jobs as a kid and was under the impression that very little power was required to activate an alternator's field. The little leads we used to do it with didn't appear capable of handling hundreds of watts, even with the alternator under load...

Bigglez, Thanks for the info, it certainly clears up my concern over bridging alternators together. I was already assuming I'd need to build my own regulator, internal regulators on the alternators themselves will get confused. So, I'm looking at using '70s era alternators (with no internal reg.) an...

I've read some stuff while Googling that suggests hooking alternators in parallel is not the problem. Regulating the voltage is the problem.

Would I need to put more diodes between the alternators to isolate them from one another or would their internal diodes make it unnecessary?

Post a picture of the floppy drive connections. Perhaps someone will recognize them. It would help to know whether the hardware is running a common OS (like dos) in the background or if the software you're using is the OS. If the software itself is controlling the floppy drive directly (no system ca...

Can I combine to automotive alternator outputs to feed a single battery bank?

CeaSaR,

So far, the construction-oriented GPS units are out of financial reach. However, the technology used there seems like a really good fit. I just need to dedicate some time to figuring out how it can be done for less than $30k.

--Kurt

Ok, get a 24 or 48 volt inverter because they're more efficient, understood. But what about the charger/inverter in one package? Will it be more efficient than buying them separately?

I'm running a generator at my off-the-grid property for power and am looking into supplementing it with batteries and an inverter. There's something about a gas generator running nearby that diminishes the peacefulness and tranquility of a mountain hideaway... :grin: I use the generator for charging...

Tzap, I'm looking at lots of materials concerning the subject. Conventional wisdom (at least on the Internet) is split mostly between freaks that claim solar energy is ripe for the easy harvesting with simple steam or stirling engines but is being squelched by big oil and the other side that claims ...

Sparkle. Great post! I'll give it a shot.