RE: ganging up cheap generators

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Terry Oxandale" <Toxandale@xxxxxxx>

Being you're using 3 separate 2 pole generators for 3 phases, would it
be more effective to tie the output (rotors) of all three with a belt
(or chain, or shaft) to lock them into 120 degree phasing?

(Un)Terry

-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 5:03 PM
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: ganging up cheap generators

Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

At 08:44 PM 1/7/2007, Tesla list wrote:
>Original poster: <davep@xxxxxxxx>
>
>
> > I notice that there has been a recent influx of very inexpensive
> > imported generators.  Today's Sunday LA Times has ads for 2kW
> > generators for under $200 and 3kW for $250.  Sure, these aren't
> > electric start, they're probably noisy as all get out, and are not
> > necessarily the most durable and rugged things.
> >
> > BUT, for those folks looking for a (portable) power supply for a
> > bigger coil, and worried about zapping their home electronics by
> > interconnecting to the mains power, this is interesting.  When the
coil
> > is running, you'll probably not hear the generator.
> >
> > Another intriguing possibility is that one can conceivably
> > interconnect 2 or 3 of these to make 3 phase power if you're running
a
> > big DC coil.  Yes, one could go do a REAL 3 phase 9-10kW generator,
and
> > get better performance, but I'll bet it would cost more than the
$750
> > it would take to buy 3 of the 3kW imports.
> >
> > OTOH, maybe there's also cheap imported 3 phase generators.
>       Paralleling power sources, especially ac sources, needing
>       phase, frequency AND voltage all to track is very
>       tricky.   Getting three of them to run stably 120 degrees
>       away from each other is trickier yet.


Actually, with a suitable zigzag transformer, apparently
synchronization is no worse than just paralleling them.

Frequency/phase takes care of itself (the generator that wants to run
a bit fast takes more load, slowing it down).  There IS an issue when
throwing the switch to connect them.  Amplitude is a matter of
regulators and throttles.


>       For three phase, I'd go with option OTOH....
>
>       best
>        dwp
>