Thread: Hi rate petrol charger

Looks like a good product for the money, depending on the quality which is hard to determine....... The other way to do it is to use a generator coupled to a high capacity charger, advantage of this is you get 240v when you need it and have more say over the quality of the generator.

Originally Posted by harro

I run an 80L engel and lights through a dual batt system.
Charged when camping with an 80watt and 60 watt solar panel.
I don't need a lot of power but a couple of overcast days.
and things get down a bit.
I don't really want a camping generator as most seem to offer around 8 amps charging for a 12 volts system.

Had a look at the Christie Honda generator/charger and it's probably what I'm looking for but this popped up BATTERY CHARGER - 12V 50 AMP - PETROL CHARGER - NEW - eBay, Caravans, Other Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 30-Dec-07 20:51:39 AEDST)
Anybody know of or had any experience with these type of chargers?

We have a Engle and I love it.
Run it on 12v and 240v.

However, for camping we use a primus Gas/electric fridge.

In other words, it will cost you more than what it is worth to run that fridge on solar power.
Buy another that runs on LPG and you'll save a hell of a lot of money.

Everything is relative and there is no such thing as a free luch.

By my experience after living in a motorhome for 2 years the best system is 12 volts only all around. One of the best solutions (and safe)for complementing your solar panels is purchasing a DC battery charger/generator. Have a look the site of Christie Engineering on Christie Engineering Outback Battery Chargers
They have a beauty powered by 4 stroke Honda.
Cheers

I think it's a personal choice as to which way you go. I would buy a 240v generator and a good high capacity smart charger, that way you can use the charger on mains at home, and use the generator for other things too.
My main concern with that petrol charger is that It's a "constant current" charger, so it would be VERY easy to overcharge your battery as you won't know how much charge to "put in" to the battery unless you know how flat it is, and the rating of it!
It's actually just a Kipor inverter generator without the inverter, and a large constant current regulator circut. Ideal for "topping up" a battery very quickly, but not good in the long run.
I should add I have a Kipor KGE2000 inverter generator and I think it's fantastic, easily runs 2000w of resistive loads, haven't tried it on induvtive loads though.
I'd go for a Kipor kge1000(or honda 10i if you can afford it) and a smart charger like this:Smart Battery Charger caravan camper campervan 25AMP - eBay, Caravans, Other Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 27-Dec-07 16:08:45 AEDST)

Just my opinion though!

Harro, I just had another thought, albeit on a completely different track.
You could have your alternator modified to charge at a controllable rate.
I remember seeing someone who was an auto elec, and he had a switc under the hood that disabled the inbuilt regulator of the alternator and activated a little control he had so he could dial the current output of the alternator. He had a ammeter and voltmeter setup so he could monitor how much charge was going into his batts.
Cheers,
Fraser

Have a look at this website:
2.5hp specs
Their unit would be the commercially avialable one that I would reccomend. It combines the proven reliability of a Honda four stroke engine and a Bosch alternator. The charger appears to be fully regulated so it can not cook your batteries.
"Bosch 55 amp internally regulated alternator, so no overcharging of batteries occur."
This setup would work the same as if you were using the alternator on your vehicle with the engine running, but much more efficiently with less fuel.

The sine winder unit says that it operates at 5500 RPM. This seems quite fast, and would make it wear out quicker and be noisier. 240V generators only operate at 3000 RPM.

Personally, I operate a Villiers 1HP 4 stroke engine, coupled to a 35 amp alternator. This is fully regulated by the original regulator inside the alternator, and uses less than 0.5 litres of fuel per hour. It operates at about 1500 RPM, and sounds like a brisk PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. Not offensive at all. If you too are handy with a welder, you can make a charger similiar to mine using swapmeet components for less than $50. If anybody wants pictures/videos, let me know.

Note, in both the Christie unit and my home made charger, the number of amps mentioned is the maximum available. This figure will drop off as the voltage comes up, and the regulator stars to regulate. If you need any more electrical advice just ask.
Aaron.