Inverter generators and Onan
There are a lot of threads on here about inverter genny's, and the main positives are quieter and clean power, OK, inverter for clean power, When buying just an inverter the standard everyone goes for...
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I am waiting for the day when the Mastodon decides the ice-age has moved on. Onan. Sooner or later the company may decide the time is right to introduce an inverter RV generator. If they are intelligent an ECU fuel injection system would accompany the upgrade along with overhead cam engine design.
Yeah
Right
But you are correct about generators and waveform and voltage regulation.
When a generator supply house telephoned me in 1982 asking if I was interested in a number 4 mounting 12.5 Kw single phase generator my eyebrows rose. It turned out to be an orphan. Coupling a 12.5 Kw generator to a #4 mount prime mover is not common.
So, I drove a thousand miles to go look at it. It was crated in pine boards. Had insanely heavy plastic sheeting sealed up tight. I showed the man my hundred dollar bills and slit open the plastic. I sure as heck did not trust the old Mil-Spec documentation that was old and tattered. Mil-Spec automatically infers the machine may have been 400 Hz. Useless for my purposes.
A strong vapor hit my nose and eyes. Vapor anti-corrosion liquid. The generator color was olive drab. What The Heck? Cosmoline on the spec plate. I rubbed it off. Manufacturer KATO. Model No. ML-125A-Spec(c) 120/240/480 vac. 50/60 Hz 12-6 lead reconnectable. 12.5Kw. 1000/1200 RPM. Inside the crate was a heavy pouch. Thick documentation and maintenance. USA mil manual.
The company wanted way too much money for it. An hour of bitter bargaining ensued. I walked away owning the generator for $1,100. Expensive.
What I ended up with is a Vietnam War era, Mil-Spec 12,500 watt generator orphan. Single phase. It weighs a whopping 120 pounds heavier than the only other (#8 frame) generator Kato produced at the time.
The genspec called for a regulator that was not furnished with the generator. The governor was a Woodward mechanical. In 1986 I spent almost a thousand dollars for a Woodward electronic governor, plus a Delco H9000 voltage regulator. This may be one of the more expensive 12.5Kw generators ever assembled.
But it was worth it. Cleaner more accurate power than public utility. But there is a glaring vulnerability I have done handstands trying to avoid.
The dreaded BURP. Engine speed malfunction due to engine defect or fuel. I suspect an inverter type generator would affect the loads a lot less than a standard generator.
Yeah
Right
But you are correct about generators and waveform and voltage regulation.
When a generator supply house telephoned me in 1982 asking if I was interested in a number 4 mounting 12.5 Kw single phase generator my eyebrows rose. It turned out to be an orphan. Coupling a 12.5 Kw generator to a #4 mount prime mover is not common.
So, I drove a thousand miles to go look at it. It was crated in pine boards. Had insanely heavy plastic sheeting sealed up tight. I showed the man my hundred dollar bills and slit open the plastic. I sure as heck did not trust the old Mil-Spec documentation that was old and tattered. Mil-Spec automatically infers the machine may have been 400 Hz. Useless for my purposes.
A strong vapor hit my nose and eyes. Vapor anti-corrosion liquid. The generator color was olive drab. What The Heck? Cosmoline on the spec plate. I rubbed it off. Manufacturer KATO. Model No. ML-125A-Spec(c) 120/240/480 vac. 50/60 Hz 12-6 lead reconnectable. 12.5Kw. 1000/1200 RPM. Inside the crate was a heavy pouch. Thick documentation and maintenance. USA mil manual.
The company wanted way too much money for it. An hour of bitter bargaining ensued. I walked away owning the generator for $1,100. Expensive.
What I ended up with is a Vietnam War era, Mil-Spec 12,500 watt generator orphan. Single phase. It weighs a whopping 120 pounds heavier than the only other (#8 frame) generator Kato produced at the time.
The genspec called for a regulator that was not furnished with the generator. The governor was a Woodward mechanical. In 1986 I spent almost a thousand dollars for a Woodward electronic governor, plus a Delco H9000 voltage regulator. This may be one of the more expensive 12.5Kw generators ever assembled.
But it was worth it. Cleaner more accurate power than public utility. But there is a glaring vulnerability I have done handstands trying to avoid.
The dreaded BURP. Engine speed malfunction due to engine defect or fuel. I suspect an inverter type generator would affect the loads a lot less than a standard generator.
