I have a Powertec PT2500S 4 stroke generator. It claims to have non-sine wave output and therefore unsuitable for some ap pliances. I can't see what voltage the generator actually generates interna lly, but the wires from it are quite small and can't possibly carry 200 amp s at 12 volts. So if it generates 230 volts directly, why can't it generate a sinewave?
Perhaps it not 12 volts, but something bigger but still DC. Brian
A lot of generators these days are not entirely what they seem. A true sine wave comes most easily from a coil rotating at a constant speed in a uniform manetic field. In days of yore this was what you got. However there are numerous expensive issues to providing this.
So the alternator has permanet magets. The magnetic field is not uniform. The speed is poorly governed. The output is recitfied to DC and then inverted to AC by electronic means.
It's expensive to produce a sine wave electronically so they don't in el cheapo generators.
If you run an AC motor on a wave that deviates significantly from a sinewave. there are increased magnetic losses that means the motor may overheat. Or indeed any inductive device intended for a sine wave.
I think it's down to the alternators winding impedance being significantly high so you get losses, couple that with reactive loads and the waveform gets distorted. The self excitation may also play apart, ie it can't generate a powerful enough magnetic field for field field (er does that make sense?).
I think the 12 V output comes from seperate windings.
I ran the charger for a disability buggy from a non-sine inverter. Luckily I watched the ammeter reading the discharge from the battery feeding the inverter. It should have been stable at around 10A, but after a few minutes it started to climb. It went up and up and off the top of the scale (20A). I turned off quickly.
Bill
There are only two small wires from the generator. It outputs 12 volts DC a t 8.5 amps, and 230 vac at 2500 watts. As Brian says it may generate DC and convert to AC. I already have a 1500 watt inverter that runs most things O K off my car battery for a few hours. I'm busy wiring up the house with new power points and an underground wire from the garage.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.