build a high voltage home power welder

8/7/2019 Build a High Voltage Home Power Welder

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HtJlIII FtJ BUII-DA HIGH IftJl. FA GIlHtJMIl PtJlIIIllR PfANFAND IIIIIlI-DING UNIFUsing Low Cost Used Car Parts

andNatural Energy Drive System s

P ub lll hld b y:TA EN DLIN E PU BLISHING COM PA NY(A DIvision of Trendllne Intem etlonal Ply. Ltd.)G .P .O . B ox 1889, Sydney, 2001. A ustralia.

e C opyright 1983. T rendline Inte rnational P ty. L td.R evised a nd update d E dition 1985 ISBN 0 -86437 000 8.

R ep rod uctio n p roh ib ited b y an y m eth od w ith out prio r p erm issio n in w ritin g from the p ub lish ers.T h i s manua l i s comp il ed f rom a s pe ci al p r o je ct headed by] . T .A ll owyn and commis si oned by T rend li neI nt er na ti onal Pry .L td . Th e i nf ormat io n con ta in ed h er ei n i s b el ie ve d t o b e a cc ur ate , b ur is sold as informationo nly a nd n o lia bili ty is accepted by e ith er th e p ub lis he rs o r r es ea rc h a na ly sts .

WARNINGThe in fo rma tio n i n th is manu al w il l en ab le y ou to p ro du ce h ig h volt ag e f rom car a lte rn at or s a nd c ar b atte ri es .HIGHVOLTAGESCAN CAUSEINSTANT DEATH.Alwaysinsulateconnect ions.and when producingover 60vo lts. c learl y l abe l - "DANGER - HIGH VOLTAGE".

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CONTENTS. Introduction. "810 COII8tructlon end Operailng Detail.. Alternatore - Output, Wiring and Moclltlcatlons

- HowtoCon ne ct A lte rn ato rs in P ara lle l- H ow to C onnect for Fast C harging of B atteries- H ow to C onnect for W elding- How to C on nect fo r O peratin g 24Ov o1 t Drills, L ig hts, P ow er T oo ls etc.. DrIve LIne OptIons- Lawn Moweror Molar Cyc le Eng in e- Rear W heel of Car- V-Belt Drive off Car M olar- Twin A lte rn ato r D riv e o ff C ar Moto r. Drive Speed, Voltage and Po"".r Strength- How to Ca lcu la te Al te rna to r Speed- How to Ca lcu la le Pu ll ey SIZ88fo r Speci fi c AI t8m8Ia rSpeed- How to Calculate Power Strength; Am Valls and W atts.. Battery CalculatlO l'I8l1ftd Hook"'" enee- How to Conneet In 111gbVI"""- How to C on nect In P ar8 II8I for H Ig h Amp C 8pecfty- How to C onn ect In C om bin ed P ar81 1e1 1S erles fo r Increased Amp C apacity an d H igh er V oIt8 g8 s. Battery Facts- Factors which D eterm ine Battery Power- Batt ery Charging- C auses o f B attery F ailu re- C hem ical F orm ulas to E xtend B ettery L ife- How and W here to Get GoodUsed Be lt er ie s. Inverters- Ro ta ry I nv er te rs- Sol id S ta te I nv er te rs- T ip s o n Buy in g In ve rte rs. L 01N Voltage Appliance. and Tools- F rid ge s, R ad io s, C oio ur T ele visio n e tc- H eav y D uty F en cin g T ool- 10mm Worksho p D rill- C ompact B attery O perated W elder- Using an Old Car Generator as an Electric M otor- U sin g an O ld C ar S tarter M oto r to r H Igh P ow 8r, ftIgIt T orqu e A pplication s. Horne Po1Ner Plent OptIons and Combinations. Alternative Energy Drive Systems- Direct Flow W ater Powar- R egu lated D irect F lo w Water P ow er- Water P ow ered O n-site G rav ity U nit- Water P uw ered R em ote L ocatio n G rav ity U nit- Win d P owere d Con ve ntio nal P ro pe lle r T yp e W in dm ill- W ind Chute Power Turbinee W eldtng Capabilitle.- Arc Weld ing- Fus io n We ld in g- Spo t We ld in g- Brazing- Heating- Soldering- Cutting- Where to B uy 'C arbon A rc R ods. C onclusion

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INTRODUCTIONThe ordinary car alternator can be easily m odified and used as a convenient mobile power unit.

It can be either m ounted on a compact platform and driven by a small petrol m otor, w indm ill, water pow er, etc.,or driven by your car motor at the rear wheel, etc.

This pow er unit has been designed w ith enorm ous versatility ranging from sim ple applications such as lighting andheating through to brazing and w elding.The overall aim has been to construct an alternative power source from low cost components and used car parts.The emphasis is on used car parts, e.g. : used car batteries instead of the very expensive, but better suited heavy

plate power plant batteries. The reason for the emphasis Ofl u sed car parts is mainly their low cost and ease ofa va il ab il it y a nywh er e i n A us tr ali a.

A s an exam ple of costs, second-hand alternators are readily available around S ydney for $15-$20 each ingood w orking order (often advertised in the w eekly Trad ing Post ). Presum ably they are easily available atsim ila r p ric es in o th er S ta te s a ro un d A ustra lia .

As an example of the capabilities of this unit, you can arc w eld using welding rods up to 12 gauge (2.5 m m),solder, braze, braze w eld, fusion weld, spot weld, cut steel, and heat steel to near m elting point for shaping andbending. Note: This is all done by electricity, directly from your power unit. The unit is supplying pow er direct --it is not even necessary to buy a w elder.

F or m ost people, reading these types of claim s in our advertisem ents is unbelievable and for som e it is totallyunacceptable. The thought of creating intense h ea t a nd fla me capable of fusion ( oxy type) w elding and heating steelto near melting point is hard enough to believe even if using the best of electric welding equipment... but to do allthese things and m ore w ith ou t a w eld er and using an old car alternator appears to be beyond the realm s of possibility.

In the following pages you will see the facts and realize that our advertising claims are not an overstatement butr at he r a d el ib er at e understatement o f f ac t.

BASIC CONSTRUCT1ONand OPERATING DETAILSThe m odifications to the alternator are quite sim ple and straightforw ard. It d oes n ot r equi re any comp li ca te drebuilding - a ll mod if ic at ions a re to ex te rna l wi ri ng connect ions on ly .B asically the concept is very sim ple: by-pass the regulator and rt!n a constant 12 volts directly into the fieldw indings (rotor) of the alternator. This energises a strong m agnetic field in the alternator, and the faster it is driventh e h ig he r th e v oJta ge - up to 250 volts.N orm ally the regulator controls the rotor current to keep the alternator output at its constant 12 volts ( 13.8volts m axim um). The regulator controls the input to the rotor within the range of zero to 12 volts whichreduces the m agnetic field thereby controlling the actual voltage and am perage output from the alternator.

B y eliminating the regulator com pletely and connecting the battery direct to the field windings, then the output isdirectly related to the speed of the alternator instead of being controlled by the incoming current.

To set up your portable pow er unit, you will need an alternator which has a separate regulator (not an inbuiltregulator). The separate regulator set-up w as standard equipment on m ost m odels prior to 1980, so it will not presentany problem in buying this particular type. You will also need a 12 volt car or motorbike battery to supply current tothe rotor, and an old law nmow er motor or preferably a motorbike m otor to drive the alternator. That is basically allthat is required as far as major com ponents and m odifications go.

A lternators are capable of spinning at very high speeds because of their solid integral type of construction, w hereasthe old generators tend to explode or fly to pieces at high speed. This is mainly because in generators the individualbrass segm ents of the com mutator had to be electrically insulated from each other and therefore could not be fabric-ated from a single block of m etal. A t high speed the centrifugal force caused them to fly out. This problem does notexist w ith alternators, and they are quite safe at very high RPM ; in fact double engine speed is norm al, and they arequite safe up to 14000 - 15000 R PM .

W hen your power plant is in operation the power drain on this battery is only about 3 - 4 amps, at the most, so,you can run the unit for quite a long time before you need to recharge the battery. For example, using a fully charged100 amp/hr battery at a drain of 4 amps you could run the unit for close on 25 hours before recharging.

In actual fact, your power unit has a fast charge capability, so you can virtually recharge a truckload of car batter-ies in that 25 hours if you w anted to, so this small power consum ption is never a problem .

Some people prefer to use th~ir existing alternator set-up on the car. This is quite OK, because there are no actualm odifications to the alternator. The only m odification required is in the w iring connections, that is, in by-passing there gu la to r e tc .

W hen you have finished using the pow er unit (alternator), sim ply sw itch it back through to norm al operation andlet the battery recharge itself in the norm al manner as you drive along..

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H ow ever, the m ain disadvantage w ith this set-up is that you have to rev the engine up fairly high to reach the highvoltages, unless of course you fit different sized pulleys to gear up the alternator speed, but then this is not suitablefo r n orm al d riv in g.

If you prefer that the power unit be in your car, w e suggest you buy another alternator and gear it up, then youcan spin the alternator at high speed w ithout revving your engine too fast. A lso your existing electrical system reom ains intact, and therefore keeping your battery charged up. (The extra alternator is fitted on a bracket inside thee ng in e b ay , a nd d ri ve n o ff a n a dd itio na l f an b elt a nd p ull ey - s ee d et ai ls l at er .)

ALTERNATORS - OUTPUT, W IRING and MODIFICATIONSThe m ost com monly available car alternators are Bosch and Lucas. Their rated output ranges from 30 am ps to 60am ps for the average car. M ost of the larger cars in recent years are fitted w ith 55 am p alternators to supply anadequate current for the ever-increasing array of accessories such as m ultiple lighting, pow er operated w indow s, air-conditioning, etc. The 55 amp alternators are the best, at least as far as car alternators go. If you are able to pick up atruck or tractor alternator of around 100 am ps or m ore, so m uch the better.

In our research w e found that 35 amp Bosch and Lucas were most plentiful, mostly off Holdens and Falcons, so inthis m anual w e w ill base our explanations on these low er output alternators. T he capabilities of a 35 am p alternatorw ould be increased by over 50% (that is over half as m uch again) by using 55 am p alternators.

A s an exam ple of the capabilities of the 35 am p alternators, w e connected tw o in parallel (w hich doubles the am psbut voltage rem ains single), and at 50 -60 volts and 80 amps it easily ran a nice hot weld using 2.5 m m rods and easilycut through thin steel plate with a 7 mm carbon arc electrode. In fact the m olten steel was dripping on to the work-shop floor, w hich gives som e ideal of the intense heat and pow er generating capabilities.

A lternators usually go to 5 or 10 am ps above their rated output, then the am ps level off and the voltage continuesto rise' as the speed increases. A 55 am p alternator w ill turn out about 60 am ps - some go to 65, so if you connectthese in parallel your am perage is around 120 w hich w ill easily run a good w eld using the larger 3.25 m melectrodes.

The tw o m ain types of alternators, Lucas and Bosch, and the w iring sequence are illustrated below .Gene ra l N o te s

5.6.7.

Y ou w ill only be using tw o connections on the alternators. A ll others are not used.It is advisable to use the standard autom otive connection in the voltage input lead. (U se only one w ire - blankthe other off.) These connector plugs are a snug fit and w ell insulated. D o not use big alligator clips as they have atendency to vibrate loose and either short against the other connector lug or against the casing w hich can result inin te rn al d am ag e to t he a lt er na to r.The voltage input lead only requires light w iring because it only carries 3 am ps, or 4 at the m ost.The earth lead has to be of heavy gauge insulated wire - ordinary car jumper leads are OK. The earth lead is notnecessary if you are using the alternator in your car, providing of course you are also using the 12 volt battery inyour car for the voltage input. (The battery is already earthed to the car, and by virtue of the fact that the alter-nator is bolted on to the car, it is also earthed to it.)T he output lead should be of heavy w ire, particularly if you are using tw o alternators connected in parallel.M ost car jum per leads are heavy enough to carry 100 am ps, so you can use this as a guideline.A ll output leads m ust be w ell insulated, particularly if you intend producing high voltages.A lternators w ill stand a fair am ount of heat and high revving; how ever avoid excessive heat build up as it candrastically reduce the life expectancy of the alternator. The diodes usually pop first. These cost $2 - $3 each for theLucas, and the Bosch has an integrated rectifier assem bly consisting of 9 diodes w hich com e as a com plete unitc ostin g ab ou t $ 20 .

1.2.

3.4.

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How to Conne ct A lt er na to rs in P ar al le lC on ne ctin g a lte rn ato rs in p ara lle l d ou ble s th e amp era ge o utp ut, b ut th e v olta ge o utp ut rema in s th e same a s i f it w ereonl y one a lte rn ato r. The re a re s ig nif ic an t a dv an ta ge s in u si ng th is s ys tem e sp ec ia lly wher e h ig h amps a re r equi re d f orw eld in g e tc . A ls o y ou c an ru n y ou r a lte rn ato rs a t lowe r sp ee d to main ta in a low v olta ge , h ig h amp era ge o utp ut fo rt he c ha rg in g o f b at te ry b anks e tc .

The w ir in g s equenc e is e xa ctl y t he s ame a s f or a s in gle a lte rn at or, e xc ep t th at t he outp ut te rm in al s a re c onne cte dto ge th er. T he a lte rn ato rs a re e arth ed to ge th er a nd th en b oth e arth ed b ac k to th e same s ou r'c e, i.e . b oth to th ee ar th t ermin al o f t he b at te ry .

EARTH FRAMES O UT PU T T ERM IN ALS

CONNECTIONST O A PP LI AN CE BATTERY TOENERGIZE

FIELD WINDINGS

BLANK OFF INDICATOR TERMINALS FIELD WINDING ENERGIZER TERMINAL

How to Connect for Battery ChargingSimply connect the output wire to the positive + term inal of the battery or battery bank. The earth wire is connectedt o th e n eg ati ve - te rm in al o f th e b atte ry o r b atte ry b an k. Warning: Do n ot h av e 1 2 v o lt a pp lia nc es c on ne cte d whe nfast charging batteries. The higher voltage can dam age the appliances. ( S ee sec tio n o n B atte ry C ha rg in g.)

Charging in Series

+- +TO OUTPUT TERMINAL

ON ALTERNA TOREARTH TO ALTERNATOROUTER CASING

Charging in ParallelEARTH TO ALTERNATOROUTER CASINGTO OUTPUT TERMI NA LON ALTERNATOR

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AM PSjVOLTAGE VARIATION and CONTROLThe amps /v olt ag e r at io is k nown in s imp le te rms a s ~he ' cu rr en t s tr en gth '. O th er f ac to rs a nd cha ra cte ri st ic s in e le ctr ic -a l e n erg y su ch a s 's in e w av e a nd s qu are w av e p atte rn s' a nd c yc le s p er s ec on d (H z) d o n ot h av e a ny sig nific an t e ffe ct o ncur re nt f or ce f or h ea ti ng a nd wel din g pur po se s. I n h ea tin g a nd wel di ng f or maximum e ff ic ie nc y, e as e o f ope ra ti on a ndf or th e p er fo rmanc e o f w id e r angin g app lic at io ns i t is d es ir ab le th at th e amps /v olt ag e r at io b e v ar ia bl e a nd con tr oll ab le .I n c onvent io na l s in gle ph as e 240 vol t c ommer ci all y buil t we ld er s th is is a ch ie ve d to a l im ite d d eg re e by h av in g an ad-justabe amp s c on tro l. T he 'o pe n c irc uit' v olta ge , L e. th e v olta ge b efo re th e w eld in g lo ad is a pp lie d, is fix ed u su ally a ta ro un d 3 5-5 0 v olts, a nd th e amp s is m an ua lly a dju ste d b y th e o pe ra to r in o rd er to v ary th e amp s/v olta ge ra tio , w ith incertain limitations.I n our d es ig n, th e amps /v olt ag e r ati o i s a lmo st i nf in ite ly v ar ia ble wh ic h enable s you to p er fo rm li gh t s old er in g a ndg en tl e h ea tin g t hr ough to h ea vy cur re nt a pp lic at io ns s uc h a s hot a rc wel di ng , a nd cutt in g a nd me lt in g s te el .

Thi s i s a c hi ev ed by h av in g a p rogr es siv ely a dju st ab le volt ag e out pu t, a nd l im ite d a dju stment amp out pu t. The p ro -g re ss iv e vo lt ag e v ar ia tio n a lo ne i s s u ff ic ie nt to g iv e a w id e r angin g amps /v olt ag e r ati o, b ut th is c an b e v ar ie d a nd con -t ro lle d e ven mo re by 'swi tc hin g on' a s ec ond, t hi rd , o r e ve n f ou rt h a lt er na to r (w ir ed in p ar al le l) t o g iv e a dd it io na lamps f or a h ea vi er amp bas ed cur re nt, y et s ti ll r et ain in g th e c on tr ol la ble i nt en sit y r at io w it h th e v ar ia ble volt ag es .If y ou d o n ot a lre ad y h av e a work in g k nowle dg e o f w eld in g a nd th e 'amp s/v olta ge ra tio e ffe ct', th en th e fo llowin gs imp le e xp er iment a nd exp la na tio n w il l e na bl e you t o qui ck ly und er st an d, a nd f oll ow th e p rin cip le s i nvol ve d.U nravel a thin strand of w ire ab ou t 60 cm lo ng from a piece o f clothes lin e w ire, then attach on e en d to the p osi-tiv e te rm in al o f a 1 2v c ar b atte ry , a nd th e o th er e nd to th e n eg ativ e te rm in al. (Caution: Use insul at ed p li er s t o avo ida ny 'a rc in g' b urn s.) T he w ire is th in e no ug h a nd lo ng e no ug h to re stric t a nd c on tro l th e h ea vy amp o utp ut from th eb atte ry while it is o nly a t 1 2 v o lts. (T he w ire w ill g low re d, b ut n ot m elt). N ow c on ne ct tw o b atte rie s in se rie s. T heb atte ry o utp ut rema in s th e s ame in amp p ower b ut th e v olta ge d ou ble s to 2 4 v olts . Wh en th e 6 0 e rn w ire is c on ne cte dto th e tw o te rm in als , th e w ire w ill in sta ntly m elt a nd fa ll a pa rt, d ue to th e s tro nA er c urre nt in te ns ity o f th e h ig he r

v ol ta ge . Amp powe r h as r ema in ed th e s ame , wh il e t he h ig he r v olt ag e h as me lte d th e w ir e.Thi s c le ar ly d emons tr at es th e p rin cip le we h av e I nc or po ra te d in our d es ig n. The amps r ema in c on sta nt wh ile t hecu rr en t for ce i s e it he r i nt ensi fi ed o r r educed by the var iabl e vo lt age chang ing the amps /vo lt age r at io . (Note: For saf etyre as on s, y ou r v olta ge s ho uld n ot rise a bo ve 6 0 -7 0 v olts, s o it is d es ira ble th at a v olta ge g au ge b e fitte d s o th at th eopen c ir cu it vo lt age can be mon itor ed .)A tw in o r t rip le a lt er na to r s et- up w il l e as il y h andl e v ir tu all y a ll h andyman f ie ld o r wo rk shop jo bs , L e., two 35 ampa lt er na to rs w ir ed i n p ar al le l g iv es 70 amps , th re e g iv es 105 amps . Howeve r, a t t ime s you w il l o nl y r equi re a low ampe r-a ge fo r lig ht o r d elic ate jo bs , in whic h c as e y ou s imply d is co nn ec t o r 's witc h o ff o ne o r tw o a lte rn ato rs . T his in e ffe ctg iv es a v ar ia ble amp r ange , e .g ., 3 5, 7 0, o r 1 05 amps p lu s th e v ar i~bl e vo lt ag e a t e ac h amp s et ti ng . (As exp la in ed p re vi -o us ly , v ol ta ge i s in cr ea se d o r d ec re as ed by s imp ly in cr ea si ng o r r educ in g th e d ri ve s pe ed o f th e a lte rn ato rs , wh il e th eamp o utp ut w ill rise a nd le ve l o ff a t th e m ax imum ra te d o utp ut o f th e a lte rn ato r.)Y ou n ow h av e a v ersa tile fu lly in te gra te d p ow er u nit w hic h w i\] e as ily m atc h a nd o fte n e xc ee d th e w eld q ua lity o fc ommer cia lly bui lt 2 40v s in gl e ph as e a rc we ld er s. I n a dd it io n to t hi s y ou h av e w id e r angi ng in bu il tc ap ab ili ti es wh ic hf ar e xc ee d th at o f c ommer cia l wel de rs .Note: A sin gle 5 5 amp a lte rn ato r w ill g iv e a low h ea t e ffe ct a t low v olta ge , b ut is a ls o c ap ab le o f a rc w eld in g, m eltin ga nd cutt in g s te el a t h ig h volt ag es . A tw in o r t rip le a lt ern ato r s et- up i s n ot n ec es sa ry , b ut d oe s g iv e a dd ed f le xi bi lit y.

DRIVE LINE OPTIONSA part from natural energy drive system s such as wind and water (see later) there are three m ain options for drivingyour alternator(s). They are:1. L aw nm ow er or M otorcycle Engine - This is a fully portable unit consisting of a wooden platfonn upon which thealternator and engine are m ounted together w ith a 12 volt battery (to energise the field windings ). The diagramon page 5 (at top) shows a tw in alternator set-up. Note: If you intend driviul! tw in alternators at high speed youwill need a large, pow erfullaw nmow er engine or small m otorcycle engine, 5 - 8 HP at least.2. R ea r Whe el o f C ar - This method is suitable for occasional use of the pow er unit such as running lights, tools orwelding in remote or isolated locations such as a tractor or equipm ent breakdowns etc. It is a very simple set-upconsisting only of two alternators m ounted on a board. The car battery supplies voltage for the field windingsand an old wheel (without the tyre) is bolted on in place of the rear wheel. The flat centre of the rim is ideal forrunning tw in V -B elts and the large diam eter gives enough friction area to provide good 'belt grip'. A lternatorspeed (and voltage) can be varied over a wide range by either idling in low gear through to revving the m otorslig htly in to p g ea r. (Note: The gearing ratio will turn the alternator very fast w ith moderate w heel speed. Do notrev the motor hard in top gear.) It is only. necessary to jack up one wheel of the car if it has a conventionaldifferential. If your car has a lim ited slip differential you must jack up both w heels. Always chock the wheelssecurely because the resistance in turning the alternators can have a tendency to 'drive' the car forward off thejack.3. V -B elt d rive o ff C ar M oto r - This set-up is very convenient for occasional use of the power unit. You havevirtually unlim ited pow er on tap anywhere you can take your car. Y ou can use the existing alternator on yourcar w ithout any m odifications at all (providing it has a separate regulator). A ll you need do is m ake up a lead andplug to run direct from the battery to plug into the field windings tenninal on the alternator. No otherm odifications are necessary. The procedure is:(a) Disconnect all w ires and connections from the alternator.(b) Connect your special lead direct from the active tenninal on the battery to the field winding tenninal onthe alternator. (The active tenninal is + on all cars except those with a positive to earth system - e.g.:e arly C ortin as, M orris 1 10 0's etc . )(c) The alternator being attached to the car is already earthed, so no earth connections are necessary fore ne rg is in g th e f ie ld w in din gs .

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(d) Start the m otor and adjust throttle settings (screw adjustment on linkages near carburettor) to run themotor fast enough to supply the required am ps and voltage.(e ) Tools and appliances are connected in the usual way.N ote: T he car's charging system is disconnected. Therefore your car battery is being slow ly depleted, although this isnot noticeable unless the use extends over 10- 12 hours.C aution: E lectric w elding to the body of the car, particularly A C arc w elding, can dam age alternator diodes. A lw aysdisconnect alternator and battery before arc w elding on the car itself.

How to C onnect for W eldingW hen using a single alternator, your w elding earth is attached to the alternator frame, and the actual w elding lead withthe electrode holder is attached to the output term inal.

If using two alternators in parallel, both frames are earthed, then another earth lead goes on to earth the job in thenormal w ay. Both output terminals are connected togeth'er, and this connection then extends on to your w elding leadw ith th e e le ctro de h old er.

G; ~~ O ALTE..AND ALTERN:~OR

OUTPUTEARTH

H ow to C onnect for O perating D rills, Lights, Pow er Tools etc.You can operate m ost 240 volt lights, tools and appliances on the DC voltage produced by your alternator. (Note: Alter-nators produce alternating current AC, but this is rectified and converted to D C by the diodes in the alternator. B atteriesc anno t b e c ha rg ed w ith AC cur re nt ~ i t i s a lways c onve rt ed t o DC fi rs t) .Nearly all normal 240 volt AC lights, tools and appliances can be operated very efficiently with D C current. The onlylimitations are induction m otors such as freezer or w ashing m adllne motors and appliances such as 240V A C stereo andtelevision sets w hich require the precise 50H z Sine W ave current pulse for optim um perform ance.A ll pow er tools having the nor,nal brush type electric m otors actually w ork w ith greater efficiency and longevity onDC current. Power and speed can be precisely controlled w ith voltage. A 240 volt drill w ill run quite effectively at lowspeed on 70-80 volts D C, and speed and pow er increase as the voltage increases.A normal 100 watt 240 volt light bulb will show a bright red glow from the filament at 80 volts DC, and the brillianceand intensity increase w ith the voltage. In fact light bulbs actually last a lot longer by using only D C current. A lternatingcurrent on the 50H z system 'pulses' or switches back and forth 50 tim es per second which when combined with otherpower surges in the m ain pow er grid tends to reduce the life of bulbs. (This pulsing can be clearly seen in the 'shim merinfe ff ec t o f f lu or es ce nt li gh ts ).W hen connecting your alternator to the 3 pin plug on appliances, disregard the earth pin and, using the rem ainingactive and neutral pins, connect one w ire to the alternator output term inal, and the other to earth anywhere on thealternator frame. It does not matter which way you connect them as long as one pin is connected tothe output terminaland one is earthed to the alternator casing. (Note: The actual earth pin on the three pin plug is not u se d) .Diagram showing a twin alternator set-up being driven by an old car w heel rim in place of there ar w he el o f th e c ar. T he a cc ele ra to r a nd g ears o f th e c ar g iv e ~ ,. .,... control and variation toth e a lte rn ato r sp ee d. T he c ar b atte ry is k ep t in p la ce , a nd lo ng er le ad s a re u se d to c on ne ct tothe a lt erna to rs t o energi se the f ie ld wind ings.

D RIV E Io tO TO R ;D I E S E l , P E T R O L0 , E LE CT R IC

A L T E R N A T O R S T W " . . P U llE Y

AUt_HATO_S o . - n n'OJII IIU C"'IA."'H~I

B A T T E R Y M O U N 1 1 NO B OA RDD iagram show ing the drive m otor in position w ith a double pulley driving a tw in alternator set-up.N ote how the alternators are offset for belt clearance, and how the front alternator is driven by ashorter V -belt to facilitate this com pact tandem type layout.

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4. Tw in Alternator D rive off C ar M otor - This is relatively simple. Fit twin pulleys to your existing alternator. Onepulley is used for the norm al alternator drive, and the second pulley drives another alternator mounted inside theengine bay. Always use the sam e type of alternator with the same pulley sizes if connecting them in parallel.If you only intend using one alternator, then it is a good idea to use a very large second pulley attached to yourexisting alternator. H igh voltages can be achieved without running your car m otor at high revs. Note: Do notconnect them in parallel if you are using different pulley sizes. The differing outputs will not be com patible.DRIVE SPEED, VOLTAGE and POWER STRENGTH

The v olta ge o utp ut o f y ou r re gu la to r is d ire ctly re la te d to th e d riv e s pe ed a nd th e ac tu al s ha ft s pe ed o f y ou r a lte rn at-o r. E ven tho ug h y ou r d riv e speed m ay b e fIX ed, y ou can vary the speed o f yo ur alternator (sh aft sp eed) b y ch ang in gpulley s izes.W ith e qu al s iz e p ulle ys, th e s pe ed o f y ou r a lte rn ato r w ill e qu al th e s pe ed o f y ou r d riv e moto r (a ss um in g y ou a re n otlo si ng s pe ed t hr ough a s li pp in g b el t) . By i nc re as in g t he s iz e o f th e d riv e pul le y, y ou i nc re as e th e s pe ed o f t he a lt er na to r.If th e d riv e p ulle y is tw ic e th e s iz e o f th e a lte rn ato r p ulle y, th e a lte rn ato r w ill s pin tw ic e a s fa st a s th e d riv e p ulle y.The f ormu la to c al cu la te p ull ey s iz es a nd d ri ve s pe ed s is :To Ca lcu la te A lt erna to r Speed

Alte rn ato r Spe ed (RPM) = RPM o f D riv e Moto r x D iame te r o f D riv e P ulle yD iamete r o f A lt er na to r Pul le yFor exampl e A ssum e m otor drive is spinn in g at 3 00 0 R PM w ith a drive p ulley o f 1 0 em and alternatorp ulle y o f 6 em d iame te r,thenA lte rn ato r Spe ed w ill b e = 3000 x 10

6The re fo re t he s pe ed o f th e A lt er na to r = 50 00 R PMTo c alc ula te th e re qu ire d p ulley siz ewhe n y ou w an t a sp ec ific alte rn ato r s pe ed is a s fo llows :For exampl e the u pp er safety lim it on an alternator is 1 40 00 R PM , so let's assum e yo u hav e a d riv e m otor cap able O f30 00 R PM , b ut yo u w ant to d riv e th e altern ato r at its m axim um of 14 00 0 R PM . U sually it is m ore co nv enient toch ang e th e d riv e m otor pu lley rather than th e altern ato r p ulley , so w ith an alternator pu lley of 6 em d iam eter and adrive m otor sp in ning at 30 00 R PM , yo u now w ant to kn ow w hat sized d riv e pu lley to use in ord er to sp in thea lte rn ato r a t 1 40 00 RPM .

Here i s t he f ormula.Pul le y d iamet er o f D riv e Mo to r = A lte rn ato r RPM x D iame te r o f A lte rn ato r P ulle yR PM of D rive M otorUsing the above example :Pul le y d iamet er o f D riv e Mo to r = 14000 x 63000Requir ed d iamete r o f Pul le y = 28 em .

Note: Inches can be used instead of centimetres - it makes no difference as long as you do not m ix the two. In otherwords all measurem ents must either be in inches, or they m ust all be in centimetres.Cal cu la ti on o f Powe r S tr engt h, Ampe ra ge a nd Vo ltsY ou w ill o fte n w an t to k now th e e xa ct c urre nt d raw o n c erta in to ols a nd a pp lia nc es in o rd er to c alc ula te th e re qu ire do utp ut o f y ou r b atte ry b an k o r a lte rn ato r. T he re is n o p oin t in u sin g e xc ess fu el a nd o ve rd riv in g y ou r a lte rn ato r if y ouare n ot g oing to u se the power.F or ex am ple, let's assum e yo u hav e geared yo ur alternator to pu t ou t 3 5 am ps at 1 00 vo lts, y ou then w ant to kn owh ow man y lig hts o r a pp lia nc es y ou c an o pe ra te o ff th is.The form ula is : Watts = am ps x volts

In th e a bo ve e xa n;tp le: Outp ut in w atts = 35 x 100 = 3500T his m eans yo u h av e a power o utpu t cap ab le o f sup plying 3 50 0 ~ :!I_ I,.- Y ou w ill no w w an t to k now w hat thisa ctu ally m ea ns in re al te rm s. T o work th is o ut, re ad th e sp ec ific atio ns s tampe d o n th e a pp lia nce s, th en c alc ula te a sfollows:For example: One WOWlig ht b ulb c on sume s 1 00 w atts o f p ow er whic h is q uite s tra ig htfo rw ard . H owev er, mos ta pp lia nc es a re m ark ed in amp s, e .g .: m os t lOmm d rills a re a ro un d 1 .5 amp s a t 2 40 v olts . T his w ork s o ut a s:

Watts = 1.5 x 240 = 3 60 wattsT herefore, th e power co nsum ptio n o f the drill is 36 0 w atts. (T he n um ber of w atts is a d irect m easu rem ent, ofenergya t ac tua lmoto r power .) For the purpose of compari son , the 12 vo lt Bu ll craf t dr il l, 10mm(3 /8") d raws 25am ps at 12 vo lts for a rating o f 30 0 w atts.E.g.: Watts =25 * amps x 12* volts = 300 watts ( * T he se f ig ur es are s tamp ed o n th e d rill)T here are o ccasion s w hen yo u k now the w atts, b ut w ant to calculate the am ps. T his m ay b e to assess w irin g size,fuse s ize . e tc.In this case the form ula is :

Amps = WattsVolts

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+ - + - + - + -'" ) - - -. '" ) r ") ()- L.. ~L.. - - - -CONNECT TO APPLIANC E

Using the above Bu ll cr af t d ri ll example :Amps 3 00 w atts12 volts =: 25 amps::

Note: This fo rmula is impo rta nt b ec au se h ig h amp s re qu ire th ic ke r w irin g to c arry it. If th e w irin g is to o lig ht, th enth e c urre nt flow is re stric te d a nd h ea t q uic kly b uild s u p b urn in g th e w irin g o ut a nd c an ig nite b uild in gs . T his h ea tb uild u p c an b e e as ily d emon stra te d b y u sin g lig ht jump er le ad s to s ta rt a c ar w ith a d ea d fla t b atte ry . T he se lig htju mper leads (or b oo ster lead s as they are o ften called ) are usually on ly rated at ab ou t 25 to 5 0 am ps. M ost starterm otors d raw w ell ov er tw ice th at am ou nt. T he result is th e starter m otor can no t g et eno ug h am ps thro ug h th e th inw ire in th e le ad s, s o it tu rn s o ver v ery slu gg ish ly , t he n th e le ad s q uic kly o ve rh ea t to th e e xte nt th at th e p la stici ns ul at io n me lt s w it hi n a v er y s ho rt wh ile .

A s a g en era l ru le a ll to ols a nd a pp lia nc es o pe ra tin g o n low v olta ge s re qu ire h ig he r amp era ge s to g et th e same p er-fo rm ance, and as a result heav ier w iring m ust be u sed to carry th e ex tra am ps. If th e w ire h eats up , o r po wer lo ss iss ign if ic an t t hen heav ie r wi ri ng i s r equ ir ed .T o a ssist y ou in c ompilin g y ou r p ro je cte d p ow er re qu ireme nts fo r y ou r h ome, w e h av e lis te d th e a ve ra ge p ow erconsumpt ion of average-s ized appliances:100 watt light bulb 100 WFrying pan 1200 WFridge 300 WSolid state s tereo 60 WColour television 350 WIron 1000 WStove 12000 WToaster 800 W

Vacuum c leane rWashing machineWater heaterRoom hea te rBlenderRadioFa n

400W500W2000W1 00 0 W600W50W80W

BATTERY CALCULATIONS and HOOK-UP SEQUENCE.O rd in ary 1 2 v olt c ar b atte rie s, w he n h oo ke d u p in s erie s a re c ap ab le o f su pp ly in g v ery h ig h (and lethal ) vo lt ages . VOLc an in a ctu al fa ct ru n a h ig h v olta ge a ll-e le ctric h ome o ff o nly a b an k o f 1 2 v olt c ar b atte rie s a nd y ou r a lte rn ato rp ow er u nit c on ne cte d u p fo r b atte ry re -c ha rg in g - no o th er ma jo r g en er at in g e qu ipmen t is n ec es sa ry .B efo re s co ffin g a t th is id ea , re ad th e c ha pte r o n 'B atte ry F ac ts'. Y ou w ill le arn a bo ut b uy in g g oo d b atte rie s fo ra dollar or two, and techniques to add 12 - 18 months extra life to each battery, so a bank of20 batteries is quitereasonable and practical .

Your a lt er na to r w ill f as t c ha rg e t he se b att er ie s q uit e r ap id ly , a l1 d t he a ct ua l s to re d b att er y powe r, I .e .: b att er yc ap ac ity in amp h ou rs is e no rmou s if y ou c on ne ct th em in 'p ara lle l' a t low v olts.A lso rem em ber that yo u can ru n m ost thing s, I.e.: lig hts, heaters and b rush typ e m otors o n DC. In fact anord in ary 2 40 vo lt electric drill for exam ple w ill ru n just as w ell on DC. If y ou hap pen to hav e on ly 12 0DC, th en th e

d rill s im ply ru ns a t h alf s pe ed a nd h alf p ow er. A g oo d s olid b an k o f b atte rie s is p ra ctic al a nd u se fu l, p artic ula rly ify ou r d riv e moto r o r a lte rn ato r fa ils u ne xp ec te dly . T he re a re th re e w ay s to h oo k u p th e b atte rie s. T he se are :I. I n Se ri es - T his steps u p th e v oltag e, bu t th e am p h ou r cap acity rem ains th e sam e. F or exam ple tw o 1 2Vb atte rie s o f 1 00 amp s h ou rs e ac h, h oo ke d u p in s erie s g iv es 2 4 volts w ith 1 00 amp jg r c ap ac ity . T en 1 2 v olt b atte rie sgive 120 vo lt s, but s tm r eta in in g t he o ri gi na l 1 00 ampj hr c ap ac ity .2. In Paral le l - This m eth od s te ps u p th e c ap ac ity , b ut th e v olta ge rema in s th e same . F or e xamp le , tw o 1 2 v o lt1 00 amp/h r b at te ri es in p ar al le l g iv es only 12 vol ts , b ut 200 ampl hr capacity.3. Combined "In Series"/"In Paralle l"- Thismethod givesany desiredcombinationof e i ther a speci ficvoltage ,o r a sp ecific capacity . F or exam ple fou r 12 v olt 10 0 am p/hr batteries can combine to sup ply eith er 4 8 v olts at 1 00am p/h r, 1 2 v olts at 4 00 am p/hr, or 24 vo lts at 20 0 am p/h I. T he h oo k-u p sequ ence is as follo ws:

"In Ser ies" - Four 12 volts=:48 volts .Amp/hr capacityremainsthe sameas a singlebatte ry .

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BATTERY FACT SThe le ad -a ci d ty pe b at te rie s ( ca r b atte rie s) work o n t he p rin cip le o f a bs orb in g a nd d is ch ar gin g a cid th ro ug h t hep la tes to c rea te e lec tr ic ity.

E ac h b atte ry c ell i s 2 .2 v ol ts , a nd c on sis ts o f a n umb er o f p os it iv e a nd n eg ati ve p la te s a rr an ge d in a lt er na tin gseq uen ce an d k ep t a pa rt w ith in ert se para tO rs. T he b atte ry p la te s a re m ad e from a lea d o xid e m ix tU re, a nd a re'tie d to ge th er ' w ith s trip s o f le ad a ll oy c on ne ct ed to th e te rm in als .T he su lp hu ric a cid an d d istille d w ate r a ct as a n ele ctro ly te a nd c ha ng e th e lea d c om po sitio n in th e p la te s.Wh en th e b atte ry is f ully c ha rg ed t he p os itiv e p la te is p rim ar ily le ad p ero xid e a nd th e n eg ativ e p la te is p rima ri lys po ng e le ad . T he e le ctr oly te ( ac id /w ate r m ix tu re ) is th en ,mo stly a cid . Howev er , w he n th e b at te ry d is ch ar ge s.b oth p lates c han ge to lea d su lp ha te a s th e ac id is a bso rb ed . an d th e e le ctro ly te th en b ecomes m ostly w ate r. Infact in a dead flat battery there is very little acid at all in the w ater, and if spilt on your clothin g it usually w on'th av e a ny e ffe ct a t all. (In a fu lly c harg ed b atte ry an y sm all d ro ps sp ilt o n c lo th in g w ill q uic kly d estro y ev en th eb es t o f th re ad f ab ric s) .

E ach b atte ry ce ll is v irtu ally a b a tte ry w ith in its elf. A 1 2 v o lt c ar b atte ry h as 6 c ells co nn ected in se ries to g iv e at ot al o f 12vo l ts - ac tua lly 13 .2vol t swhen fu llycharged( i. e. : 6 ce ll sx 2 .2V). A 6 volt ba ttery hasonly thr eecells.B y w ay of further ex planation, if a hole w as drilled through the w all of each of the six cells in a ] 2 v oltb attery en ab lin g th e ac id to circ ula te free ly amo ng a ll th e c ells a nd p lates. th en th e b atte ry w ou ld b ec om e a2 v olt b atte ry . o r a s in gle c ell b at te ry . .

F rom this it is easily seen that any ]2 volt car battery can be converted to a IQ wer) ,It age by add ing anotherb attery 'p ost' th ro ug h a h ole d rilled in th e to p o f th e b attery to jo in u p w ith th e c on nec to rs tra nsfe rrin g c urre nti n s er ie s fr om one c ell t o a no th er.F ac to rs whic h d ete rm in e B atte ry P owerB attery p ow er o r m ax im um cu rren t stre ng th is m ea su re d in am pera ge, a nd is d ire ctly re la te d to th e a cid ab so rp tio no n th e s urfa ce are a o f th e p la te s: th e m ore p la te s a b attery h as, th e g re ate r th e amp era ge c ap ac ity .

B atte ry c ap ac ity is u su ally ex pres sed as 'amp h ou rs'. In th eo ry th is m ea ns a 1 2 v o lt b atte ry w ith a c ap ac ity o f100 am p hours w ould keep a 12 volt light bulb w ith I am p current draw going for 100 hours, or a larger draw ing20 am ps of pow er w ould keep go ing for 5 ho urs.A s m en tio ne d ab ov e, th is is in th eo ry o nly . U nd er a ctu al o pe ra tin g c on ditio ns, a s a g en era] ru le o f th um b, th ehigher the am perage draw , the low er the tO tal capacity. For exam ple, at a I am p current draw , the 100 am p/hrb atte ry w ou ld la st fo r 1 00 h ou rs (L e.: 1 00 am ps d iv id ed b y ] = 100 ),but at a current draw of20 am ps, thebattery w ould not last the 5 hours as expected. It w ould probably be n earer 3 or 4 hours. Th e reason for this

a pp aren t in co nsisten cy is th at th e ac id re ac tio n is n ot fas t e no ug h to 'rec ov er" itse lf a nd g en era te p ow er a t its m oste ff ic ie nt le ve l. ( Ba tte ry amp hou r r at es a re u su al ly b as ed o n a 2 0 h ou r d is ch arg e p eri od .)B atte rie s a lw ay s o pe ra te muc h mor e e ff ic ie ntly i n w arm/ ho t w ea th er . T his is b ec au se th e 'p ore s' o f th e p la te s(sim ilar to th e p ores o n y ou r sk in ) o pen u p a nd a llo w fre e m ov em en t o f a cid , a nd a fa ste r c hem ic al re ac tio n.H ighe r t emper at ur es a cc el er at e a ll c hem ic al r ea ct ions and mo le cu la r movemen t. (Howeve r. i n ver y col d c limat ess pe cia l c hemic al a dd itiv es c an b e u se d to in cr ea se 'p or e' s iz e) .

Ba ttery Charg ingA s a g en er al r ule , t he s low c ha rg e is th e b es t c ha rg e, b ut fa st c ha rg in g u sin g c ommer ci al fa st c ha rg ers a t y ou ra lternator powerunit i squ i te OK, and givesa good last ing charge.There are,however ,certain factsyou should beaware o f w he n fast ch arg in g, o th erw ise y ou c an re du ce th e life o f y ou r b atte ry , o r e ve n d am ag e it b ey on d re pair.

Wh en fa st c ha rg in g a vo id h ea vy g as sin g a nd e xc es siv e h ea t. B ub ble s a nd m il d g as sin g a re q uite n ormal d uri ngcharging. (Note: This g as is e xp lo siv e. A lw ay s remove th e c ell c ap s b ef ore c ha rg in g to e na ble t his g as t o e sc ap e -an d do not use a naked flam e near the battery cells.) T his gas is a m ixture of ox ygen and hyd rogen, and is only th ewate r sp li tt ing in to i ts two basicgases- the hydrogengas i s emit ted f rom the e lec tr oly tic r eact ion on the nega tivep late w ith in th e c ell, a nd th e o xy gen is c re ated a t th e p ositiv e p la te . T his is th e rea so n w hy w ater h as to b e a dd edperiod ica lly to ba tter ies - it g ass es o ff in sm all b ub ble s d urin g c ha rg in g. (A cid d oes n ot g as o ff. a nd s ho uld n ot b ea dd ed d ur in g t he n orma l lif e o f a b at te ry .)

O ve rc ha rg in g o r e xc es siv e fa st c ha rg in g w ill c au se a h ea t b uil d u p i n th e b att er y c ell s a nd a ls o c au se s h ea vyg assin g an d b oilin g. A ce ll tem peratu re u p to 6 00 C is a bo ut as h ig h a s i t sh ou ld g o. A t temp eratu re s a bo ve th is titec ell c an b e d am ag ed o r e ve n ex plo de in e xtrem e ca ses .

Heavygassingand bubbl ingcan 'ch ip of f the spec ia lpas te used on the pla tes , a nd le ad peroxide canbe brokeno ff th e p ositiv e p late a nd c arrie d to th e n eg ativ e p late w he re it is re du ced to p ure le ad . T his ca uses lea d c ry stals tog row o ut from th e e dg es o f th e p late a nd ev en tu ally e xte nd aro un d th e sep arato rs an d sh ort o ut th e p la tes .

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This . o f c ou rs e, is in s ev er e c as es , a nd o cc urs o ve r a r ela tiv ely l on g p er io d, b ut i t d oe s s ho rte n b at te ry li fe a nd re du cee ff ic ie nc y, s o i t is u se fu l to b e awa re o f th es e f ac ts .D o n ot assume from th e a bo ve th at all g ass in g is d e trim en tal- in fac t th e o pp osite is tru e. M ild g as sin g is

essential f or fu ll a nd c omple te b atte ry c ha rg in g. G as sin g b eg in s a t 2 .2 v olts p er c ell (f ully c ha rg ed v olta ge ) a nd ism od era te a t 2 .4 v olts a nd h ea vy at 2 .5 v olts. Id ea lly , c harg in g sh ou ld alw ay s b e ca rrie d to comp letio n, th at is to th ep oin t whe re g as sin g b e gin s. U su ally o ne o r two c ell s d o n ot c ha rg e a s f as t a s t he o th ers , p ar tic ula rly in o ld b att er ie s,so th e b ub blin g w ill b eg in in some b efo re th e slow o nes rea ch a fu ll c ha rg e.R eg ula to rs in c ar s a re g en era lly s et to s up ply a f ix ed v olt ag e o f 1 3.8 v olts whic h g iv es 2 .3 v ol ts p er c ell .- th is b ein gju st w it hi n t he v olta ge a re a whic h c au se s m il d g as si ng .

T he ce ll v olta ge is a m easu re o f th e e nd p ro du ct, th at is th e ac tu al state o f ch arg e th at th e b attery h as rea ch ed .T he s pe ed a t whic h a b at te ry c an b e c ha rg ed d ep en ds o n t he c ha rg in g amp er ag e a va ila ble . F as t c ha rg es s up ply ah ig h amp era ge whe re as s low c ha rg es s up ply low amp era ge . T he c ar c ha rg in g s ys tem v ia th e r eg ula to r s up pl ie s a h ig hamp er ag e whe n th e b att er y is f la t (w ill o ve rh ea t th e r eg ul ato r if t he b atte ry is d amag ed ), a nd t he amp er ag e d ro ps o ff

a s t he b attery c harg es u p. T his is an id ea l comb in atio n fo r tro ub le -free b attery life . bu t it ta kes a lo ng tim e to fu llyc harg e th e b atte ry , 1 2 -2 0 h ou rs o f n orma l d riv in g. T his s ys tem i s th er ef or e n ot s uita ble fo r h ome p ower s ys temswhere fas t charging is desi rab le .T he safest w ay to ch arg e a b attery in th e sh ortest p ossib le tim e is to L iseth e 'amp .h ou r. tw o h ou r ru le o f th um b'te ch niq ue . W ith this m eth od y ou c an ch arg e a d ea d flat b attery u p to 9 07 t- cap ad ty in a little o ve r tw o h ou rs, an d fu lIc ap ac it y in a bo ut fo ur h ou rs .

T he ru le of th um b is as fo llo ws:T he ch arg e rate in am ps is e qua l to th e n um be r o f amp h ou r c ap ac ity to b e re ch arg ed . F or ex am ple, a ssumin g y ouhave a 100 am p/hr battery w hich is dead flat, then you can pum p in 100 am ps for tw o hours and you w ill regain a90% b attery c harg e w ith ou t d am ag e o r g assin g. T he am pe ra ge is th en red uc ed at in terv als fo r th e n ex t tw o h ou rsmain ly t o s to p o ve r-h ea ti ng o f th e c ells a nd to re du ce e xc es siv e g as sin g: ( Note: Th is f in al 10% .cha rg e shoul d bespr ead ove r two hou rs .)If y ou r b attery is -)4fla t fo r ex am ple , a gain a ssumin g y ou h av e a 1 00 am p ho ur b atte ry . the n y ou ch arge it at 7 5amp s fo r t he firs t tw o hou rs - (~ o f 1 00 amp/h r =7 5 am p/h r, th erefo re it is c h arg ed a t 7 5 amp s). T his g iv es a 9 0%ch arg e, an d o nc e ag ain th e fin al 10 '%c harg e sh ou ld tak e tw o h ou rs g iv in g a total o f fo ur h ou rs to fu lIy an dcomp le te ly cha rg e you r bat te ry .You r a lte rn at or s et- up is c ap ab le o f a w id e ra ng e o f s low a nd fa st c ha rg in g o ptio ns . I n a dd iti on to th e s ta nd ar da utomo ti ve c ha rg in g ra te ( re co nn ec t th e r eg ula to r) y ou c an p ro du ce a w id e r an ge o f f as t c ha rg in g amp /v oltc ombin atio ns f or c ha rg in g s in gle b atte rie s o r b atte ry b an ks c on ne cte d e it he r in p ar alle l o r in s er ie s.A s a general rule a single 12 volt car battery can be fast charged at 12. 20 volts w ith am p rates of 35 -55 am ps.If y ou w an t to in cre ase th e am p rate b ut k eep th e v olta ge down low. w nn ec t th e altern ato rs in p aral!el, a nd

d on 't s pin th em to o f as t ( vo lta ge r is es w ith s pe ed . whe re as amp s Ic ~\ 'e lo ff a t t he a lte rn ato r's m ax imum ra te d o utp ut) .T he v olta ge w ill sta y low, b ut y ou r amp ra te d ou bles. F or ex am ple. tw o 5 5 amp a lte rn ato rs in p arallel p ro du ce11 0 - 1 15 amp s.

Batte ri es c on ne ct ed in s erie s to p ro du ce h ig he r v olt ag es s ho uld b e c ha rg ed a t th e h ig he r v olt s. F or e xamp le , f ou r.b atte ri es in s eri es p ro du cin g 4 8 v olts c ou ld b e c ha rg ed a t SO . 0 0 v olts . :VMe: When in serie s th e amp rate is th e sam ea s a s in gle b att er y, s o d o flO t c alc ul ate fo ur t im es th e amp hou r c ap ac ity . C au tio n: H ea vil y s ulp ha te d b atte rie s s ho ul dnot be fast charged for long periods in an allempt to 'boost' life into them ~. th ey c an in some c as es b urst o r ex plo de .C au se s o f B atte ry F ailu reThe m ost comm on cause of battery failure is sulphation in the cells. Sulphation is the hardening or crystallizing ofthe usually soft and chem ically active lead sulphate. A s it hardens and crystallizes. the battery capacity andchem ical activity are reduced, leading to failure. L eaving a battery slanding on a shelf for m onths in a discharged(flat) state leads to very early battery failure due to sulphation.

Plate buckling is another co'nm on caus~ of battery failure. This i~ u sually the result of the battery not being'wpped up' with water. and the plates being exposed to the air. The air causes the plates to warp and crumble andin addition to reducing capacity, the crum bled plate~ form a sedim entary deposit w hich can caL ise shorting.

S iudging is lnother cause of battery failure. T his IS caused by peroxide crystals "grow ing" around the positiveplates. then falling off and sludging up the hattery.How to Extend Battery LifeBattery life can be extended by an extra one to tw o years by reducing/dissolving the sulphation. This can beaccom plished hy the addition of certain chem icals 10 the battery - the form ula being listed in this section.H ow ever. this is a very controversialisslIe. w ith m any variables involved. C ertain 'respected authorities' on them atter have issued categorical stauments saying -that addJlives do not w ork'. O ur experience suggests they do w ork -E pso m s alts (M agn esium S ulph ate ) l:sed alon e W I!h no othe r ad ditiv es. in cre as ed ba ltt." ry l i fe b y n ea rly 1 2 mon th s.\ I t w as su lp hate d a nd c ou ld n o! t a k e \H h ,. :d : i c h ar ge ,)

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Because of the m any variables involved it is extrem ely difficult to predict the life of a battery. For exam ple. onew hich is continuously being discharged by a faulty starter m otor is m ore likely to have a shorter life due tosulphation. T his is because as the battery discharges both positive and negative plates change into lead sulphate and it isw hile it is in this lead sulphate state that they are prone to chem ical reactions causing sulphation. W hen the battery isfully re-charged the positive plate turns back into l.ead peroxide, and the negative plate changes into sponge, and inthis chem ical state are no t p ro ne t o s ul ph at io n. -~ -Obviou sl y a bat te ry kep t i n a f ul ly cha rg ed s ta te w il l h ave a much 10nge r- li fe .t ha ITone W t i ie f t . - t n l1 O S i 1 Y i O a d is .charged (fiat) state. H ow ever, the batteries are m ade to be used, so during their use, particularly in a hom e pow erplant, they w ill be discharged quite heavily at tim es, and it is nQ t alw ays convenient to re-charge them im mediately.U nder these circum stances sulphation is inevitable, so the follow ing facts and form ulae w ill at som e stage or anotherprove useful to you.1 . M ag ne siu m S ul ph ate - M ore commonly known as Epsom Salts. Buy it in an ordinary packet at either the chemistor superm arket, and put a slightly heaped teaspoonful into each cell. Fully charge it w ith a slow charge, then dis.charge it (using car headlights or sim ilar), then add another slightly heaped teaspoonflll to each cell. It w ill takeabout a m onth for the Epsom Salts to dissolve the sulphation and increase the battery's capacity to hold a charge.

2. Caus ti c S od a -drop a small pinch of caustic soda into each cell when the battery is flat. As it charges and heatsup, the caustic w ill foam and dissolve the sulphation.3. F or mu la (N o. J) P ow er A dditiJ 'e

Sodium Sulphate (salt cake) 15 partsMagnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salts) 10 p artsMagnesium Oxide (Calcined Magnesia) :! p arts

M ix all together (by stirring with a spoon), then add 2 . 3 hea;Jed teaspoonsful to each hattery l'el!. II m ay be necess-ary to repeat this treatment 4 - 6 m onths later.4. F orm ula (N o.2) L iquid A dditive

A lum inium S ulphate (also know n as alum cake. papennakersalum, Pearl alum 88 parts

Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salts) 4 partsCadium Sulphate I part

D issolve the Epsom Salts and cadium sulphate in w ater. then add the alum inium sulphate. U se only enough w ater toto m ake a sm ooth concentrated solution. U se 2 . 3 teaspoonsful every six m onths.5. Mis ce ll an eo us H in ts - Siudging can be reduced quite substantially (up 10 5CJ,n by adding very sm all am ounts ofvanadium and chrom ium to each cell.

W hen sludging has occurred. it can be reduced and battery life increased by operating it in a warm er area (hot ifpossible), reducing both current draw and reducing the am perage charge rate, and adding m ore w ater than norm al toe ac h c ell , L e., o ve rf ill in g e ac h c ell .Lighter loads increase battery life, by a sm all am ount. so if you have a hea\'y current draw (e.g.: workshop tools)hook up 2 or three batteries in parallel. This still gives only 12 volts. but the capacity is doubled or tripled, so thismeans what was originally a heavy current draw on one battery now be~omes a light current draw-- because it isspread over 2, 3 or 4 batteries.

A lw ays a dd d is ti l/ ed wat er to batteries. Im purities in w ater such as m inerals and iron can cause reactions w ithin. the battery and reduce its capacity and its life.D o not add additional acid to a battery (unless it replaces som e which has been spilt or em ptied from the battery).

A dding additional acid to a battery w ill do m ore harm than good. and excess am ounts w ill quickly destroy thebattery. It is O K w hile the battery is flat and the liquid in the cells is mostly w ater. but w ith additional acid havingbeen added the density is too great and creates adverse chem ical reactions w ithin the battery. (Y our hydrom eterreading w ould alw ays be w ildly inaccurate because of the extra acid density, i.e.: a flat battery w ould be show ing up'fully charged' if enough acid w as added.)6. D iss olving S ulph atio n w ith D istille d W ate r - E mpty all the electrolyte (acid/w ater) from each cell, and in its placeput distilled water. A llow to stand for an hour or so, then put it on a slow charge of about 4 amps.T he sulphate crystals w ill gradually dissolve (they are m ore soluble in pure w ater than acid/w ater). and as Iheydissolve out, they turn into sulphuric acid. A com bination'of battery charging and chem ical reaction w ill cause a risein tem perature w ithin the battery. If it reaches 45 . 50C, turn the charger off, and let the battery cool down.

K eep the slow charge going w hile ever the 'specific gravity ' reading is increasing. (U se your hydrom eter for this).If the specific gravity goes over the norm al figure of about 1.300, it m eans som eone has added acid to the battery.The best m ove then is to tip it all out and start again w ith fresh distilled w ater.

W hen your reading stabilizes, Le. : the specific gravity reading slops rising. tip it out. then refill e a c h cell w ith afresh acid solution, then run the battery through tw o or three charge/discharge cycies and check your "specificg ra vi ty " r ea di ng .

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The fresh acid solution is m ade up of sulphuric acid and w ater. If you cannot buy a ready-m ade m ixture, thenmix a small amount of acid and water together. (Caution: Always add acid to water - do not a dd w ate r to stra ig htacid. If perchance you do get acid in your eyes, flush them well for several m inutes w ith fresh w ater.)

W ith the m ixture in the battery, and the battery fully charged, your hydrom eter reading should show 1 . 2 6 5 to.1.285 in summer and up to 1.300 in winter. If the reading is tg.Q'low, add m ore acid.~-- ~.-H ow a nd W he re to g ~,.,-~ /jThe best place to get used batteries is from service stations. A void if possible buying from scrap m etal m erchants andjunk yards, because the baH eries are probably dry, dam aged or been standing too long without a charge.

S ervice stations often have good batteries w hich have gone flat for som e reason. such as a faulty starter m otordraw ing too m uch current, or incorrectly adjusted regulator or faulty generator or alternator. Q uite dten them otorist assum es the battery is no good and sim ply asks the service station attendant to fit a new one. These 'dead'batteries are classified as junk and can often be picked up for a dollar or two. An average of about I in 3 is a goodbattery capable of holding a full charge. .Buy half a .dozen of these batteries and put them on a slow charge of about 3 am ps and leave them until fullycharged - anyw here from one to three days. D isconnect the charger, and leave the battery standing for four or fivedays, then test it w ith a load tester, or under operating conditions. If it stands up OK, and has held the charge, and isable to deliver it, then you have a good secondhand battery.

Those that don't stand up to the test can be sold to a scrap metal merchant so in effect the useless batteries havenot cost you anything, and the good ones have been acquired for a m inim al outlay of a few dollars.

INVERTERSInverters are devices to change voltage and current from a low D C (D irect C urrent) voltage to a high A C (A lternatingCurrent) voltage. For exam ple, using an inverter you can convert [2 volts D C into 240 AC, 50H z, for operatingn orma l h ou se ho ld a pp lia nc es .

There are tw o m ain types of inverters in general use. They are:1. Rotary Inverters- Thi s i smo st s uit ed to v er y h ea vy c urr en t u se . I t i s a c tu al ly a n a lte rn at or b ei ng d riv en b y a lowvoltage D C m otor, and turns out current (A C) at 240V , 50Hz. (Note: Y our car alternator generates 3 phase A Cc urre nt, b ut this pa ss es throu gh re ctifier d io des to prod 11c e DC vo ltag e.)

The rotary inverter, som etim es called a 'm otor generator', is not really suited for very sm all pow er plants.A lthough they do a very good job generally they have one disadvantage in term s of pow er use efficiency. They arenot as efficient as the solid state inverters. T he rotary inverter has about a 60% efficiency rate w hereas the solid stateinverter has about 80% efficiency rate. This in effect m eans the rotary 'unit is eating up quite a tot of pow er just toop erate th e inv erte r a lo ne ,2. S ol id S ta te I nv er te rs - T hese are a com paratively recent developm ent in inverters and as m entioned previouslythey m ake m uch m ore efficient use of available power. As a general rule, the solid state inverters are m ore suitable tosm aller applications. In fact w e found it best to use 4 or 5 sm all inverters around the hom e rather than one big rotaryinverter. H ow ever, am ongst other things, it all com es dow n to your available D C pow er, and your actual pow errequirements. .T ip s o n B uy in g In ve rte rsSolid state inverters are readily available from nearly all electronic stores, and second hand rotary inverters can oftenbe bought at reasonable prices from arm y disposal stores, or if you are building up alternative pow er system s forfriends or to sell com mercially, you are w ell advised to contact the D ept. of D efence direct and buy in bulk either byte nde r or b y a uctio n.T he follow ing facts should be kept in m ind w hen buying inverters:(a) The output has to be 240V with a 50 cycle per second rate, i.e.: 50Hz. In Australia our power system , and all

appliances, run on 50H z. (In the U .S.A. the rate is 60H z), .(b) The inverter should ideally produce a 'sine' w ave' rather than a 'square w ave', The 'w ave' is die fluctuating of-the current as it pulses or alternates. T he 'sine w ave' is necessary for induction m otors. static,free stereos andd is to rtion .free te lev isio n. In cide ntally , the ro ta ry in ve rters h av e a n ex cep tion ally g ood 's in e w ave ' ca pa bility .

(c) It is desirable that the inverter have an autom atic sw itching capability so that it starts up w hen an applianceis sw itched on. and shuts off w hen the appliance is sw itched off.

(d) It should have a heavy start up capability. that Ie;it should be able to exceed its rated output for a few secondsfor accom modating the sudden heavy current dr~w w hen m otors start.

(e) The inverter should also have an autom atk overload cut-out to avoid dam age on occasions w here it is heavilyoverloaded for m ore than five or ten seconds.

W hen buying inverters you should shop around -look up the suppliels in the Y ellow Pages and either phone or w riteto them for brochures. prices and details.

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F o r th e c on ve nie nc e o f th os e o f y ou who liv e in is ola te d o r remo te lo ca tio ns , th e a dd re sse s o f se ve ra l S y dn eymanufacturers/suppliers are l is ted .Jaycar Electronics11 7 Y ork S t,S YDNEY 2 00 0

Ph. 267 1614

Ch lo ri de Ba tt er ie s Aust . L td ,2 3a Nyra ng S t.L IDCOMBE N .S .W . 2 14 1

D ept. of D efence, N avy,N av y S up ply C en treZETL AND, N .S .W . 2017

S.T.C.Moorebank Ave. ,L IVERPOOL, N.S .W.2170D ep t. o f D efe nc e, RAAF,A ir For ce Suppl y O ff ic er ,5 9 Gou lb urn S t,SYDNEY 2000

Power Electronics6 McLaughli n S t,ARTARMON , N .S .W . 2 06 4

D ept. of D efence, A rm y,P ub lic R ela tio ns, V icto ria B arrac ks,O xford St,PAD DING TON , N.S.W . 2021

Electronic Technologies3 P otts S t,RYDE , N .S .W . 2 11 2

I nv er te rs a nd Cons ta vo lt E le ctr on ic s P ty L td119 R obey StMAROUBRA, N.S .W. 2035

WW VOLTAGE APPLIANCES an d TOOLSV irtu ally a ll h ou se ho ld a pp lia nc es a nd work sh op to ols a re a va ila ble in th e low v olta ge , i.e .: 1 2 - 3 6 v olt DC p owerr ange . Wi th t he e ve r- in cr ea si ng d emand fo r c amp ing and le is ur e e qu ipmen t, manu fa ct ur er s a nd impor te rs a re b e.g in nin g to c ate r to a nd c as h in o n th is e no rmou s mark et p ote ntia l.

A s a r es ult o f t his u ps ur ge , p ar ti cu la rly w it h r eg ar ds to r ec re ati on al v eh ic le s ( fo ur whee l d ri ve s) , c amper va ns a ndc ar av an s, t he re is n ow an imp re ss iv e a rr ay o f 12 vol t a pp lia nc es a nd a cc es so rie s r angi ng f rom f rid ge s, r ad io s a ndcolo ur t ele vis io ns th ro ugh to h ea vy duty d ri ll s a nd w in ch es .

The se a re a ll r ea di ly a va ila ble th ro ughout Au str al ia a t c ar av an , c amp ing and r ec re ati on al v eh ic le s uppli er s, s o it i sp oi nt le ss li st in g th em i n any f ur th er d et ail h er e.We h av e, h ow ev er, liste d b elow items o f a more s pe cialize d n atu re which a re s omewha t d iffic ult to o bta in th ro ug hordinary re ta i l outlets.

12 Volt H eav y- du ty F en ci ng Too l: This u nit is b as ic ally a h eav y-d uty d rill c ap ab le o f d riv in g a s oil a ug er o f 3 " to 7 "diam eter, an d W ' to 1" w ood au ger. It is tw o-sp eed p lu s rev erse and availab le from : B ISHOP ENG INEERING, 4 6Buf fa lo Road , G la de sv ill e, N .S .W . 2111. Wr it e a nd a sk f or a b ro chur e.12 Volt IOmm Dri ll : Weh av e h ad d iffic ulty in lo ca tin g 1 2 v olt w ork sh op d rills w ith in a re as on ab le p ric e ra ng e, s oa re in clu din g d eta ils o f th e B ullc ra ft 1 0mm d rill m an ufa ctu re d in J ap an . A t th is sta ge , it is n ot b ein g impo rte d inb ulk , s o w e h av e mad e s pe cia l a rra ng emen ts fo r sm all o rd ers to b e p urc ha se d d ire ct from th e e xp ort a ge nts inJapan. .

A t the date of p ub lication of th is m anu al th e drills w ere p riced at 6 ,82 0 (Y en ) each. T his is ab ou t $3 0.0 0Austra lia n. A t th is p ric e th e m in imum o rd er is 6 d rills .A number o f a cc es so rie s a re a va il ab le in clu di ng s ande rs , d ri ll s ta nd s, j ig s aws, b ilg e pumps e tc . I f y ou p re fe rto b uy th em in div id ua lly , o r in b ulk , th en th e p ric e w ill v ary , th at is h ig he r fo r in div id ua l d rills, lowe r fo r b ulko rd ers . In a ny e ve nt w rite first to c on firm p ric e a nd a va ila bility . W rite a n o rd in ary le tte r in E ng lish a nd s en d b yairm ail to : M r Y (A .J. ) NAKAYAMA, SHOEI INDUSTRY C o. L TO , P .O . BOX M inam i # 49 , O saka, Jap an.M r N ak ay ama w ill w rite b ac k to y ou in E ng lis h c on firm in g p ric es a nd a va ila bility a nd o th er in fo rm atio n y ou m ig htrequ ire. H e w ill be q uo ting p rices in Jap anese Y en so yo u tak e the letter to yo ur local p ost office an d ask for an Inter-natio nal M oney O rd er, sh ow them th e compan y n am e and am ou nt, then th e p ost o ffice w ill w rite o ut a M oney O rd erand g iv e i t to yo u. P ost this b y airm ail to M r N akay am a to gether w ith a letter specifying w hat y ou w an t. (Note:It is no t necessary to show th e p ost office the letter - it ju st m ak es it easier fo r th em to un derstan d w hat yo u w ant.)R ather than buy an International M oney O rder you m ay go to the bank and ask for a bank draft or an Inter-n atio na l B an k Che qu e a s it is some tim es c alle d. D ep en din g o n th e b an k, th is is s ometim es a d olla r o r tw o c he ap erth an th e p ost o ffic e.

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Sm all orders up to six drills w ill arrive through the m ail, and the post office will give you a card specifying theamount of import duty and sales tax to pay. You then pay the post office that amount and collect the goods. It maysound involved, but it is quite straightforward and doesn't require any effort other than w riting a couple of lettersand going to the post office tw ice.18 - 3 6 Vol t We ld er : It probably appears superfluous and unnecessary to include details on low voltage D C w eldersw hen you can easily weld direct off you car alternator. How ever, for various reasons some people prefer to weld directoff the batteries instead of connecting up their alternators. A sm all com pact unit weighing only 1 kg and small enoughto fit in a car toolbox has been designed specifically for this purpose. It is called the X P 'W elder. It is a very simple,easy to use device w hich has a sm all inbuilt oscillating arrangem ent to con trol the am perage from the car batteries,and will run a very neat weld using standard 12, 14 and 16 gauge rods (I.e.: welding rods up to 2.5mm). It worksvery w ell w ith 2.00m m w elding rods using two 12 volt car batteries connected in series to give 24 volts.

T he y a re a va ila ble fro m PARA POWER TOOLS , 280 Par ramat ta Road , G ra nv ill e, N .S .W . 2142 . A t t he time o f r eosearching this project their stocks w ere lim ited and it w as unlikely that they w ould be restocking.

If y ou a re n ot a ble to p urc ha se th em d ire ct from P ara P ow er T oo ls, w rite to : XP W ELDE R COMP ANY , EssexRoad, Basingstoke, Ham pshire, RG 21 ISZ, England, and ask for the nam e of the im porters or distributors nearest tow here you live.Using an O ld Car Generator as an Electric M otorO ld car generators are in plentiful supply and easily acquired for five dollars each or less. G enerators are no longerused on cars, having been replaced by the m ore efficient and reliable alternators. As a result there is little or nodem and for generators and m ost people clearing out their sheds are quite happy to give them away. .

Generators can be used in a similar manner to alternators for pow er output, but lack the overall efficiency andand reliability. They do how ever m ake excellent fast running low pow er consum ption electric m otors. There aretwo ways to connect them :1. Fas t r unni ng - l ig ht p owe r c on sumpt io n; Con ne ct th e p osi tiv e "+ " lead from a 12 volt battery to the large term inal"D" on the back of the generator. Connect another lead from the negative battery term inal to anywhere on thegenerator casing. The generator w ill spin very fast in an anti-clock wise direction. It has low pow er consum ption(about 12 am ps) but although it spins fast it has no real driving pow er. It is however very useful for running sm allfans and other appliances not requiring m uch pow er. (Note: For a generator to operate in this m anner the brushes,com mutator and all connections m ust be clean and in good condition. )

Not es o n c le an in g G en er ato rs(a) R em ove tw o long screw s - s ee d iag ram .(b) R ear section holding rear bronze bush and brushes slides out, and generator casing slips forw ard off Iront

bracket.(c) C lean the comm utator with a petrol rag or very fine em ery paper. U ndercut the insulators between thesegments to a depth of I - 2mm using a broken off hacksaw blade ground down to the width of theinsulators.(d) Clean or replace brushes, ensuring that they slide up and down O K, and ride evenly on the com mutator.(B rushes only cost $2 - $3 per set.)(e) R eplace rear bronze bush if w orn and ensure bush and front bearing allow easy unrestricted rotation.(f) O il at regular intervals through rear oil hole if used for long periods.

2. Gre at er d ri vi ng f or ce - slo wer sp eed , less p ow er co nsu mp tio n: The drive power of the generator can be in-creased (but speed is substantially reduced) by connecting both tem 1inals together and then connecting to the positivete rm in al o f th e b atte ry (se e d ia gram).

Power consumption is about 4 - 6 amps, which is very light when compared to the heavy current drawn bystarter m otors under load (100 - 2 45 amp s). Note: When using generators in this m anner do not overload them .If heat build-up in the field w indings is excessive, reduce the load or allow them to cool dow n. (The fieldwindings on generators are attached to the inside of the main casing, so by placing your hand on the casing anyh ea t b uild -u p is e asily fe lt.)U sing O ld Starter M otors as H igh Pow er D rive U nitsO ld starter motors, particularly those off early m odel cars with a separate solenoid switch, are the best to use anda lso the eas ie st to a cquir e f or li tt le o r n o out la y. ( Sim ila r to o ld g en er at or s, th ey a re o ft en c la ss if ie d a s unwant edjunk. )

Starter m otors develop enormous torque and driving pow er. The actual power consumption is very heavy underfull load, but decreases to an acceptable level under m oderate Joads. (About 50 am ps with a light load.)Note: Starter m otors are designed for only short runs under full load, and therefore the continuous running loadshould be reduced substantially to avoid overheating. It is advisable to rem ove the brush cover band to facilitatein cre ase d a ir circu la tio n a nd m ore e ffe ctiv e h ea t d issip atio n.Power Connect ions: O n starter m otors w ith a separate solenoid, disregard the solenoid and connect the positive lead

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UNDO T H E S E S C R E W S A N DT H E E N T IR E A S S E M BL Y

S L ID E S O U T F O R C L E A N IN GA N D R E P L A C E M E N T O FB U S H A N D B R U S H E S

. . . .C O N N E C T T H E S E T W O T E R M IN A L S

F O R R U N N IN G A S AL IG H T D U T Y M O T O R

to th e te rm in al o n th e e nd . T he n eg ativ e le ad is e arth ed to a ny p oin t o n th e c asin g o f th e s ta rte r moto r.O n sta rte r moto rs w ith th e so le no id a tta ch ed , c on ne ct th e p ositiv e le ad to th e main sta rte r moto r te rm in al, th enru n a sh ort lig ht w ire .to th e te rm in al o n th e so le no id . T he n eg ativ e le ad is e arth ed to a ny p oin t o n th e main c asin g.

Mac hin in g S ha ft fo r F ittin g o f V . B elt P ulle y: Remov e th e p in io n a nd s prin g e tc . from th e sta rte r moto r. (T ak e c arein com pressing and rem oving the spring - it is very powerful and can be dangerous. You are advised to follow pro-c ed ure s se t o ut in th e c ar w ork sh op man ua l.)

T he e xp ose d s ha ft w ill b e u ne ve n a nd u ns uita ble fo r th e fittin g o f a V -B elt p ulley . T he p ro ce du re fo r m ac hin in gth e s ha ft is a s f oll ows;(a) F ill slots and bu ild u p sh aft as req uired u sing y ou r arc 'Y elding u nit. F it cop per or steel clam ps, and w rap awe t r ag a ro und th e b as e o f th e s ha ft to d is si pa te h ea t a nd p re vent e xc es si ve h ea t a ff ec tin g t he f ie ld w indin ginsulation.(b) A fter w elding , rem ov e th e clam ps and rag an d ho ld th e starter m oto r secu rely , e.g.; in a vice, then con nect itto a battery an d allo w to run at fu ll speed .(c ) U sin g e ith er a h ig h s pe ed d isc g rin de r o r a bra siv e d isc in d rill ru nn in g a t h ig h sp ee d, mov e th e a bra siv e d is cs low ly in a ga in st th e s pi nn in g s ha ft. The abr as iv e d is c t ur nin g aga in st th e s pi nn in g s ha ft w il l ma ch in e it d owna nd c .e ntre it u p p erfe ctly . F in is h o ff w ith fin e eme ry p ap er. T he e nd re su lt w ill b e a p erfe ctly ro un d,p er fe ctl y c en tr ed , h ig hly poli sh ed s ha ft o f a ny d iamet er y ou d es ir e.

A ll y ou need d o n ow is fit a stan dard typ e V -B elt pu lley and m oun t th e starter m otor secu rely , an d yo u h ave apowe rf ul l ow cos t 1 2vo lt e le ct ric mo to r s ui ta ble f or a w id e r ange o f home and wo rk shop app lic at io ns .Note: S ta rte r moto rs u su ally ru n o n b ro nz e b us he s in ste ad o f b all b ea rin gs, so it is w ise to o il th em re gu la rly . o n ad ai ly b as is i f u si ng t hem for lo ng p er io ds und er c on tin uous r unnin g condi ti on s.F it ti ng o f D ri ll Chu ck ; I f y ou re qu ir e a d ri ll o r d ri ll c hu ck f or u sin g th e s ta nd ar d ty pe f le xi bl e d riv e a tt ac hments ,sim ply cu t a th read o n th e end o f the starter m otor shaft u sing a die w ith a th read size an d p itch the sam e as th erequi red dr il l chuck.

The s ta nd ar d J ac ob s t yp e d ri ll c hu ck s c an b e pur ch as ed f rom most h ar dwar e s to re s a nd a ll p owe r t oo l s uppli er s.T he s pe cific atio ns o n th e b ox w ill d eta il th re ad siz e a nd ty pe . A fte r c uttin g th e th re ad o n th e s ha ft y ou s imply sc rewth e c hu ck a ssemb ly stra ig ht o n to it.Y ou n ow h ave a h eavy d uty 1 2 v olt 'drill' w ith eno rm ou s power, capab le o f th e m ost ard uo us of tasks. It is

a dv is ab le to b olt a h an dle o n to th e sta rte r moto r b ec au se th e e no rmou s sta rtin g p ow er a nd to rq ue w ill tw ist it o uto f y ou r h an ds if th e b it stic ks o r c atc he s.U se a n a llig ato r c lip a s t he p ositiv e co nn ec tio n so th at it c an b e e asily flic ke d o ff to sto p th e d rill in sta ntly if n ee db e, o th erwi se fi t a t rig ge r ty pe swit ch , e it he r to th e pos iti ve o r n eg ati ve le ad , p re fe ra bly t he pos it iv e - in fact it

sh ou ld b e fitte d to th e p ositiv e le ad b ec au se th e n eg ativ e le ad is o nly a n ea rth a nd if y ou h ap pe n to b e d rillin g o nth e c ar b od y to whic h th e b attery is e arth ed , th en th e switc h w ill b e u se le ss b ec au se th e d rill is e arth in g itse lf o n th ecar.O ld s ta rte r mo to rs fi tte d w it h a V -Bel t p ull ey h av e end le ss a pp lic at io ns both a ro und t he wo rk shop and in th ehome , a nd a re p ar tic ula rl y u se fu l i n p la ce o f 240 volt in du cti on mo to rs . F or e xampl e, in wa sh in g mach in es o r wo rkb en ch es e tc . C og s o r s pro ck ets ca n b e fitte d in p la ce o f p ulle ys fo r h ea vy u se su ch a sw in ch es e tc .Thef i tt ing of a Jacobschuck opens the door to a wideasso rtmen tof uses - in f ac t a ny o rd in ar y d ri ll a cc es so ry

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s uc h a s g rin di ng whee1s , sa nd er s, ji g s aw a tta chmen ts , c ir cu la r s aws, b ilg e pumps, f le xi bl e d ri ve l in es , e tc ., c an a ll b eu se d, o fte n w it h g re ate r e ff ic ie nc y th an in t he c onvent io na l d ril ls .F an Ope ra te d R oom Hea te rR oom h ea te rs c an q uite e as ily b e a ssemb le d b y c oilin g a th in p ie ce o f w ire a ro un d in th e s ha pe o f a sp rin g, th enc on ne ctin g o ne e nd to th e p os itiv e te rm in al a nd th e o th er to th e n eg ativ e te rm in al o f a 1 2 v o lt b atte ry b an k.

T he w ire w ill qu ick ly h eat up an d g lo w red h ot. Amp erage d raw is h eavy u ntil th e w ire g lo ws red, then it dro ps an ds tabi li ze s a t an accep tab le l eve l. -- -F or e xamp le , a th in s tra nd o f w ire tak en from a p ie ce Q .[..c lB ttfe slin ew ire 6 0cm lo ng w ill d raw a bo ut 4 0 amp sinitially, then quickly drop to about 20 aI1!P~ glows red, and then remains at this level.A ttach a sm all fan bla,defoa lig~or, ~g.: generator 'm otor', and the soft current of air blow ing through_~eated element provides warm air for home heating. Note: Hea t o utp ut c an b e in cre ase d b y u sin g

thi cke r wi re . However , power consumption wi ll r is e acco rd ing ly .HOME POWER PLANT OPTIONS and COMBINATIONS

You r e ntire h ome p ower p la nt la yo utc ,a n b e tailo r m ad e to y ou r own sp ec ific re qu ireme nts . T he re a re s o man y c om -b in at io ns a nd v ar ia ti on s a va il ab le th at i t i s n e it he r p ra cti ca l n or d es ir ab le t ha t we s pe ci fy e xa ctl y how you s hould s eti t u p. Wehave , h owever , l is te d b el ow guid eli ne s, s ugge st io ns a nd r ec ommenda tio ns .On an ove ra ll b as is we r ec ommend u si ng a 12 vol t h ou se ho ld s ys tem w ith i nv er te rs f or o pe ra ti ng s pe ci ali ze da pp lia nc es a t 2 40 v olts. T he re as on s fo r th is a re :1 . A w id e ra ng e o f 1 2 v o lt a pp lia nc es a re rea dily a va ila ble from re ta il o utle ts . T he se ra ng e from ra dio s, friq ge sa nd te le vi si on s et s th ro ugh to h ea vy -dut y d ril ls a nd wo rk shop t oo ls .12 v olt po wer is easy and ch eap to k eep in 'storag e' and on tap, w hereas 2 40 vo lts is m ore difficu lt to sto rea nd is d an ge ro us. It is d an ge ro us b ec au se th e a ve rag e p erso n re fu se s to b elie ve th at a n o ld c ar a lte rn ato r o r as et o f o ld 12 volt b at te ri es c an p rodu ce h ig h and l eth al v olt ag es . Thi s le ad s to s it ua tio ns wher e c ar ele ss h and-l in g c an r es ul t in s er io us a cc id en ts . Wehave h ad automot iv e mech an ic s i ns pe ct in g our power s et- up and when

c au tio ne d aga in st f id dli ng w it h c onne ct io ns wh il e t he uni t wa s i n ope ra tio n, th eir ty pi ca l c ommen ts h av eb ee n 'L oo k, m ate , I w ork w ith th es e th in gs (c ars , b atte rie s, a lte rn ato rs ) a ll d ay , so I k now wha t I'm d oin g'.T his a ttitu de h as n ea rly re su lte d in se rio us a cc id en ts o n more th an o ne o cc asio n.In a n orm al s itu atio n th eir re as on in g is q uite v alid b ec au se a h uman c an no t fee l 1 2 v o lts a nd a lte rn ato rso nly go to abo ut 2 0 vo lts o n a car, w hich on ly gives a m ild tin gle. (Note: Spa rk p lu g l ea ds w il l g iv e as ha rp s ho ck b ec au se th e c oil lifts th e v olta ge from 1 2 v olts to se ve ra l th ou sa nd s o f v olts.)H owev er, th e m ain p oin t is th at most p eo ple a re o ve r-c on fid en t a nd c as ua l in h an dlin g b atte rie s a nda lte rn ato rs , t he re fo re r eg ar dl es s o f h ow we ll y ou h av e i t a ll i ns ul ate d a nd la be ll ed w it h h ig h vol ta ge d ange r

sig ns, th ere w ill a lw ay s b e s omeo ne who th in ks h e k nows b est a nd fo rg es a he ad p ro dd in g a nd to uc hin gwi th f inger s and scr ewdrive rs .Y ou a re th ere fo re w ell a dv ise d to u se in ve rte rs w ith s ta nd ard 2 40 v olt 3 p in p lu g o utle ts fo r s te pp in g u pyo ur v oltag e from 1 2,2 4, o r 3 6 to 2 40 as req uired. (S ee sectio n on inv erters.)It is e ss en tia l th at y ou h av e a d ua l w irin g s ys tem in y ou r h ome. L ow v olta ge s, e .g .: 1 2 v o lts , re qu ire h ig he ramp s to p ro du ce th e s ame p erfo rm an ce o utp ut from a n a pp lia nc e. H ig h amp s re qu ire h ea vie r w irin g, a ndin an y case y ou can no t run high an d low v oltag es th rou gh th e sam e w ire at the sam e tim e.W e recomm en d yo u run y ou r h om e on a b asic 12 vo lt sy stem . Y ou r aux iliary w irin g is th en th e 2 40Vsystem . T he usual set-up is to h ave an inv erter b ox in w hich yo ur in verters d raw th e stan dard 12 or 24v olts from y ou r b attery b ank an d con vert it to 24 0V . T his inv erter ou tp ut is w ired directly in to th e 2 40Vsy stem. Wh en y ou p lu g in a 2 40V a pp lia nc e a nd switc h it o n th e in ve rte r a utoma tic ally s ta rts u p a ndd eliv ers 2 40W th ro ug h th e sa fe ly e nc lo se d w irin g-sy stem whe n y ou n ee d it, a nd a s o fte n a s y o u w an t it.A lw ay s h ave yo ur b attery b ank in a w arm dry w ell-v entilated room. D o no t use th e battery ro om as a sto rer oom for t oo ls a nd i ns tr ument s. B at te ri es g iv e o ff h yd rogen g as dur in g cha rg in g wh ic h when in a c on fin eds pa ce re ac he s a n in flammab le a nd e xp lo siv e d en sity whic h c an b e e as ily ig nite d b y sp ark s. In a dd itio n toth e e xp lo siv e q ua litie s o f h yd ro ge n, th e' o th er m in or g as es a nd v ap ou rs a re h ig hly c orro siv e a nd h av e ate nd en cy to c re ep in to th e in ne r work in gs o f e xp en siv e to ols a nd mea su rin g e qu ipme nt, h en ce th e o th erreaso n fo r no t u sing the battery sh ed as a store room. Note: Nak ed flame s s ho uld n ev er b e u se d n ea rb att eri es a t a ny time .Y ou r 1 2 v olt w irin g sh ou ld b e p ro te cte d b y fu se s in th e n orm al w ay . Y ou w ill re qu ire h ea vie r fu se s, e .g .: 3 0amps , t o c ar ry t he h ig he r ampe ra ge .

I t i s s ugge ste d t ha t y ou bui ld a smalJ c on tr ol p an e] w it h amp gauge s, v ol ta ge g auge s a nd f us es a ll to ge th ers o th at y ou c an e as ily mon ito r y ou r p ow er u se . sto ra ge a nd c ha rg in g ra te s, o r in th e e ve nt o f b rea kd ownsyou c an e as il y is ol ate th e f au lt a nd r ec tif y th e p roblem bd"or e it c au se s a ny i nc onveni en ce o r i nt er ru pti onto supp ly .

2.

3.

4.

5.

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A ll t he g au ge s, f us es , e tc . f or a 1 2 v olt s ys tem a re r ea dily a va il ab le th ro ug h a ny c ar a cc es so ry s ho p. I f y oua re ru nn in g a 2 40 v olt DC sy stem th en y ou w ill req uire a 2 50V DC g au ge . T h ese are d iffic ult to lo cateth ro ug h o rd in ary r eta il o utl et s, b ut mos t g au ge o r in st rumen t man uf ac tu re rs w ill e it he r h av e th em i n s to cko r h av e a cc es s t o th em .Normall y t he o rd in ar y a ut omoti ve amp g au ge - zero to 60 - is s uff ic ie nt, b ut if y ou a re c on ne ctin g two5 5 amp a lt er na to rs i n p ar alle l f or w eld in g e tc ., y ou w il l r eq ui re th e 1 50 amp g au ge . (Mo st a lte rn ato rs w il lg o a b it ab ov e th eir rate d o utp ut, so tw o 5 5 am p a lte rn ato rs w ill p ro ba bly p ut o ut a ro un d 1 25 - 130 amps. )Warning: With h igh ampe rage out pu t you r equi re heavy w ir ing- A lways u se i nsul at ed w ir ing r at ed abovey ou r in te nd ed o utp ut. A ny e lec tric al sto re w ill b e a ble to s how y ou th e c orre ct w ire siz e i f y ou te ll th em th eam s and voltage it has to carry.

Low voltage , -7 m e ra ge e le ctr ic al s ys tems r eq ui re h ea vy switc he s. iig fitd uty swit ch es s uc h a s th os e u se din the normal 240 volt ld s upply are no t su itable. T hey a re o nly d esig ne d to h an dle 1 5 am ps. T he yare dangerous and inadequate for stem s. The high amperage of a 12 v olt system will cause them too ve rh ea t, a rc a cr os s a nd c an e as il y c au se f ir es I n . - n w th e in .;o nv en ie nc e o f swit .; h f ailu re a ndd is rup ted supp ly.Heavy duty switches and power outlets are available from campervane tc . ) supp lier s. '--~-_.-A s a g en eral ru le , y ou c an ru n 9 0% o f h ou se ho ld p ow er re qu irem en ts o n a 1 2 v olt sy stem , an d th e re -m ain in g 1 0% o n in ve rters ch an gin g 1 2, 2 4 o r 3 6 v olts DC in to 2 40 AC. If y ou liv e i n a remo te lo ca tio n, y oucan have a comfor tabl e a ll -e le ct ri c home wit hout i ncur ri ng t he hor ri fi c expen se o f hav ing t he l oc al count ycounc il o r e le ct ri ci ty aut ho ri ty con st ru ct ing l in es and i ns ta ll ing a ll t he ir me te rs and par aphe rn al i~ .

ALTERNATIV E ENERGY DRIV E SY ST EMSFor maximumperformance,convenienceand easeof use,we have recommendedthat the powerunit be dr ivenbyy ou r c ar e ng in e o r a s ep ar at e sma ll p etr ol e ng in e. ~

Howev er, th ere a re o th er d riv in g meth od s whic h c an b e u se d, a nd a pa rt f rom t he in it ia l s et.u p c os fth e r un ni~ _-cos ts a re v ir tu al ly z er o. They a re :t. D irect from W ater P owerT he mos t c ommon o f th es e ty pe s o f d riv e s ys tems is a w ate rwhe el ( sim ila r to t he o ld p ad dle s te amer s) whic h i stu rn ed b y th e f or ce o f fa st r un nin g wat er fl ow in g a ga in st it . T he d riv e s ha ft is f it te d w ith a V -B elt p ul le y whic h th end riv es th e a lte rn at or. I f t he w ate r f low i s r ea so na bly c on st an t t he n th e a lte rn ato r s pe ed c an b e c al cu la te d a nd a dju st.e d b y c ha ng in g p ulle y s iz es . ( Se e p re vi ou sly fo r meth od o f s pe ed c alc ula tio n) T he main d is ad va nta ge s w ith th is s ys -tem a re p ro blems a nd d amag e c au se d b y f lo od s a nd fl oa tin g d eb ris , a nd o f c ou rs e th e a dju sti ng o f a lte rn ato r s pe edcur rent i s not r ea ll y p ra ct ic al i n t he s en se o f conven ience and eas e o f oper at ion.2. Regulated D irect Flow W ater PowerT his meth od i s b as ic all y th e s ame a s t he o ld w ate r whe el, e xc ep t a l ar ge c hu te i s c on st ru cte d, c ha nn ell in g th e w ate r

S L U IC E G A T E T O C U T O F FO R R E G U L A T E T H E f lO W

\S PE ED S T E P-U PD R IV E UNIT

F OR A LT ERNA TO R

'---...

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directly d ow n o n \0 the fin s o f the w ater w heel.T he c hu te is fitte d w ith a la rg e 'g ate -v alv e' w hic h c an b e p artly c lo se d to re stric t w ate r flow, a nd th ere fo re c on tro lth e d riv e power an d speed , or it can b e clo sed completely in tim es of flo od in g to pro tect th e w ater w heel from d am -age. Note; T he fins o f the w ater w heel sho uld fit w ithin th e w alls of the ch ute. T his m eans th e w ater h as n o escap ee xc ep t to tu rn th e whe el. Wa te r c ap tu re d in th is m an ne r e xe rts e no rmou s d riv in g fo rc e, p artic ula rly if y ou h av e al ong d eep enc lo se d chu te f unne lli ng in to a t ap er ed d riv in g poin t.3. W ater Pow ered O n-Site G ravity U nitT his u nit is d esig ne d fo r lo ca tio ns whe re th e a ctu al sp ee d a nd v olume o f w ater a re lim ite d, o r in c as es whe re a morep re ci se f orm o f s ha ft s pe ed SQntr el is d es ir ab le . ( Pr ov id ed t he s ha ft lo ad i s c ons ta nt )

T he w ater in t 1 S3T aT gediam eter p ip e fitted w ith a tap o r valve to con tro l w ater flo w. T he ~ -Wbe~ .sists of a la poked wheel with w ater troughs fitted to it. .-------Tater flows down, fills the trough which then drops down, turning~;I, and it empties out at the bot-m , s o th ere is n o c ou nte rb ala nc in g w eig ht a s it tra ve ls u p. A~{ 1i" "T iO ug hs fillin g a nd fo llowin g e ac h o th er p ro -v id es c on st an tr gt at Jn .1 I p ow er ~ / .S pe ed -cMt.b .e ea sily c on tro lle d b y c lo sin g o r o pe nin g th e ta p, o r b y a dju s~ th e tilt (a nd th ere fo re th e c ap ac ity )of each trough.. . /" ~This unit can be m ade to devel?p e~orm ou~ po~r~plym creasing the capacity of ea:h trough, and in-c re asmg th e le ng th o f th e 's po ke s'. It IS on ly 1 l!!1 jte d1 jy th e v olume o f w ate r a nd th e sp ee d w Ith whic h th e tro ug hsfill. A g ra vity u nit is q uite c ap ab le o f p ro vid in g e no ug h to rq ue a nd d riv in g p ow er to e asily tw is t a nd s na p a 2 5mmsol id s teel d ri ve sha ft . .A s a n exam ple, if you could im agine the shaft pow er of a one tonne w eight pushing dow n on a 10 m etre bara tta ch ed to a sh aft, th en y ou w ill u nd ers ta nd h ow a nd why e no rmou s p ow er is p os sib le w ith th is sy stem. (T hiS "is a nex trem e exam ple w hich assum es yo ur w ater flow is adeq uato:, an d y ou r tro ug hs are b ig en ou gh to h old on e ton ne ofwater, and your 'spokes' are 10 metres long and s~ough to support one tonne.)

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B U C K E T S A UT O"A T lC A~ ~YE " P T Y A T B O T T O "O F W HE n

B U C K E T S A R E E " P T YO N T H E 'u p ' S T R O I lE

TH E WE IGH 1 O F

build a high voltage home power welder

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