Ever wonder how they made AC power from DC back before electronics were around...there were a couple ways and this unit just came up on kijiji
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-buy-sell-other/calgary/1600-watt-inverter-generator/1361380064?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
I havnt seen one of these for sale in years. This is a design from somewhere around the 1920s or so...this is the heaviest 12 volt Dc motor you have likely ever seen driving a AC alternator, both wound on a single rotor,in a single package. look at the picture...its siting on a dolly and I can tell you from experience its cause no one wants to lift that thing. it needs wheels under it. This would have cost a couple grand new and they are just asking 100 for it...its not because these are bad its just because they weigh so much that now days you would be crazy to have a inverter like this in say a work truck or semi rig ..just too heavy and large compared to new electronic inverters but these are bullet proof. For anyone who worries about EMP,solar flares, you wont have a worry with this unit, no Electronics! Forget the Honeywell well name on it, it was made by a different company, just look at the big + and - terminals on opposite sides of the tubular body, that's how you will recognize this brand should you come across one at a auction or such. from memory 1600 watts cont, 2500 watts peak (though will handle more if you have the battery capacity) You can not harm these things throwing big loads at them. Note there is none of that superfluous sissy stuff like breakers, fuses and GFIs. Back in the day, I even ran computer equipment off one of these...no problem.
Now that I have said that (no electronics) I have to qualify that..actualy if you look at the picture you will note the rectangular box on the top...this is a later model that does have a electronic board in it. its a load board. A board that senses when a device goes to turn on..like a fridge for example. It disconnects the load, spins up the alternator to speed, then connects the load (fridge) in other words it turns itself on and off as needed so to speak but this board isn't needed, you can bypass it in the box if the board ever fails and the unit works just fine. Anyway if you absolutely, positively want the assurance of a unit that will survive anything..this is it.
If you live in Calgary it can be yours for 100.00 dollars.
Or alternatively, should you want a good powerful DC motor for cheap, Maybe for a "pimp my wheel chair" project, this unit could be used for that as well! I suspect used as a DC motor only it could do 4hp peaks, maybe 2.5 hp cont.
(I have two of these things put away, just cause one is none and two is one(new math))
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
I wasn't kidding when I said these are industructable, I pulled off a access cover and took a picture of the inside...Just look at the heavy gauge wire,it can hanldle 200 amp peaks no problem, and lots of room around the wires for cooling, that's all that's in there...just wiring no electronics. They are made to run off batteries but do to being dc motor driven, you don't really need batteries, without batteries driving it the output ac wont stay at 115-120 but for a lot of things it doesn't have to. What I am saying is if you have the solar capacity to drive this thing (I do) then hook it directly up to your 12 volt panel arrays DC bus. use it to run your electric chain saws, power planers, jigsaws, Drills, almost every tool that has a universal motor in it as they don't care if the output voltage is floating around in the 95- to 135 volt ac range, it wont hurt them they just turn a little slower or faster with the fluctuating voltage. No biggie.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
should have known to look on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOxhhp33_aA
though if you do run one of these directly off sollar panels, and its a model with the load board you must bypass this board. A simple double throw, double pole toggle switch can be added to the dog house. then you can bypass the board with a flick of a switch.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Alrighty you all get a treat tonight.....I didn't post this one on here for others to buy, when I saw the picture I said to myself that one is coming home to me. It was located way up in the far, far north end of the city of Edmonton, and this meant a long drive to Edmonton, then a long drive through the entire city...I could tell by the picture it was constructed as the first one in this thread, but in a more manageable size. This is a 500-600 watt mechanical inverter. Still heavy but not like the big 1600 watt unit...This 500 watt model will still start the biggest motors in your home no problem and carry a solid 500-600 watts all day long. Anyway, you just want a picture right? here..( I think it was yellow but someone painted it red)
It doesnt have to be pretty, this one has been used hard, and thats ok, I will knock it apart and apply lipstick to the needed parts. I have already put it through its paces running every hand tool I have and not a hickup. I wont tell you what I paid..you wont believe me.
Now I just went to pick up this one thing but as sometimes happens things just fall into ones lap... I got talking with the guy and he has had it with living in a big city so is selling off everything he has, and moving, he asked me to look around and make offers on anything I wanted...during the tour he took me to a shed in the back filled with odd stuff, and he mentioned he had another inverter if i was interested, I said, I am pretty solid on inverters but i would be happy to have a look at what he had....
Well he brings out a unoppened box, from the 1980s...Remember the 80s I had hair back then, anyway when i seen the name I knew what was in the box and pretended to not be excited. I opened it up knowing I was the first person to handle it since it left the factory and that could have been since the 70s as he told me he moved in in the late 70s.. Now this is nothing as a inverter performance wise by todays standards but through the 70s and into the 80s this was the bomb. It came in multiple configurations going all the way up to somewhere around 1100-1200 watt models (with dual transformers, very heavy).
This unit is a 550 watt model, maybe 1000 watt surge, but if you look at the side you can see I could add one more transistor to make this a 750-800 watt unit (I wont). Anyway This will stay unused by me as a NIB unit is unbelievably rare, and in inverter design it is a interesting part of history. What makes this model stunningly interesting is the parts count, I think this was what could be called the first real electronic inverter and is a example of how simple one could be..Below is the schematic...stunningly simple...You can count all the parts on your fingers!
It really is little more than a transformer, with the primary driven by transistors in what I think is just a push pull configuration.
Now being the first of its type it had one weakness....motors, you don't want to run motors with this unit, TVs, computers, lights no problem, and all day long no problem, but motors will destroy this unit, the transistors just cant handle the inductive kick back (or needed surge). In fact the only thing that ever went on these was the transistors, and only because someone used a power tool, or I should say kept using a power tool.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Just tested that red unit on my oil-less compressor and it fires it right up (thats a hard load to run)
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.