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Messages - threeReefs

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Lister Based Generators / Lister electric start options - starter-motor or starter winding on alternator ?
« on: December 28, 2023, 06:26:51 PM »
The subject says it, really - I'm looking to buy a Lister genny but really want an electric start, or at least the option to add it. At first I reckoned having an alternator with built-in starter winding would be good, like those on the SOM versions, but then I thought perhaps that adds a lot of complexity to the alternator and if I ever have to have it rewound, the cost will be sizable - whereas a separate starter motor keeps things simple. The engines I'm looking at - SR2 or ST2 probably - have provision for adding a starter on the bell-housing although from what I've heard it's not guaranteed they come with ring-gear on the flywheel ? So :

- Thoughts on alternator starter windings versus standalone starter motor ?
- Am I right that some engines didn't have ring-gear on the flywheel ?
- Will these crank the engine with compression or will I need to add a solenoid or similar to the decompression levers, if I'm starting with a hand-start model ?

Thanks all. It looks like some Brush gen heads (a popular option it seems) came with starter windings and some didn't - is there a way to tell, from the model or name plate, whether an alternator has starter windings ?

Richard

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Lister Based Generators / Re: Books on Alternators
« on: December 28, 2023, 04:14:15 PM »
Just to close this thread, I contacted George Breckenridge via his utterPower website, and asked him about the book - he replied very quickly and in exchange for contribution towards website running costs, sent me a link to download a PDF of the book. It's excellent, exactly what I was looking for, well written and loads of technical information. So, thanks for the pointers, everyone.

And to Hugh, it's threeReefs as in heavy-weather sailing, which I used to do when I was somewhat fitter.

Richard

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Petteroids / Re: Petter or Lister for a Genset (without starting a holy war...)
« on: June 25, 2023, 09:09:48 AM »
Thanks for the encouragement Bob ! And hello from the other side of the planet. I will let you know how I get on once I've got my paws on the engine.

The charger/inverter I've got takes in mains AC and uses that to charge the batteries, it's not heavy enough to have a large transformer in it (I haven't opened it up) so I suspect it has a sizable switch-mode PSU which takes 240V 50Hz (but isn't fussy about it) and rectifies/chops/smooths it etc down to 48V - so it's all happening inside the box well away from my fingers... you're right about large DC voltages.

I guess if you were feeling brave, an old boat would be a good source of a water-cooled engine, although you'd have to rig up all the thermostat/fan/cooling etc yourself.

RT

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Lister Based Generators / Books on Alternators
« on: June 24, 2023, 04:46:49 PM »
Does anyone have recommendations on good books about Generators/Alternators?

I know the basics (did an elec eng degree a very long time ago) but I’m particularly trying to understand windings, compounding, power factors etc- as they apply to moderate-sized generators rather than huge industrial things.

Thanks!

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Petteroids / Re: Petter or Lister for a Genset (without starting a holy war...)
« on: June 24, 2023, 02:36:38 PM »
Thanks for the reply Bob...
I am in Surrey, UK - about 20 miles South of London. So I'm 'local' to both Lister and Petter, which is helpful.

My inverter / charger allows me to specify the battery charging current, so my thinking is that I will run things off the battery/inverter combination most of the time (which produces a nicer waveform, consistent frequency, and copes with reactive loads) and then when the batteries get to the optimum charge point, start and run the generator under heavy load (giving it time to warm up first) to put charge back into the batteries. That means I also don't need to have the genny running all the time.

The point about water-cooled being quieter is interesting, and makes a lot of sense, although water-cooled Lister or Petter engines seem very thin on the ground! The only water-cooled ones I've seen are really old ones.

I will post a pic of the Petter I'm looking at if I can work out how...

RT

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Petteroids / Petter or Lister for a Genset (without starting a holy war...)
« on: June 23, 2023, 10:37:43 PM »
Hi All and I'm hoping to access the wisdom of the forum, here.

I love old diesels and am looking for a generator based on a Petter or Lister. About 5kVA, probably twin cylinder, electric start, as a standby unit. I don't mind a 'project' (actually would like one) but I'm trying to understand the difference in characteristics between Lister and Petter engines in this context. Are they reckoned to be about the same in terms of noise levels, reliability, spares availability or do they have particular strengths or were they made for particular applications?

I've got the option to buy a Petter AVA2 Mk2, with attached ALCO alternator - I don't know if it runs, yet, but it turns over and has good compression so I think could be OK and worth playing with and trying to bring back to life. It's not autostart but I don't want that - the alternator does seem to have starter windings on it because the control box has a 'start' button. Would this be a good basis for a genset or should I look for something newer (this is about 1960 I think) and would a Lister-based unit be better ? You don't see many Petter-based gensets.

Thoughts appreciated and thank you in advance ! My plan is to use it to charge some batteries which in turn drive a large inverter which actually supplies mains to the house, so the genset doesn't have to be precise about frequency or even voltage.

Richard (not sure whether to post here or in Listed Gensets but let's try here first...)

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