Lowgear, have you ever heard of stop digging the hole?

Your facts are incorrect and sources from quoting web sites are incorrect. The Republic of Ireland did not gain its independance from Britain until after the date on your Titanic link.

I dont about your choice of words or who your father was, or your bastard reference Twist and spin what you will but you spoilt the threads intentions and let your own adgenda and then you try and shift the topic when you were and still are out of line. I have no interest in the Titanic, where its steel came from, what nationality the workers were or what cars were made by De Lorean.

You owe me an apology for your remarks, in public, right here, like any decent man would do.

Thought you'd all like to hear Lister are releasing the CSMF. Its a CS Multi Fuel engine. Based on the old CS design it has a 4 vlave head, spark plug and burns petrol, diesel, kerosene and gas. A little like the military engines. Could be a wise move with the price of fuel now and the engine is going for EPA emissions testing too.

It will start at 8HP single and end at 18HP single and then start at 16HP twin and end at 36HP twin, all rated at 650RPM. Bosch have a new injector and there is a revised oil filtration system comprising of external spin on oil filters and a small pump that allows it remove engine oil while running and draw in fresh oil to extend service times. Just like the marine engines.

Will pass on more as I hear it.

Emerald

There was talk of what engines used certain part number pumps, it may be here some place or a search via google might get it.

From memory I think the engines about 8HP and 16HP twin used a different pump.

I dont think it makes sense to make a 3HP oid. For one reason alone is getting parts. Nobody stocks them and you would have to buy in spares and service parts in bulk. It would make better sense to buy a 6HP oid and you will have several suppliers stocking spares in several countries.

If you want to try a different engine, look at the Changfa engines. The smallest they have with balancer shafts is the 12HP model and I know owners who have 6000+ hours up on them now with zero problems. The price is pretty good too and plenty spares around. Yanmar and Kubota also make the same type engine, but you wont see many of them in the west. They are for Asian and Australian markets.

I will buy a Changfa this summer and run it with my CS and see how it works out. It is an engine I have long been curious about and there are no horror stories about them online, whereas bad oid tales are plentiful.

I saw that mentioned on the BBC and is I hope a wise move, the TATA stuff has a good reputation and they do like plain jane honest engines out there with no electrics. It would be nice if they re-introduced the 300tdi engine and help keep it alive a little longer. The TD5 and Transit engine have not been loved in far away places for reasons of bush servicing and the potential for water damage to stop you in your tracks.

My trusty old Defender is getting a major renovation this summer down to the last nut n bolt. She is a keeper and has never let me down.

The most practical post was the use an alternator to charge batteries and then use a large UPS.

Induction motors, caps, power factor....all things to complicate matters and cause problems in the future. Be there done that, ran away.

Hey Craig,


Any single cylinder engine will cause flicker, its not the fault of the alternator. Choosing a more expensive model wont solve that problem. A modern alternator such as a brushless type from Marathon, Leroy Somer, Stamford and so on will all have a cleaner wave form (THD) because they do not have windings which enhance the thrid harmonic. Many blame the AVR for poor performance on the ST, however the stator windings are the root cause and without harmmonics there is no output.

Once the RPM of the alternator slows down, so does the frequency and voltage and the single cylinder engine has less time to keep the RPM of the alternator where it ought to be. Engine governor is another factor but I dont want to go off topic for you.

If money was not holding the wallet strings I would choose a PMG first, brushless second choice.

Most of the mil electrical stuff I have laid hands on was all 24VDC and that too is a relatively easy voltage to change an ST alternator for, but as the starter motor on these few home brew gensets are 12VDC its best to stick to whats available.

Heat buildup will happen if too much current is drawn and a current limiting setup would cure that. I dont want to introduce lots of electronics here and if possible make a few alternations to whats already there and clean up the sinewave to whatever final outcome happens as a result. Not to mention the legal can of worms that is opened when new controls are introduced. The owners themselves can decide on deep they want to get into these.

PMG is best for this althought the prime mover sets the output voltage and a guy would want a very well behaved governor. I costed up building a direct drive model for a CS and the thing would be big, and costly on magnets and copper wire if it is built to a high standard. A 1500RPM PMG would also be expensive, although less so over a <700RPM unit. Both would still cost more than an ST alternator, even a well manufactured and high quality item.

The old addage holds true, you get what you pay for.

Emerald