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paulz
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2020 07:26pm - Edited by: paulz
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I posted my generator woes on the Honda genny thread, it has a Honda engine that starts with one pull every single time. Had no output, which turned out to be varistors in the rotor. Soldered in new ones, voila, two separate 110 ouputs out of the 4 high voltage terminals.
Put it back together, fired it up, plugged in a drill, off and running. Then I flipped the toggle switch to 220, nothing..darn. Traced that to a fried point inside the toggle switch. Bought a new switch, carefully wired it up, started it up, engine was struggling and started to smell hot electrical. Shut if off. Dang!
I disconnected the 4 output wires from the stator and started it up, still got two 110 outs, thank goodness. Did I wire the switch wrong? Here's is how it's wired, makes no sense to me but I'm certain that's how it was.
Anyone make sense of this? And if you are wondering, like I am, the 220 plug only has 3 terminals, one is grounded to the chassis. 110 plug also grounded. The toggle switch connects center terms to outside terms, one way for 110, 220 the other.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2020 07:08am
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Brown is ground? You need neutral and 120v to make a 120v outlet.
If your 240v plug only has 3 wires then it should be 120v, 120v and Neutral. Ground is usualy chassis on generators.
It sounds like the 240v switch should keep the 120v separate and combine the neutral. Is it doing that?
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2020 08:10am
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Thanks Brett. Yeah I don't get that either. Here is the front and back of the 220 plug. Only the brown, blue and yellow which is grounded.
From what I have been able to find online, of the 4 leads from the stator, two are neutrals that get combined and should go to the neutral terminal. None of that going on here that I can figure.
Maybe this generator got some bad re-wiring that caused the varistors to blow.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2020 08:13am
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That 240v outlet is 240v only. I could be wrong about the neutral, it could be a ground in that outlet. Try googling what that outlet needs.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2020 08:36am
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Working on it..
I did find something interesting about generators... According to
https://www.utterpower.com/synchronous-generator-basics-simple-guide-to-rewire-your-h ead/
Inexpensive generators just use one of the two 120 windings for 120, delivering only have the capability. By adding a switch, like mine has, both windings can be run in parallel. I don't quite get it since they should be out of phase for the 240, like house wiring?
Anyway my generator seems to have this switch, though I can't match up the wiring schematics so far.
Here's the switch wiring from that web page.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 5 Jul 2020 12:46pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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OK, you have a DPDT switch, double pole, double throw. The 2 middle lugs are the poles inputs. Wiring diagram is showing the connection is each position marked with red or green depending on position.
The brown one is a permanent jumper.
Strange to see a neutral on a generator, most dont have it. There is a few examples of them. But more for commercial job suite generators (OSHA)
Does your replacement switch behave the same was as a typical DPDT switch?
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 5 Jul 2020 08:10pm
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So ground and neutral and chassis ground?
I think osha requires a GFCI.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2020 08:21am
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Paulz, I see each set of windings is marked as 1 &2 and then 3&4, are your wires marked with these numbers, let say a small tape with this number on it?
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2020 02:37pm
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Co-incidentally, I just played with this thing yesterday and today, and got it working! The short story is rather simple: The two windings wired in serial produce 220 volts, and for 110 they are switched into parallel.
The problem I had was not knowing which two wires to jumper for serial mode. I guessed and jumpered the two that were not going to the 220 plug (makes sense, but for some reason the switch wasn't wired to do this).
Still a bit confused..in 110 the two windings are paralleled. They must be of opposite phase for 220, so I guess it doesn't hurt form them to be combined for the 110.
Anyway, thanks for all the help!
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 7 Sep 2020 03:14pm - Edited by: paulz
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So I have used the new genny several times now, working great on 120 and 240. So much so that I have decided to put my trusty old one in retirement. I think this was the first thing I bought for my property a decade ago (and I haven't stopped since!). It was well used then but still looked decent. Since then it has powered my cabin build, deck and other structures, been completely submerged twice, ran pumps and powered my recent drive in movie nights. Had to replace the capacitor once. The front panel and air cleaner are long gone, just a 120 plug and kill switch wire but it still runs fine and does whatever is asked of it. And it's a Chinese knock off.
Have a good retirement old friend, you earned it.
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