Ken:
Maybe the following isn't the most recommended way, but, FWIW...
You will need some #12 wire, a power load (about 1.5 ohms; wire about 20 100
watt ordinary light bulbs, or about 10 auto headlights, in parallel), a cheap
digital DMM for a voltmeter, a 30 amp DC ammeter, and a variable DC power
supply. (The power supply is used to drive the generator field current. A supply
of about 5 amps capacity is about right, so that you can vary it's voltage to
control the generator output. You can make a power supply out of a small auto
battery and use a rheostat to control the current. I don't recommend this, but,
you would need a 12 V battery and a 20 ohm rheostat. At about 1/2 the rheostat's
range, you could drive about an amp into the generator field. That's enough to
see something happen.) (A rheostat is a heavy-duty variable resistor, usually
made out of a coil of metal band wrapped around a ceramic core. They were those
thingies with the big black control wheels in Dr. Zarkov's lab.)
1. Set up a safe & secure mount to hold the generator, like bolted to a 2x12.
2. Be sure your drive system is safe, so that you don't have flying v-belts
distracting your attention.
3. Be careful about clothing & fingers & hair getting snagged on a pulley.
4. Connect the generator output lug to a DC ammeter.
5. Connect the ammeter to a load.
6. Connect the load to the generator frame.
7. Connect a DC voltmeter across the load.
8. Connect a variable DC power supply between the generator field connector and
the generator frame. (Assuming you have a positive ground generator, connect the
power supply positive to the generator frame, and the negative to the field
lug.)
9. Do not apply any field current at the beginning of the test.
10. Spin the generator to around 2000 RPM.
11. You should see very little generator output current, with no lights shining.
12. Slowly increase the field current, watching the output current too. You
might have to play around with disconnecting or adding another lamp load to test
the generator to its fullest rating, because the lamp's resistance shifts as the
filaments get hot
13. If the generator is good, then a few amps (at most) of field current will
yield the maximum rated generator output current with a voltage of around 14
VDC..
Personally, I don't think all the above is worth the hassle and danger. There's
a real possibility to get cut, shocked, burned, or mangled. And you could also
burn out the generator. Unless you dearly love that dumb old generator, replace
it with an alternator. And, as a bonus, you can then throw away the voltage
regulator box, another archaic pain in the system.
Ed
El Cajon
67 Rust Guppy
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken 'KD' Roy
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 6:47 AM
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] generator testing
I'm still trying to figure out how to bench test some
extra generators I have.
I can put them in something to spin them, if necessary.
NAPA, etc, said they don't do 'old' stuff like that anymore.
Any ideas???
Till later.....
Ken Roy
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]