Anybody got any recommendations on a "thrifty"..ok cheap, generator for charging in the field?
Portable Inverter Generator
- Thread starter thenated0g
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bstanley72
Member
What batteries, and how many are you wanting to charge? It might be more economical and cleaner/less hassle to go with a deep cycle setup instead.
If you want cheap then Harbor Freight is a good place to look. Many people like to use inverter generators which are quieter and more efficient, but of course more $$.
If you want cheap then Harbor Freight is a good place to look. Many people like to use inverter generators which are quieter and more efficient, but of course more $$.
Really just wanted to know what others are using specifically.
bstanley72
Member
The Honda EU2000 is somewhat the gold standard:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200585434_200585434
Really, it just comes down to your needs and budget.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200585434_200585434
Really, it just comes down to your needs and budget.
jamboree1
Active member
I don't know your power needs, but a car battery is fine for 11.1v batteries, just as long as the car battery is over 12.6v, if using 14v or higher RC batteries then you could hook up 2 car batteries in series. If you are trying to supply power for a lot of people, have those thrifty lil buggers chip in for a generator from above mentioned Harbor Freight, or maybe craigslist. I'll tell you right now though that a Honda generator is the quietest unlike the harbor frieght generator that is as loud as a 747 taking off
Ok, more specific i guess. What are YOU using to charge in the field as far as a generator. NOT "what is the best or what does google search come up with". I want some real world experience here please. I am planning a multiple day camping trip to go flying and am looking for what people are using now.
bstanley72
Member
I think for most FT followers a Deep Cycle is the way to go. For instance, this battery from Walmart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-Group-Size-29-Marine-Battery/20531539
It has 125 amp hours, wich is 125,000 miliamps. You don't want to discharge it below about 30%, so this gives you about 87,500 milliamps to work with. Lets use the standard 3s 2200 battery as an example. You don't want to discharge the lipo past 80%, so that means the most you'll put back in is 1,760 milliamps. 1,760 divided into the 87,500 that you can pull from the deep cycle = 49 charges of the 3s 2200 from the deep cycle battery. You probably won't get this many due to heat loss and inefficiency, so lets call that 45 give or take.
Thats a lot of flying for the $120 or so that the deep cycle costs. You can even charge it up with most RC chargers or buy a dedicated one for around $30. With this you don't have the mess and hassle of an internal combustion engine to deal with.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-Group-Size-29-Marine-Battery/20531539
It has 125 amp hours, wich is 125,000 miliamps. You don't want to discharge it below about 30%, so this gives you about 87,500 milliamps to work with. Lets use the standard 3s 2200 battery as an example. You don't want to discharge the lipo past 80%, so that means the most you'll put back in is 1,760 milliamps. 1,760 divided into the 87,500 that you can pull from the deep cycle = 49 charges of the 3s 2200 from the deep cycle battery. You probably won't get this many due to heat loss and inefficiency, so lets call that 45 give or take.
Thats a lot of flying for the $120 or so that the deep cycle costs. You can even charge it up with most RC chargers or buy a dedicated one for around $30. With this you don't have the mess and hassle of an internal combustion engine to deal with.
PHugger
Church Meal Expert
I'm not sure what your mean by this....
Most DC chargers are designed to run off of 12v power supplies and can charge a variety of different battery types.
Mine is an iCharger 106B and it can charge LiPo batteries from 1 cell to 6 cell all running off of a 12 volt power supply.
Hooking Car batteries together in Series sounds dangerous.
Best regards,
PCH
Most modern chargers have built-in voltage boosters and regulators so they can take a 12v source and charge a 6S or 8s pack . . . or even higher. The go-by for the charger itself is it's input voltage -- if it says 11-17V your power supply(Charging Battery) will need to provide the drawn power and maintain voltage in that range. DON'T put batteries in series to power your charger if the charger can't take it.
In the case of my Accucel 6, I have a medium-sized jump-starter pack -- it can charge 3-4 packs on the field before it's voltage drops below what the charger finds acceptable, and it shuts down. At those levels it can still jump a car with a weak battery, it just can't keep the charger happy.
I've been interested in picking up an off-brand inverter gene (Hondas ARE nice, but how many planes can I build for the price difference?!?), but have yet to fully justify the price . . .
Thats awesome. I didn't realize they had that much MAH. That would last 2 guys for a few days.
Up until a few years ago I did a LOT of camping. Don't have any generators of my own but have lots of friends with them and have got to use a wide variety while camped with them or on loan.
The Hondas are amazing. Whisper quiet and ultra reliable. I asked a friend if I could charge a camera off his Honda that was sitting next to my feet one time and he said sure go right ahead. I asked "Any tricks to starting it", he looked at me funny and said "why? It's running." Honestly didn't even realize the darn thing was running and it was less than 2 feet away from me! If I could afford it I'd go with the Honda no doubt.
I've also had good experiences with the Yamaha's, they're harder to find and not quite as quiet or as easy to start...but their inverter gens are still unobtrusive and reliable with good clean power.
The various ebay Chinese inverters...total mixed bag. Even "identical" generators from the same manufacturer bought from the same seller the same week by two different friends showed major differences. One being fairly decent and has served my friend well for about 7 years, it's twin was considerably louder when it worked, always a pain to start, and died completely after just a few months.
HF didn't start carrying an inverter until after my camping was cut way back so I haven't got to experience any of theirs yet.
I have no concerns at all recommending the Honda's to anyone. I'll gladly recommend the Yamaha's to anyone who has a bit of experience with small engines and doesn't mine a little bit more noise ( you can tell it's running from 2 feet away but can still easily hold a quiet conversation over it.) The Chinese mystery brands...I'd only recommend to someone who is very familiar with small engines and electronics and is known for opening things up before using them the first time - and doesn't mind the risk of the money being wasted on something that may burn up quickly.
Pretty much the rule on generators is you can spend a bit more up front and have something that's worth every penny. Or you can try and save a few bucks and wind up spending more on tweaks and repairs and still have one that isn't as quiet. I've yet to find a reliable quiet budget priced generator.
The Hondas are amazing. Whisper quiet and ultra reliable. I asked a friend if I could charge a camera off his Honda that was sitting next to my feet one time and he said sure go right ahead. I asked "Any tricks to starting it", he looked at me funny and said "why? It's running." Honestly didn't even realize the darn thing was running and it was less than 2 feet away from me! If I could afford it I'd go with the Honda no doubt.
I've also had good experiences with the Yamaha's, they're harder to find and not quite as quiet or as easy to start...but their inverter gens are still unobtrusive and reliable with good clean power.
The various ebay Chinese inverters...total mixed bag. Even "identical" generators from the same manufacturer bought from the same seller the same week by two different friends showed major differences. One being fairly decent and has served my friend well for about 7 years, it's twin was considerably louder when it worked, always a pain to start, and died completely after just a few months.
HF didn't start carrying an inverter until after my camping was cut way back so I haven't got to experience any of theirs yet.
I have no concerns at all recommending the Honda's to anyone. I'll gladly recommend the Yamaha's to anyone who has a bit of experience with small engines and doesn't mine a little bit more noise ( you can tell it's running from 2 feet away but can still easily hold a quiet conversation over it.) The Chinese mystery brands...I'd only recommend to someone who is very familiar with small engines and electronics and is known for opening things up before using them the first time - and doesn't mind the risk of the money being wasted on something that may burn up quickly.
Pretty much the rule on generators is you can spend a bit more up front and have something that's worth every penny. Or you can try and save a few bucks and wind up spending more on tweaks and repairs and still have one that isn't as quiet. I've yet to find a reliable quiet budget priced generator.
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
I never used it outside of the house, but I have a Coleman solar panel that trickle charges a car battery. I always unplug the solar panel when I'm actually using the car battery so I have a constant voltage on my LiPo charger. Which is rather counter productive if you plan on using it a lot. I never really used the set up that much and I had to use the car battery for my car. But this spring I plan on buying the cheapest car battery I can to keep using it. I mainly went that route because it's cheaper than multiple power supplies and I want to eventually be able to charge 3 batteries at once (with separate chargers for optimal cheapness). Plus I have it set up in my garage for fire safety's sake (it's not an attached garage. It's actually rather far from the house).
I think I have the 6 watt solar panel. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-5802...421911024&sr=8-6&keywords=coleman+solar+panel It's around $50. I think I paid $65 at Menards for it. Probably not the best set up for heavy use.
I think I have the 6 watt solar panel. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-5802...421911024&sr=8-6&keywords=coleman+solar+panel It's around $50. I think I paid $65 at Menards for it. Probably not the best set up for heavy use.
If you buy solar panels anywhere but the link below then you are probably spending WAY too much!
http://www.sunelec.com
Thurmond
http://www.sunelec.com
Thurmond
This may not be enought power for what you want, but there is enought power to jump start a car 20 times
PowerAll PBJS12000R Rosso Red/Black Portable Power Bank and Car Jump Starter
Keno
Well-known member
I use a Honda EU1000 it serves all my needs. If you are shopping around you might check out Northern Tool they have pretty good sales and They handle another brand that is about half the cost with good reviews. You can find NT on online. There you will find reviews that might help.
Bricks
Master member
It is not a problem hooking two 12 volt batteries or even 3 for 36 volt in series as that is how all 24 volt 36 volt DC systems work unless spending megga bucks on a 24 volt battery.
If a I had the use I would get the Harbor Freight 2000 watt Inverter generator for the price and all the good reviews on it. We have an old Yamaha 1000 watt generator that is left at the field for anyone to use for being an older generator actually pretty quiet but does struggle with some of the high out put chargers.
Brett_N
Well-known member
I have one of the $89 Harbor Freight (after coupon) green ones. I think it's on year #3 now. Works fine. puts out about 600W which is well more than my charger can handle.
It's a 2 stroke - so it's a little noisy. And it's got a carb, which most people these days don't understand how to fix / clean / keep clean / or tune properly, so they complain that it's junk. But for $100 for the generator and a long extension cord (so it's out of the way of our tables) who cares?
I'm looking at the new 2000w predator super quiet. But not until this one dies.
It's a 2 stroke - so it's a little noisy. And it's got a carb, which most people these days don't understand how to fix / clean / keep clean / or tune properly, so they complain that it's junk. But for $100 for the generator and a long extension cord (so it's out of the way of our tables) who cares?
I'm looking at the new 2000w predator super quiet. But not until this one dies.
I keep looking at that 2000w Harbor Freight Predator. $500, but they occasionally drop in price on a sale weekend...I can see them being nice for charging at the field, as well as for some other uses (camping, movies in the "park/wilderness/beach", auto detailing jobs that I do on the side, etc). The Harbor Freight Predators are rated at 61 db, only 2 db louder than the Honda EU2200, so I figure they've got to be decent...And at half the price...Still, $500 is a lot to ask, at least for me. And, I'm an apartment dweller, so I'm limited on space.
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