'Super charger' 12v generator any good?

contessaman

contessaman

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Does anybody have any experience of these:

http://www.thesupercharger.co.uk/home/4557388158

Principle seems sound enough using a small geared engine to turn an alternator and put a charge in. But I can't see what make the base engine is. Its not a Honda. Is it something decent or one of these naff Chinese engines that work for a season then pack up?

Grateful for any first hand experiences with this set...

Tvm.
 
Sandyman said:
Designed and built in Britain so in the unlikely event that you break it !!....... WE CAN FIX IT !!!!
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The engine is made in Britain? Or a Chinese engine is mated to an automotive alternator in Britain using british made parts and gearbox? That's what I'm trying to find out before parting with the cash.

In my experience of small industrial petrol engines.. If its not japanese or a Briggs they won't last. Of course all the old British stuff was decent but unless I'm wrong Brit, J.A.P etc don't exist any more.
 
contessaman said:
The engine is made in Britain? Or a Chinese engine is mated to an automotive alternator in Britain using british made parts and gearbox? That's what I'm trying to find out before parting with the cash.

In my experience of small industrial petrol engines.. If its not japanese or a Briggs they won't last. Of course all the old British stuff was decent but unless I'm wrong Brit, J.A.P etc don't exist any more.
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It's a cheap Chinese engine, (Huasheng F142) a copy of the Honda GXH50. As far as I can see, the alternator is direct-coupled to the engine, with no gearbox. Here's a link to pics of the Chinese engine - http://www.bicycle-engines.com/49cc-Gas-Powered-4-Stroke-Engine.html
 
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IIRC Robin Knox-Johnston mentions using something like that on his round-the-world voyage and describes passing out in the cabin from CO fumes, only coming round after the generator engine had stopped :eek: I'd be really careful how I used such a thing on a boat.

Boo2
 
I like the idea of it but look how close and exposed the output terminals are. Drop anything conductive near those and you would know about it. Thats said, I want one.
 
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Boo2 said:
IIRC Robin Knox-Johnston mentions using something like that on his round-the-world voyage and describes passing out in the cabin from CO fumes, only coming round after the generator engine had stopped :eek: I'd be really careful how I used such a thing on a boat.

Boo2
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CO clearly isn't to be taken lightly but I don't really see how this unit is more offensive than any other gen set? Unless the boat is big enough to have a plumbed in Fischer panda or something that leaves small aircooled petrol engines for things that need power. I already have a mains generator and dive compressor both Honda powered. Perhaps having the dive compressor is a good thing because it does make me think very carefully about exhaust fumes, breathing air intake and wind direction more than most! Long length of hose for the compressors air inlet hoisted clear of everything on a halyard is the way to go there.
 
pvb said:
It's a cheap Chinese engine, (Huasheng F142) a copy of the Honda GXH50. As far as I can see, the alternator is direct-coupled to the engine, with no gearbox. Here's a link to pics of the Chinese engine - http://www.bicycle-engines.com/49cc-Gas-Powered-4-Stroke-Engine.html
Click to expand...

Ahh.. Well spotted! That's a shame. Its not a particularly cheap thing to buy as it is why not make it a weeny bit more expensive and fit a Honda 50? Then it would last forever!
 
fredrussell said:
I like the idea of it but look how close and exposed the output terminals are. Drop anything conductive near those and you would know about it. Thats said, I want one.
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Definatley would have some fused permanent wires to the battery bank and fit a high current connector. There's lots of suitable high amperage connectors available from Motorsport places, some even with flush mounting kits. Then you could just whip this little unit out of the locker, put it on deck, plug it in and charge the batteries. It must be pretty frugal at 50cc and it looks like it has a manually adjustable throttle so can probably charge at a slightly quieter and more relaxed rpm.
I guess the final piece of the puzzle would be a smart digital alternator controller to make sure the ampere hours go in as quick as poss.
I'm tempted but really put off by the Chinese engine.
Wonder if theyd sell it less the engine and buy a Honda and charge controller to fit to it?
 
pvb said:
Why not just use the generator to power your mains battery charger?
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Thats the current (no pun intended) arrangent. This unit is just a lot smaller, neater and surely its more efficient to charge batteries this way than to make 240v and then back down to 12?

Given that space is always a problem on a boat, this has got me thinking , looking at the Bauer junior dive compressor, some system of clutches and an alternator mounted on the frame of the compressor, so I could use the same engine to either charge the batteries or squeeze cylinders would be fantastic. The compressor has a 5.5hp Honda on it so that should easily turn a decent alternator if its not driving the compressor.

I'm not sure if such clutched pulleys exist or how I would go about doing that though...?
 
My experience with Chinese petrol engines has been good, and nothing like the comments in this thread.
I have 2 chainsaws and a hedge cutter, all made in China. One chainsaw endured a large tree trunk falling on it, burying it underground, and it still ran straight afterward. Oldest chainsaw now 5 years, and I cut 5-6 tonnes firewood a year (shared between 2 saws).
I've pulled them apart for cleaning and servicing, and find them well engineered.
The biggest difference between these "Stihl Lookalikes" is the price. £58 delivered for last one (58cc, 20" bar) compared with several hundred for a branded machine.
 
MM5AHO said:
My experience with Chinese petrol engines has been good, and nothing like the comments in this thread.
I have 2 chainsaws and a hedge cutter, all made in China. One chainsaw endured a large tree trunk falling on it, burying it underground, and it still ran straight afterward. Oldest chainsaw now 5 years, and I cut 5-6 tonnes firewood a year (shared between 2 saws).
I've pulled them apart for cleaning and servicing, and find them well engineered.
The biggest difference between these "Stihl Lookalikes" is the price. £58 delivered for last one (58cc, 20" bar) compared with several hundred for a branded machine.
Click to expand...

Maybe im ham fisted then! Strimmer, 2 generators and a moped all of Chinese origin lasted no time at all in my household. Honda motorbike, Briggs lawnmower, tohatsu based mariner outboards all still working well after years of service.

The Chinese stuff is fine for the price it sells at and I'm not trying to put it down. The case here is my considering a quality piece of kit for an extended cruise. This super charger is 500 quid. If it was 50 quid I wouldn't even be questioning it.

Interesting points on clutched pulleys. Could somebody send me a link to something on the internet / eBay please?

I guess the engine would need a dual pulley, simple enough. Then the compressor and alternator would each need a clutched pulley that fitted on to a tapered shaft with a woodruff key
 
I bought the larger (95A?) one with the LPG kit for long term cruising with the idea of reducing the number of charging hours I was putting on my main engine.

A few observations:

1. It's very, very noisy
2. The cables that come with it are very short, I ended up having to spend a fair bit of money on making longer ones to get the unit outside when connected to my house batteries.
3. It rusted a lot, very quickly.
4. It didn't work.

I had a 600Ah house battery bank, which I made the company aware of pre-sales. The engine stalled every time I closed the charge switch, unless I had the main engine running, so the mini engine was not man enough to deal with a decent sized bank. The solution from the company was to disconnect a couple of batteries each time I wanted to use it, which was clearly not practical. Terrible after sales service and no admission that the unit was unfit for purpose despite my declaration of the battery bank configuration before buying.

I regret buying it and wish I had bought a little Honda like other cruisers, despite the theoretical conversion losses this product is designed to avoid.

In short, I'd avoid the product and the company, I wasted around GBP 1000 from my long term cruising budget which still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Pete
 
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Boo2 said:
IIRC Robin Knox-Johnston mentions using something like that on his round-the-world voyage and describes passing out in the cabin from CO fumes, only coming round after the generator engine had stopped :eek: I'd be really careful how I used such a thing on a boat.

Boo2
Click to expand...
That's true of any generator setup. They all produce vast amounts of CO, as does any IC engine.
 
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