I am trying to make the big jump into electric pattern this year and will ned to setup my trailer for charging. i dont plan on using a generator ( big bucks) but a couple of marine deep cycle batteries or the golf cart gell cell type.

Looking for advice from you guys on which battery configuration would be best. I plan on using solar cells to charge/manage the batteries etc.

thanks,

Chuck

Chuck:

I had planned on using gel cells last year when we made the jump. However, after trying it and talking with others it just didn't work out very well. After using the "surface charge" on the gel cells they just can't provide enough voltage to drive the chargers. The gel cells are designed to drop to about 10 volts under load, too low for the chargers. Nat was using two heavy duty gel cells for a while but finally gave up. Take a look at Ebay, a 1000 watt generator doesn't cost much more than 2 decent gel cells and in some cases less. The Honda's are more expensive but that is not required.

Good luck

Mike

Chuck:

just checked Ebay out of curiosity...


http://cgi.ebay.com/1000-Watt-Portab...QQcmdZViewItem

I know nothing about this generator but the price new is $90

Buyer beware on some of these things Pete Collinson bought one and it never did run even after taking it a repair center. The Honda may be pricey but sure is solid. The yellow Kipor ones that match Honda specs I hear is good also and about 2/3 the price of Honda. Less frustation is worth a lot.
[link]http://www.josephabrams.com/kipor-kge1000ti-generator-p-36.html[/link]

[link]http://cgi.ebay.com/Kipor-Sinemaster-1000W-portable-inverter-generator-NEW_W0QQitemZ270081350982QQihZ017QQcategoryZ46412Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/link]

Steve Maxwell

I agree with the Generator way to go.....

Tried carrying around deep-discharge batteries, but they didn't last long on the field, and are more heavy then a generator.

I bought one of these Kipor 1300 (the red one, not the sine-master), much lighter then the batteries, run's the whole day on 1.5 liter gas. And you can put up to 4 chargers up to it without any problem.

Yes it's more expensive at the beginning, but after the second or third battery ;-)

Have Fun
Winfried

I agree that sounds like the way to go; boy it looks awefully quiet 59Db at 7m. Impressive!

Thanks guys, interesting info, i never knew the batts (gels cells) struggled but understandably not a good choice.

I will keep an eye out around here and also keep an eye on ebay... thanks again!!!!

Chuckles

Well, following ya'lls lead, i went to Northern Tools, I hve done business with them for work here in town and tey are a great company to deal with. Found a generator for 149.99 and i can take it back if i have any troubles and deal with them in person ( no shipping either).

I will probably give them a shot. thanks again everyone for your input.

here is a link for others who might hae northern tool stores in their area.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ategory%20Page

Chuckles

$149 with free shipping sounds good to me.

I wenty to Northern Tool about a month ago. They had that generator on sale for $99. Turns out one of the club members worked there. He said that everyone that had purchased it brought back with peices in hand. Runs rough and he also said that it did not put out full 120V.

I broke down and bought the Honda. Worth every penny. Super quite. I run it in ECO mode and I have never had it kick up. Very light weight as well.

Ok, so with the generators and having just bought a "cheaper than honda" one for my inlaws as they dealt w/ no power due to ice storm...do the Generators need to meet a noise requirement[8D]

..the one for the inlaws was really noisy...I know the hondas are quiet though.

Another generator, the Yamaha ef1000isc anyone use one of these?

http://www.become.com/shop?q=yamaha+...maha+ef1000isc

GLowplugboy was running I think the 3000 Yamaha at Nederland 2 years ago for his camper.
Very quite and powerful and Small.
I haven't seen the 1000 but it looks nice.
Eddie

I bought the Honda.

The bitterness of poor quality lasts much longer than the sweetness of low cost.

I have the Honda 1000 sized generator and it is phenomenal! Quiet, powerful and lighter than a battery. I can't say enough about how good it is (exept for the $$ cost). John

I agree, after buying a Honda mower a while ago it was hard to go past the Honda generator. Sure it's expensive but you'll only ever buy one. I didn't like the idea of lugging around massive deep cycle batteries. I wouldn't want to have a car accident with them in the back also. The Honda only weighs 13kg from memory and it's as quiet as a mouse.
When you add up the cost of your modelling in general, radio,aeroplane, good servos, motors, speedcontrols and the batteries etc it don't sound that bad
Just my thoughts

Chris

On the honda 1000 watt generators will they support the thunder power charger at full rating? Will they support 2 of the TP1010 chargers? Thinking high rate charging here. Is it necessary to have both chargers for a contest weekend?

I suspect they wont since my 25A 12V Radioshack supply will only run one of the TP 1010 chargers.

Had an ice storm around here and want to pick up a generator when I get a chance.

Brian

Brian
I don't think you'll be limited by the generator but by the DC power converter/supply unless you get a seperate one for each charger. I have the Iota 55 and love it.
Eddie

Yes it will. The TP 1010 requires about 18 Amps at 12 volts which is 216 Watts to charge a 10 cell pack at 5 Amps so theoretically you could run four TP1010s. The problem is the 110 to 12 volt conversion that would be very heavy and very expensive to provide 864 Watts. I use a 55 Amp supply that will handle two TP1010s very nicely.

Jim O

So you all are running these w/ the 120 vac outlet and using your 120 VAC power supplies as well. For some reason I was thinking the 12v outlet would be used, so limiting you to the 8Amp capacity spec'd. For that case I was wondering about a 2000 watt gen, but kind of a pain to handle.

thanks

You are right about the 12 volt output being limited to 8 amps. That won't even handle one TP1010 charging 10s at 5 amps. You need to use the 110 AC and convert it to 12 volts.

Jim O

Brian,

Many of us have the same setup. Honda 1000, IOTA 55, running two TP1010's charging two 10s packs at the same time.

This is a great setup.

Keith

Hey Chuck,

I picked up a Honda 1000 for about 650 bucks on Ebay- I've heard that there are adequate generators available at places like Harbor Freight for 150 bucks or so. There is a Harbor Freight outlet here in Lake Chuck and one of our members works there. At least if you buy a generator there, you can take it back if it doesn't perform up to specs. Nat tried batteries but I decided a generator was a better long term solution.

George

I would avoid the 2-cycle generators primarily due to noise. They are ok until you get a load on them and then the dBs start climbing. I tried 2 different 1000w 2 cycle generators and took both of them back due to not even being close to dB levels stated in the documentation. I have a small (500w) Toro generator I found at a garage sale and it works great for one TP1010C or equivalent and it gets me thru a contest with no issues. It is very quiet even under load. I would love to have a Honda 1000 and will continue to watch for a 'deal' on one of those. Until then, my old Toro is working fine.

Woodie

Woodie,here in Ireland the Honda is available,but is also available as a reduced price generic brand called BOOSTER! There is a Booster 1000 and 2000 available here,They are exactly whats stated on the tin, ie 1000w and 2000w. They are approx,, 2/3rds of the Honda price. They are identical except for the plastic cover, on the Honda its red and on the Booster its blue.

Brian