Inverter Generator

Thread Starter

Solar144

Joined Jul 20, 2015
6
Hey:

I want to build an inverter generator like the kind you can buy at Home Depot.
Does anybody know where I can get the plans to build one?

Thanks :)
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
Yes. The most effective DIY method would be to set up a small engine running a big alternator that charges a battery and you run a common 12 volt power inverter off of it.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Hey:

I want to build an inverter generator like the kind you can buy at Home Depot.
Does anybody know where I can get the plans to build one?

Thanks :)
Why do you want to buy one piece of a bunch of different components, pay shipping charges for each one, build a custom frame, assemble it and then hope it works.

It would be much cheaper, more convenient, more reliable and safer to buy one. Also, if it doesn't work when you get it home, you bring it back to Home Depot and ask for a different one.
 

tom_s

Joined Jun 27, 2014
288
point the rest of the posts is making, this project may cost multiples of what buying off the shelf

though i wish you well, there's much pride in saying to someone ' i built that ' :)
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
It's called having fun building a project...:)
what level of detail are you looking for when you say you want plans. Will you be casting the engine block, forging the connecting rods and machining the pistons for the engine? Or will you just buy that? How about the electrical side of the set? Will you be winding your own coils? or buying them? What kind engine speed control system will you use (or build)?

If you are just looking for the 5 to 7 major components for a genset, to bolt together, that is not so much fun - more of a PITA trying to find parts that fit each other.

A question so vague is very tough to answer. No, I don't think anyone has plans unless you have your wife buy a generator, take it apart and then give you the parts and owners manual so you can put it together.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
I don't l know why GopherT is being unkind to me, I send you nothing but love brother...
It is not a question of me being unkind, but one of you not asking a question that was clear enough to let us what level of granularity you want to do as a DIY project. Do you want to wind the coils of a generator and build the motor or do you want to buy the major components - I wasn't joking or being unkind.
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
I don't l know why GopherT is being unkind to me, I send you nothing but love brother...
Don't mind him. He's just growly because he bought sugar free ice cream by mistake instead of the good stuff and it made him have a sugar crash while online the other day. :p
 

Roderick Young

Joined Feb 22, 2015
408
Do you mean an inverter powered by a 12V car battery? Or do you mean something powered by gasoline? A link to an example of what you want to build would help.
 

debe

Joined Sep 21, 2010
1,389
Just to give you an idea of what an inverter generator consist of. Heres some pictures of the stator & rotor of one I have. They generate 3 phase power at quite high freq. This is then rectified to about 350 v DC for a 240v generator. This is then fed to the inverter block. There is also a separate 12V ac winding to power the inverters electronics.ROTOR.JPG STATOR.JPG
 

debe

Joined Sep 21, 2010
1,389
The next part is the Pure Sine Wave Inverter. The one in my Gen died & the replacemet was $600 aprox. There is parts on Ebay that I purchased to build one quite cheep, ive purchased the parts but not assembled it yet. The Pure sinewave board with digital read out was $35 & the inverter board about $15. Just some thing for you to think about.SINE WAVE INVERTER EG8010-3_conew1.jpg SINEWAVE INVERTER BOARD.2.jpg SINEWAVE INVERTER BOARD.jpg SINEWAVE INVERTER LCD.jpg SINEWAVE INVERTER PCB.2.jpg SINEWAVE INVERTER PCB.jpg
 

MrSoftware

Joined Oct 29, 2013
2,188
Hey:

I want to build an inverter generator like the kind you can buy at Home Depot.
Does anybody know where I can get the plans to build one?

Thanks :)
I've thought of building my own 120v 60Hz inverter myself for fun, so this topic interests me. I think there is some confusion in the thread about exactly what you want to make. Maybe answering this question would help.

There are two potential meanings to your question, please tell us which you mean:

(1) An AC inverter, that simply converts DC (such as from a battery) to AC

(2) A mechanical generator, such as powered by a gasoline motor, that uses an inverter to precisely control its output. This allows the mechanical generator to run at varying speeds (RPM) as the load varies, while the inverter ensures perfectly stable AC output.
 
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