All of my reads on these are they are designed for 230 or 240 volt operation. Honda engine and alternator body made in Italy. They seem very popular in the UK. I have no idea why you would read such a high output voltage but I would absolutely measure output voltage under at least a 50% load using a known accurate AC voltmeter, preferably a true RMS type meter. While I was at it I would also measure the output frequency which at 3,000 RPM should be 50 Hz. You need to measure at least with a meter you know to be accurate. Then I would move along from there. If in fact the output is that high I would be contacting the vendor for more data.

Ron

Honda generators are a different class of product from the much less expensive units of similar size. Many of the Honda generators include inverter circuits and regulation, and that makes them very fundamentally different from those generators, such as the one described, that include almost no electronics. The one responsible for the destruction of the power supply that I saw used a mechanical governor system that became stuck at wide-open throttle. It had no means of adjusting the speed related to the electrical output. Thus there is no comparison between the two kinds of generators. The Honda type units deliver a frequency independent of the RPM.

 

@MisterBill2 One thing I've learned, sometimes the hard way is not to assume someone knows something that can be critical. While working with someone who was very skilled and highly experienced, we did a hydro test on a rather large water tank; 12 foot diameter, 40 feet long. That's a lot of volume. We filled the tank with water then sealed it for the test. After the test we used compressed air to blow the water out of the tank. I told my partner to wait till the air pressure had completely bled off and the connecting drain line removed. Then he could open the drain valve and allow the last remaining air to escape. He got annoyed at the somewhat obvious statement. He also got annoyed at how long it was taking. So he decided he'd remove a plug from a 2 inch pipe fitting once the tank got down to two pounds of pressure. When the last thread came loose that pipe plug blew out with some considerable force, hit him in the face and he had to go for stitches. Luckily he waited till there was a mere two pounds of pressure. At four pounds of pressure that plug would have been a bullet through his brain.

Stating what may be obvious to many here is important for the sake of both the person who will be doing the task AND for anyone else who may research this thread and learn how to do something that is frankly beyond his or her skill level. Safety warnings are never a bad idea. After all, you never know who's going to do what with your information. So being incomplete with appropriate safety warnings can make you (or me) responsible for someone getting hurt. I prefer my friends be a little annoyed but safe versus taking a pipe plug through the brain.

 

Installing a changeover contactor (between the mains supply and generator output) will almost certainly involve pulling the company fuse to disconnect the supply to the consumer unit. This is not something Joe Public should be doing.

 

Installing a changeover contactor (between the mains supply and generator output) will almost certainly involve pulling the company fuse to disconnect the supply to the consumer unit. This is not something Joe Public should be doing.

Since the switching point is at the load side of the utility company meter, it is on the users side of the demarkation line. Our local power company has no issue with ne doing that, other than suggesting that I follow safety precautions, which I do follow them. The rules may be different in other parts of the world. The policy of my local power company (DTE) is that if I am not stealing power or disrupting their system then there is no problem. BUT CERTAINLY those folks unable to do so safely should keep their hands off! Natual selection is both swift and brutal.

 

That Capacitor is the regulator, alter the value & you alter the output voltage. Its a verry cheap system. I have several generators that use a capacitor for voltage regulation. One had low voltage so i replaced the cap with a bit higher capacity. Circuit of that type of generator system, Red circle is the capacitor in question. They suffer from poor regulation if you run the generator out of fuel. As the revs hunt up & down the voltage realy goes high peaks.

 

That Capacitor is the regulator, alter the value & you alter the output voltage. Its a verry cheap system. I have several generators that use a capacitor for voltage regulation. One had low voltage so i replaced the cap with a bit higher capacity. Circuit of that type of generator system, Red circle is the capacitor in question. They suffer from poor regulation if you run the generator out of fuel. As the revs hunt up & down the voltage realy goes high peaks.View attachment 195836

OK, I have not worked with such a system and so I am not familiar with that method of control. It seems to me then that the capacitor sets the RPM to voltage relationship by varying the voltage with the frequency. Thus the output voltage is dependent on the RPM. That certainly would explain why a generator with a stuck-open throttle would output a voltage that was much to high. Do you have a description of how that output control works? Now I am wondering.

 

Honda generators are a different class of product from the much less expensive units of similar size. Many of the Honda generators include inverter circuits and regulation, and that makes them very fundamentally different from those generators, such as the one described, that include almost no electronics. The one responsible for the destruction of the power supply that I saw used a mechanical governor system that became stuck at wide-open throttle. It had no means of adjusting the speed related to the electrical output. Thus there is no comparison between the two kinds of generators. The Honda type units deliver a frequency independent of the RPM.

Bill, if you read my post I mentioned it was a Honda powered unit meaning the gasoline engine was made by Honda. The actual alternator is of Italian manufacture which I also point out. This model is not an Inverter type as many newer units are. This is apparent in the specifications where they clearly mention 3,000 RPM as the run speed which is a standard. Freq = Engine_RPM * Number_Of_Poles / 120. So 50 Hz. = 3000 * 2 / 120. I never made any comparison between the two kinds of generators? Honda also manufactures both types, my read is the heavier wattage units are all conventional,

If the voltage is in fact way over voltage I would be looking to change the cap pointed out in debe's post above. That was the problem on my old Craftsman Powermate 4000 and just about all of these small inexpensive (cheap) generators use the same regulation scheme.



Ron

 

Bill, if you read my post I mentioned it was a Honda powered unit meaning the gasoline engine was made by Honda. The actual alternator is of Italian manufacture which I also point out. This model is not an Inverter type as many newer units are. This is apparent in the specifications where they clearly mention 3,000 RPM as the run speed which is a standard. Freq = Engine_RPM * Number_Of_Poles / 120. So 50 Hz. = 3000 * 2 / 120. I never made any comparison between the two kinds of generators? Honda also manufactures both types, my read is the heavier wattage units are all conventional,

If the voltage is in fact way over voltage I would be looking to change the cap pointed out in debe's post above. That was the problem on my old Craftsman Powermate 4000 and just about all of these small inexpensive (cheap) generators use the same regulation scheme.



Ron

The one in the photo that I saw did not look like any Honda generator that I have seen. And truly, having a Honda engine dies not make a device a Honda product. They sell engines to all who will pay for them.
and that capacitor appears to be a voltage SETTING choice, much different than a voltage REGULATING arrangement.