Topic: Connecting up an electric generator to an eletric device that has a plug (Read 724 times)
September 19, 2013, 04:03:51 AM
A windmill or watermill would be your best bet then. Probably look better than mine, my wife said it's the most white trash thing she ever saw. She obviously hasn't seen my plans for the sequel lol.
September 19, 2013, 03:46:40 AM
Windmills are great. We've got a garden shed running the last 30 years on a little 40 cm diameter windmill hooked up to a old car batteries. It provides enough power to run some lights and enable playing some music. It's pretty nice.
September 19, 2013, 03:13:53 AM
Well I was thinking of building a stirling generator or something ( hence the flame ) but if it's wasteful maybe I should try a basic windmill instead? Anyway thanks for the posts so far but this is why I decided to make a post, research 
it's true I don't know what I'm doing but that's science! 
I made this thread so I could see which direction to go in and see if there was anyone who was more experienced.
I want to try and make something that constantly generates rather than just periodically which is why I thought something that required burning stuff would be easiest to start out with.
it's true I don't know what I'm doing but that's science! I made this thread so I could see which direction to go in and see if there was anyone who was more experienced.I want to try and make something that constantly generates rather than just periodically which is why I thought something that required burning stuff would be easiest to start out with.
September 19, 2013, 01:52:59 AM
Not sure what kind of generator you're building, but it likely won't be able to power much directly. Most of the guys I know using home built generators usually use them to charge batteries then run off those, not connect directly to the generator.
I made one using an old mower engine which drives a car alternator, which charges a bank of deep cycle batteries. It's very useful and the batteries are much more versatile than just a generator with a receptacle on it. A dc>ac converter would add a couple receptacles. Old mower engines are common, reliable, easy to work on, can be used for many useful things, and it would probably be a better place for you to start than whatever it is you're trying to do now I think. In your op you mention powering an electric heater, then later mention wanting to build a generator powered by fire? Sounds like you don't really know what you want to do, cause that's a lot of unnecessary and wasteful steps to generate heat.
I made one using an old mower engine which drives a car alternator, which charges a bank of deep cycle batteries. It's very useful and the batteries are much more versatile than just a generator with a receptacle on it. A dc>ac converter would add a couple receptacles. Old mower engines are common, reliable, easy to work on, can be used for many useful things, and it would probably be a better place for you to start than whatever it is you're trying to do now I think. In your op you mention powering an electric heater, then later mention wanting to build a generator powered by fire? Sounds like you don't really know what you want to do, cause that's a lot of unnecessary and wasteful steps to generate heat.
September 18, 2013, 09:22:13 PM
Might I strongly recommend that the first thing you connect to your generator be an AC voltmeter? 
September 18, 2013, 04:52:47 PM
You built a generator, but you don't know how to hook up a device to it? Just buy a receptacle and wire it up.
September 18, 2013, 04:49:36 PM
At the very least, why don't you go buy an outlet or extension cord with bare wire ends on one end at the hardware store?
September 18, 2013, 04:46:06 PM
As you may have noticed I made a thread awhile back about generating electricity, I'm going to give it a shot but my only concern right now is how the hell would I connect the plug of an electric device to the generator itself? The first thing that springs to mind is the basic crocodile clips you can get anywhere but I don't know whether that will allow enough electricity to power it. What I want to do is a bit more ambitious than your typical tin can/copper wire setup and I want to try generating enough electricity to power at least one thing I've just got lying in my room. So something like a fan, electric heater or even my computer ( but I don't want to risk that until I'm absolutely sure I won't short circuit it somehow by accident ).
I was thinking of just putting three crocodile clips onto each metal bit of the plug that belongs to the device and then powering it that way, let me know if I'm being ridiculous and there's something different I need I'm not planning on building a complicated generator but just simple ones that can be generate electricity by burning things.
I was thinking of just putting three crocodile clips onto each metal bit of the plug that belongs to the device and then powering it that way, let me know if I'm being ridiculous and there's something different I need
I'm not planning on building a complicated generator but just simple ones that can be generate electricity by burning things. Jump to: