Glen Walpert wrote:

For the hobbiest who wants to experiment with induction generators
without learning DSP PFC methods, simply connecting varying values of
power factor correction capacitors should provide a means of adjusting
output with changing speed, at least with a resistive load. Not sure
how well this will work with a three phase diode rectifier battery
charger, but it should work well if a PFC battery charger is used.

Sorry if the above is redundant, I missed most of this thread.

Glen

I've been trying this without success. It's kind of like shooting a
rifle in the dark at a squirrel whose position you don't know.

I'm planning on building a "universal" self-excited induction generator
(SEIG) workstation. It will have an SPDT switch to put the motor to be
tested across the line, or across a *monster* cap sub box in parallel
with a GC Electronics 20-102 cap sub box I picked up on ebay for twenty
bucks. GC's 20-102 design uses caps rated at 200 WVDC, enough for some
AC experiments. If I were to hit resonance, and hold it by driving the
motor at sync speed, they could blow, but (1) I probably won't hit
resonance exactly, and (2) the motor will blow its load of flywheeling
kinetic energy before it blows a cap (I hope). Caps do take a bit of
surge.

There will be a place for an LCR meter, one I have or a better one in
the future, and a test load, which can damp generator operation, as
well as a ground, and leads to the 'scope and a voltmeter. I am not
familiar enough with the literature to say this workstation is novel,
but it may be. I certainly have never seen one in any lab. I intend to
try the workstation first with my drill press / circular saw motor
(remember the Crapmaster?), then Burden's motor.

My design load for the motor I am working with is *only* 8 watts. It's
a white LED traffic signal used in rail and dockyard work, I believe,
donated by John Viselli at Dialight (yes, John, I am still working on
this) in exchange for a tip off on a likely stolen traffic light I
bought on ebay, then had doubts about, and out of general high tech
good will on John's part as well.

Now, this is a high tech load and should not damp generator operation,
as it is rated 80-135 VAC unknown Hz, probably 50-60, maybe a wider
range, and I expect, although I have not tried it with a Variac, that
it will go off line while the generator output is building from about 1
VAC, which is what remanant magnetism will provide, through a few or
dozens of cycles of resonance to some value above 80 VAC, at which
point it should come on line and make use of the generated power.

And that is how the project looks today. A couple bits of perfboard
15x12 inches, a few supports about 9 inches long, and the whole thing
will fit in an R-Kive box when I am not using it. The extended cap box
will be 5-50 uf and 50-300 uf for 350 total, and the CG box is 11.111
uf for 361.1 uf or so.

Doug