Honda 2000i

[Leighton]

One of my most recent ongoing projects is to upgrade the charging system with IOTA chargers powered by a Honda 2000. I've had the Honda a couple of years and stand it on the front deck, away from the cockpit, and use it for general 240v power when on the hook. Its been excellent as an affordable power gen set option.

The Honda gen Set seems to be a popular item so I thought I would start a thread dedicated to it. Please add any uses, thoughts and comments on the Honda that you may have.

The delema i have at the moment is what the maximum size of IOTA charger I can connect up and stay within the 1600 W rated capacity. Although discussed on previous threads I havn't found anyone who speak from experience.

On my current thinking I'm going for 2 X 45 amp. The 45 amp is rated at 600 W continuous and assuming a 80% efficiency would require approx 750 W to drive it. 750 x 2 gives 1500 W within the 1600W operating capacity of the Honda 2000. I suspect that in reality I could go for 2 x 55 amp. Operating at 240V the efficiency would be better that 80% and although it would operate above its 1600 rated capacity it would still be within the 2000W max which you are able to operate at for up to 30 minutes. With the 30 minutes alowable I may find that the demand drops off. But it would be an expensive lesson if it dosn't work.

For those wondering why I'm operating two chargers in parallel, its because IOTA don't market a 90 amp in the 240 v range. The do sell an IQ4 PARALLEL which controls two chargers working in parallel. IOTA tell me it would work fine but I woul dbe interested in hearing from anyone who has ased the IQPARALLEL controller.


Leighton

[cat man do]

Hi Leighton, i'd reckon there are a few in Oz and on the forum who are planning on going this way.

I know I will be but possibly with a Kipor genny as report's are favourable for these as well, and they are a fair bit cheaper than the Honda.

NovaSmic Australia - Our Product Range

My question is , where did you get the Iota chargers from, as they seem to be well respected and possibly more affordable than Xantrex or similar.

Dave

[btrayfors]

Leighton,

My guess is that two 55A Iota's would overtax the generator. Several people have reported using 75A chargers with 2000 watt generators, but larger ones don't seem to work.

The specifications for the DLS-55 indicate that it has a maximum current draw of 13A @ 108V AC. So.....two of these units could be expected to draw about the same amperage @ 220V AC, for a total of 13 x 220 = 2,860 watts. This far exceeds the generator's rating.

Furthermore, the Iota DLS-55 has a maximum inrush current of 40 amps @ 115V AC. This is for one cycle only, but isn't trivial.

My hunch is you'd do better with a single 75A charger (if they have them in the 220V configuration). The specifications for this unit seem to be in line with use of a 2,000 watt generator. Still, I'd ask the question very specifically to Iota Engineering, and see what they say. They must have some data on this and would be best placed to advise you.

BTW, you'll need an IQ4 regulator in any case.

Good luck,

Bill

[Leighton]

Dave,

I’m buying the IOTA’s mail order from the states. The web site I’m looking at is solarseller.com I havent been able to find a distributor in Oz. However I shall check the prices before placing an order though.
I'm unable to find anything comparable in price or performance in Oz.

Bill,

Thanks for that I’ve just sent an e Mail of to IOTA asking the question. I’ll let you know the outcome.


Leighton

[Brent Swain]

I bought a 950 watt chinese generator for $169 CDN a tiny fraction the cost of a honda. It's worked well for 9 months now ( one year warantee) and I consider it a disposable after a year. Can't justify the cost of a honda. They corrode at the same rate as the cheaper ones.
Brent

[Wahoo Sails]

Just a quick note to all of those using gasoline powered generators. I have only been here in Boot Key Harbor a few weeks, but on 4 or 5 occassions I have heard people looking for someone to repair their Honda generator. The problem is always the same ... gummed up carbuerators. Please keep in mind the short storage life of gasoline. If your generator will be sitting for more than a week or so, either run it till it's out of fuel, or better yet, drain the carb. FWIW this is not a Honda related problem ... common to all small motors.
Bob

[Ram]

I have the Honda 2000ie & 75 amp Iota for last year , both work great

[Island Mike]

Louis,
Could you please provide me with information on the gen you purchased?

thanks

[viking69]

i started of with a chinese generator that seemed cheap. bought it mail order and it lasted about a week. the warranty was not worth the paper it was written on. it covered parts only and i had to cover postage and labour expensees. So i just binned it.
i bought the honda 1000 and it has not missed a beat. i leave it for a few months and then it runs straight away. i do turn the fuel of each time and run it out though. did think about the 2000 but it would not fit in the space i had available. you get what you pay for.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Island Mike

Louis,
Could you please provide me with information on the gen you purchased?

thanks

Have a look at these Mike, USA Kipor

Kipor Generators Online - Kipor KGE 2000Ti for $969-00

Worth having a look through the Kipor online site, lot's of info here on what they can and can't run etc etc



The company that makes them


welcome to kama !


They are High Quality Chinese , and appear to be a Honda Knockoff, and have a real good reputation in Oz.

Don't get me wrong, the Honda is a superb product, but these may be an equal for less $$$.

Dave

[cat man do]

A link to some other info on Honda gen, and Iota and other chargers

What size battery charger??

Dave

[coot]

Originally Posted by Leighton

On my current thinking I'm going for 2 X 45 amp. The 45 amp is rated at 600 W continuous and assuming a 80% efficiency would require...

When I was looking at the their products, I found all the information that I needed on their web site at iotaengineering.com.

The do sell an IQ4 PARALLEL which controls two chargers working in parallel. IOTA tell me it would work fine but I woul dbe interested in hearing from anyone who has ased the IQPARALLEL controller.

I have two of the 75 amp chargers, and it works as expected. You can switch off the AC power to one of the chargers if you want to reduce the load on your generator. Similarly, you could start the generator, turn on one charger, then turn on the other charger. Then you would only experience the high inrush current of one unit at a time.

[btrayfors]

Mark,

What size generator are you using to run the two Iota 75A chargers?

Bill

[emeraldsea]

I've had a honda eu2000i for 5 years now, a great way to go in my opinion,
I've noticed the Kipors on construction site recently and they do look identicle to the honda only yellow......I suspect a knockoff also. I would likely go with the Kipor if I was looking now at nearly half price if reports are favorable.

[coot]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

What size generator are you using to run the two Iota 75A chargers?

It is an Entec West diesel generator rated 4.2 kW, or nominal 120 volt 35 amp. The worst case current draw of one charger is 18 A, so you might think I'm right at the edge of the design constraints. In practice, the generator voltage never drops low enough for the charger to need that much current, but I did install 20 A wiring everywhere just in case.

The two chargers together put out a peak of 160 A of charge current (6% above the rated value) into 840 AH of AGM batteries. After a few minutes of charging, the charge current is limited by how much the battery can accept.