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09-08-2020, 16:48
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
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Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Say you’re at sea and your generator lost its governor setting.
You can adjust the engine RPM but you don’t have any rpm gauge.
How would you determine the frequency from the power coming out alone?
You don’t have a scope.
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09-08-2020, 16:54
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Lake City MN
Boat: C&C 27 Mk III
Posts: 2,647
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
One of those killawatt tools is how I look at my generator output for voltage and frequency
__________________
Special knowledge can be a terrible disadvantage if it leads you too far along a path that you cannot explain anymore.
Frank Herbert 'Dune'
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09-08-2020, 17:02
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AKA-None
One of those killawatt tools is how I look at my generator output for voltage and frequency
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I saw that online. I don’t have one, unfortunately. :/
I was hoping there was some magic trick someone knew.
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09-08-2020, 17:03
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Rochester, NY
Boat: Chris Craft 381 Catalina
Posts: 6,190
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
An old school plug in clock. I carry one on the boat specifically for generator tuning, as it averages frequency over time. Run a stopwatch for 60 seconds. If the clock counts 61 seconds, you're at 61 hz.
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09-08-2020, 17:05
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#5
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Jan 2016
Boat: Bathtub
Posts: 889
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
If you had a guitar or other musical tuner you could have it play the B 2 octaves below middle C which is about a hz or two above 60hz.
Or if you are like me who has worked as a commercial electrician around transformers and other equipment for decades, all humming at 60hz, and also did a few installations for medical equipment manufacturers like GE for diagnostic/testing of equipment being sent to countries that use 50hz. so I am pretty good at knowing what each "should" sound like by ear.
Or if you had an old fashioned mechanical electric 120v plug-in clock you could do it the way old-school generator guys did it back in the day and used the sweep of the second hand matched to a battery-operated clock or wound watch side-by-side. When the second hands are in synch you are pretty damn close to 60hz. If you watched for a few minutes you could get nearly exact.
The issue is every time the electrical load changed it would change the RPM of the engine since it would bog down a bit at higher loads and run faster when lightly loaded.
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09-08-2020, 17:11
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New York
Boat: Columbia 50
Posts: 695
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
If you can check the docs on the generator, it most likely runs at 1800rpm (or 3600).
If you run your propulsion engine at the correct rpm you can 'tune' the gererator to the same pitch
Matt
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09-08-2020, 17:31
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jacksonville/ out cruising
Boat: Island Packet 38
Posts: 31,351
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
So why not use your multimeter? My amp meter also displays it, and a Kill-A-Watt meter does as well.
Also it’s really not all that important, most anything will operate just fine off of 50ish Hz power, everything we took to Germany operated just fine off 50Hz once ran through a transformer to correct voltage.
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09-08-2020, 17:59
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: New England. USA.
Boat: McCurdy & Rhodes Custom 46
Posts: 1,474
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Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Or old school this:
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=...QsEMIQw&adurl=
Vibrating reed frequency meter.
I really like the clock idea though.
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09-08-2020, 18:36
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jacksonville/ out cruising
Boat: Island Packet 38
Posts: 31,351
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfelsent
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My original Honda 1000 generator about 1990 had a vibrating reed, one for 50 Hz and one for 60 hz
Not mine, a pic from the internet Honda EX 1000
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09-08-2020, 18:53
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
These are some great ideas!!!
Amazing!
I’ll try the musical tuner first, since I don’t have that sort of clock.
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09-08-2020, 19:00
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Depends on the month
Boat: 32’ Sloop
Posts: 264
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rslifkin
An old school plug in clock. I carry one on the boat specifically for generator tuning, as it averages frequency over time. Run a stopwatch for 60 seconds. If the clock counts 61 seconds, you're at 61 hz.
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You sir win the internet for today
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09-08-2020, 19:08
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,134
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Going to or staying at sea in a mere storm is one thing, but to put to sea in the face of a cyclone/hurricane/typhoon is madness. You may loose your boat in either case, but at sea your life is at severe risk.
Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
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09-08-2020, 19:26
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,126
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chotu
Say you’re at sea and your generator lost its governor setting.
You can adjust the engine RPM but you don’t have any rpm gauge.
How would you determine the frequency from the power coming out alone?
You don’t have a scope.
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FWIW, if not familiar, at least for RPM you can find free apps for your phone/tablet that uses the device's microphone as a spectrum analyzer.
ex:
Probably not what you're looking for, but a free tool to add to the box that may offer utility elsewhere.
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10-08-2020, 01:26
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Singularity
FWIW, if not familiar, at least for RPM you can find free apps for your phone/tablet that uses the device's microphone as a spectrum analyzer.
ex:
Probably not what you're looking for, but a free tool to add to the box that may offer utility elsewhere.
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Absolutely another great idea!!
To set it from the auditory output is good.
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10-08-2020, 01:50
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#15
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,241
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Re: Who Can Figure Out the Frequency of a Generator Creatively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chotu
Say you’re at sea and your generator lost its governor setting.
You can adjust the engine RPM but you don’t have any rpm gauge.
How would you determine the frequency from the power coming out alone?
You don’t have a scope.
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Just whack a LP onto your turntable and listen or look at the stroboscope on the side of the turntable. Vinyl rocks!
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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