Author Topic: Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!  (Read 3258 times)

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CharlieOILFIXIT

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Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!
« on: June 18, 2014, 07:11:43 AM »
Hi there, this is my first post on this site. I have been trying to find help with this issue from a few places and have had no replies  :'(

I am in Niger, West Africa. On our compound we have a back-up generator due to intermittent grid failures. When I arrived in May, I was told, being the only engineer on site, that the genny was not working. I was handed an AVR and was told that the local guy didn't know how to connect it. When I saw the genset it became clear why. The AVR that is on this Dale genset was probably from an old Honda Single Phase unit. Only L3 and L4 were connected to it as well as F1 and F2 for the exciter stator.

After a bit of rewiring and bodging the new (new as in not used before, but still old) Markon MS3000 AVR into the housing, I was able to connect L1, L2, L3 and L4, and of course F1 and F2. Started the genset... and... 17volts output! Scratched my head for a while and tinkered a bit more. No joy. So I flashed the exciter stator with 12v dc... 220volts for like, 3 seconds, then back to 17-19 volts. I wanted to determine what was up with it, so I hooked the exciter straight up to a 12v battery and let the genset run. It sat fine at around 200 volts for a few minutes. I turned it off, hooked F1 and F2 up again, ran it and VOILA... 40v.
The dc voltage across f1 and f2 is 3 or 4volts.

I cannot get it to maintain a 12v feed. I do not have the equipment to check ohms or continuity, because we are in the middle of nowhere and I didn't come with tools.

After all this fannying about, I was talking to one of the other missionaries and turns out the genset was doing what it is doing now, before I came. The local generator guy (who has less tools than I do) said it must be the "card" ie, the AVR, so the Markon card was purchased in country. So it is just doing what it was doing before.

I have taken off the exciter windings to inspect, and it was very dirty, so I have cleaned but as yet not reconnected.

Please advise, we have been without back-up power for! God bless.

Isaiah

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Re: Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2014, 09:01:55 AM »
Dose it have brushes in the 12 volt line ? if so these can be touchy ,make sure they are both free and  mating the communicator good and are about the same length.  You may try going to ebay and get a 1 or 3 phase avr which ever you need and give it a try , you may have to change the wires around in the plug. maybe pick up a cheap vom on ebay also
you might take a look at this site  http://www.smokstak.com for help also.
Isaiah

Isaiah

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Re: Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2014, 11:27:06 AM »
here is some info may be of interest.
 http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133048
Isaiah

CharlieOILFIXIT

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Re: Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2014, 12:00:36 PM »
Thanks for your response!!

Everything is pretty worn down. No contact brushes it seems. The exciter stator windings seem ok, and their transfer plates look ok, if a little worn. The rotor looks totally fine. This is brushless it seems.

Ebay is a no go out here. We are about 14 hours drive from anywhere we could get parts too. The AVR looks fine, but I can't check it. The genset is 3 phase, forgot to mention that. There is no plug link up it is all free wiring. Welcome to Africa lol.

I will check smokstak. Thank you

Frank S

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Re: Dale Generator Issues in Africa 17volts! Oh no!
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2014, 05:16:48 PM »
When you flashed the exciter or the fields did you also have a resistance load on the generator.
 I've had this happen to me on welder generators flashing them would cause them to show voltage but unless I applied a load as well they lost their residual magnetism pretty quickly.
  What little I know about generators wouldn't complete an add for missing persons on a milk carton but I have found that I needed some form of a load on them or I have wrapped a coil of wire around the housings to make an electro magnet.
 Mostly I've done this on welders like I said usually using the leads from another welder.
 If it has slip rings or a brush plate with flat rings, I found they needed to be cleaned as well
I live so far outside of the box, when I die they will stretch my carcass over the coffin