DIY 220 V electric generator: principle of operation, instructions for assembling at home

Very often, outdoor enthusiasts do not want to give up the comforts of everyday life. Since most of these amenities are electricity related, there is a need for an energy source that you can take with you. Someone buys an electric generator, and someone decides to make a generator with their own hands. Not an easy task, but quite doable at home for anyone with the technical skills and the right equipment.

Generator type selection

Before deciding to make a homemade 220 V generator, you should think about the feasibility of such a solution. It is necessary to weigh the pros and cons and determine which will suit you best - a factory sample or a homemade one. Here the main advantages of industrial devices:

• Reliability.
• High performance.
• Quality assurance and the possibility of obtaining technical service.
• Security.

However, industrial designs have one significant drawback - a very high price. Not everyone can afford such units, therefore

it is worth thinking about the advantages of homemade devices:

• Low price. Five times, and sometimes more, lower price compared to factory electric generators.
• The simplicity of the device and a good knowledge of all the units of the apparatus, since everything is assembled with his own hands.
• The ability to upgrade and improve the technical data of the generator to suit your needs.

A self-made electric generator at home is unlikely to have high performance, but it is quite capable of providing minimal requests. Another disadvantage of homemade products is electrical safety.

It is not always highly reliable, in contrast to industrial designs. Therefore, you should be very serious about choosing the type of generator. This decision will depend not only on saving money, but also on the life, health of loved ones and oneself.

Design and principle of operation

Electromagnetic induction is at the heart of any generator that produces current. Anyone who remembers Faraday's law from the physics course for the ninth grade understands the principle of converting electromagnetic oscillations into a constant electric current. It is also obvious that it is not so easy to create favorable conditions for the supply of sufficient voltage.

Any electric generator consists of two main parts. They can have different modifications, but are present in any design:

• Stator. This is the static part of the generator. It contains the engine, metal regulator of the electromagnetic field, other accessories and fixtures.
• Rotor. Moving part with magnets equidistant from the middle. Its role is to create an electromagnetic field.

There are two main types of generators, depending on the type of rotor rotation: asynchronous and synchronous. Choosing one of them, take into account the advantages and disadvantages of each. Most often, the choice of folk craftsmen falls on the first option. There are good reasons for this:

• Generators from the first group have a simpler design, so they are easier to assemble at home.
• Efficiency losses in the first group are lower than in the second by 5-6%.
• Asynchronous generators have a rectifier and are more resistant to voltage surges, which protects connected electrical appliances from damage.
• A simple housing allows faster and better servicing of the unit, in contrast to the synchronous analogue.
• Asynchronous generators can be connected to a computer and other electrical appliances that are highly sensitive to voltage surges.
• The low percentage of case heating also speaks in favor of the asynchronous option.
• The parts from which the asynchronous device is assembled can last up to 15 years with proper care, with devices from the second group in this regard, everything is much more complicated.

In connection with the above reasons, the most likely choice for self-manufacturing is an asynchronous generator. It only remains to find a suitable sample and a scheme for its manufacture.

Unit assembly procedure

First, you need to equip the workplace with the necessary materials and tools. The workplace must comply with safety regulations when working with electrical appliances. From tools you will need everything related to electrical equipment and car maintenance. In fact, a well-equipped garage is fine for building your own generator. Here's what you need from the main parts:

• Energy source. Here the choice is huge: from windmills to solar panels, but the most acceptable is liquid fuels.
• Engine. Again, it all depends on the choice of the energy source. Someone decides to make a motor for a generator with their own hands, usually by altering or fixing a broken engine. And someone takes an electric motor from a damaged household appliance, for example, from a washing machine or pump.
• Stator and rotor. The best option is to find ready-made ones, so as not to be involved in rewinding and very difficult work to fit them. Usually everything is already in the electric motor.
• Electric wires and various terminals for fixing. In addition, insulation will be needed.
• Rectifier or transformer to regulate the output current.
• Additional electrical appliances and sensors to monitor the operation of the unit.

Having collected the necessary materials, they begin to calculate the future power of the device. To do this, you need to perform three operations:

1. Measure the engine speed with a tachometer.
2. Add 10% to the result obtained and write down the resulting value. This number indicates the motor overheating limit.
3. Using a special table, select capacitors to increase or decrease power, if necessary.

When the capacitors are soldered into place, and the desired voltage is obtained at the output, the structure is assembled.

In this case, one should take into account the increased electrical hazard of such objects. It is important to consider proper grounding of the generator and carefully insulate all connections. Not only the service life of the device depends on the fulfillment of these requirements, but also the health of those who will use it.

A device from a car engine

Using the scheme for assembling a device for generating current, many come up with their own incredible designs. For example, a bicycle or water-powered generator, a windmill. However, there is an option that does not require special design skills.

Any car engine has an electric generator, which is most often quite serviceable, even if the engine itself has long been scrapped. Therefore, having disassembled the engine, you can use the finished product for your own purposes.

Solving the problem with rotor rotation is much easier than thinking about how to rebuild it. You can simply restore a broken engine and use it as a generator. For this, all unnecessary components and accessories are removed from the engine.

Wind dynamo

In places where the winds blow without stopping, restless inventors are haunted by a waste of nature's energy. Many of them decide to create a small wind farm. To do this, you need to take an electric motor and convert it into a generator. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. Take out the rotor and grind it under the installation of the magnets.
2. Using a template, epoxy the magnets to the rotor.
3. Rewind the motor with a thicker wire to raise the amperage and decrease the voltage.
4. Assemble the generator and check its performance with an electric drill. To do this, you can connect a light bulb or a device for measuring current strength.
5. You can start making wind turbine blades. To do this, you need to take a PVC pipe (160 mm) and cut out the blades from it according to the drawing.
6. Take a 1.7 mm diameter propeller and weld a wide head to it for attaching the blades.
7. Glue the blades to the propeller.
8. Screw the screw into the alternator rotor.
9. Make a metal base for the dynamo machine. It is equipped with a tail and bearing for windward rotation.
10. Install a stand for lifting and holding the structure. It is made from a medium diameter metal pipe.
11. Connect the controller and other devices for more efficient work.

By making your windmill with a small electric generator or a generator from a car engine your own hands, the owner can be calm during unforeseen cataclysms: in his house there will always be electric light. Even after leaving for nature, he will be able to continue to enjoy the amenities that electrical equipment provides.