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Originally Posted by phillbus914
It works great! I got a new 700 watt microwave for the bus last summer and it runs off it (although for some reason the timer counts down quicker, then when plugged into grid power) I've run my leaf blower off it quite a bit, and it seems very good on gas... I've been blowing leaves for hours trying to run it dry for winter...
Plus I can carry it with one hand, and it fires right up on the first or 2nd pull almost every time. I highly recommend it, at a used price of under $200 It's perfect for someone who wants the EU2000 on a skoolie budget.
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The timer on your microwave isn't keeping time properly because that generator isn't delivering exactly 60Hz AC power. The timer uses the 60 Hz AC signal to base it's clock on, and the generator makes 60 Hz only when it's turning at exactly 3600 RPM.
It's no EU2000... the Honda makes high-frequency AC, then converts to DC, and then into near-perfect 60 Hz, 120VAC output, regardless of engine speed, allowing it to only run as fast as necessary to make the power being drawn from it at any time rather than having to run at full speed all the time. It won't make hum or buzzing in audio or radio gear, it'll make your computer happy, etc.
It's a LOT quieter, and lighter, and can be connected to another Honda to combine output power. And it uses less gas.
But yeah, the little red things cost more up front.
Believe me, I totally understand about budget restrictions! But whenever you can get yourself an EU2000, you'll be glad you did! No one ever seems to regret it. Notice how many Colemans are available used for cheap, and how few Hondas are for sale...
I do kinda' like your lawnmower generator! What I'd suggest for anyone that wants to copy that is a cheap (about $10 at the pull-a-part yard around here) GM "CS130" alternator. You find them on late '80s - early '90s small GM front-drive cars, which most yards are full of. Most make over 100 amps, and maintain high output at very low RPM. I have a contraption running two of them, wired together in parallel, at idle speed, and with an inverter hooked up I can draw 1100 watts of 120 volt AC and still hold a charge in my battery! (And remember, that's at idle speed!)
I've tried a lot of things to quiet one of those lawnmower-type air-cooled engines, from car and motorcycle mufflers up to running the exhaust into a barrel full of water and it doesn't work; the noise is mostly being radiated from the engine rather than coming from the exhaust, and boxing it up makes the overheating issue worse.
) I only really use a geni a few times a year. It is louder than the EU but it's nowhere near most generators. It may not be as technically advanced as the high end model... but then again neither is my bus.
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