|> | I can change the genset to run at 120v@87amps only or can wire it to |> | have |> | 240@43.5amps. | | says just that. | |> It tells me there are two 120 volt |> windings that can be in series or parallel. It does NOT tell me there |> is more than 2 wires coming through the generator control box. It can |> be a generator where the winding configuration is apart from the feed |> connections. A generator with a circuit breaker would be configured on |> the line side of that breaker, and utilized on the load side. It may |> be easy for you to see that your generator really can do 120/240 OK, but |> going on a description that doesn't say there are 3 wires available, and |> doesn't say "120/240", I would not (then) make such an assumption. | | | Once again, you show that not only can't you "Think outside the box", | but once more you prove that you ARE the box. The OP is building his | own power plant. If there is no way to bring a third wire out of the | generator let him say so. Once again you analyze things way past where | they need to be. Is you are using a 240 VAC output you should be able | to ground the center tap for the safe operation around a work site. He | stated that he could wire most of his tools for 240 VAC, so he should. | You don't have to worry about balancing the load on the two windings, | and the few 120 VAC tools or work lights shouldn't force you to wire | everything for 120 VAC.
Actually I really am thinking outside the box, because I have NOT limited myself to a singular way of thinking. I really do know there are generators that can be wired for either 120 or 240 volts that _cannot_ provide a dual voltage Edison style center tapped 120/240 volt system. I was not making any assumption one way or the other about _your_ generator because I know of these possibilities.
But you are making assumptions about my knowledge ... and you got it wrong.
Most people with as dual voltage Edison style center tapped 120/240 volt generator would have described it as "120/240" volt in reference to it having the feed for a neutral. You didn't.
| The more of your off the wall posts that I read the more that I know | that i would never hire you to change a light bulb, let alone do real | electrical work. You sound like the two EEs from the base's power plant | that I ran into at Ft Greely, Ak. The government finally approved, and | delivered a large 208/220 VAC through wall air conditioner for the | transmitter and control room at the TV station. Two EEs come out to the | station to take a look at the three phase breaker box mounted on a relay | rack a couple feet from the AC unit and informed me that there wasn't | enough power available to hook it up. Without taking the cover off the | box it was obvious that only one phase was in use because there was a | row of single pole 20 A circuit breakers, one in every third slot. So, | I had 100 amp 208 VAC that had nothing connected to it. I called on of | the GIs who did their grunt work and talked him out of the 30 amp | breaker, some wire and conduit and installed it myself. When they came | back to prove it couldn't be done, it was running, and the three phases | were in better balance than before.
It seems you and I do have one thing in common: we have both run into EE's that think inside very small boxes when it comes to practical power work. Now I'm glad I didn't go through EE in school (I did take a couple of EE classes while majoring in CS, to raise my GPA).
But I don't think I would want to work for you given the risk of you specifying work to do, have providing ambiguous specifications because you only know of one way those specifications could be understood, and it might be that I know more than one way (as in the case of a generator that is "240 volt").
| You can come up with a thousands reasons why nothing can be done, | without asking for more information while others use simple logic to | find a safe and reasonable way to do it.
I've learned NOT to make assumptions, especially from what people with less experience might say.
|> Consider a three phase 12-lead generator. There are a lot of ways it |> can be wired up for a lot of different voltage and phasing configurations, |> including 66% single phase (double delta). But one thing I have found |> that is not easy to do is 3 separate 120/240 volt systems, even though |> there are 6 windings (2 per phase angle). I could configure it so each |> phase is done with 2 windings in series and the center taps all connected |> together as a common neutral, and grounded. But this would involve SEVEN |> wires. It's unknown if the voltage regulator could handle this at all. |> The terminal space is not there to feed that power out without a lot of |> modifications. | | Why do you always try to complicate things? Why do you want to toss | in a three phase setup when the OP clearly stated he had a 120/240 | source. Only in your mind can it become a multiple voltage three phase | haywire.
I was giving an example for your benefit, not for the OP. But I guess it is beyond you.