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Lister Startomatics

How do the Lister Startomatic generators work? As I understand it, when you put a load on (by switching on a light or plugging in a kettle) it detects the fact, and electrically starts the diesel engine by the 12v or 24v DC battery. This presumably means it must bias the bus bars with either 12 or 24v DC, but I can see that this would not be very nice for some loads such as transformers. Also there must be some fiendish system to isolate the DC battery from the mains when the thing has started. But the control box seems trivial on those that I've seen pictures of (ebay mainly). Anyone actually know the details?

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson
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A sensitive 12V relay with the coil in series with a bloody great choke would do the job, probably.

Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

There are people on uk.rec.engines.stationary who understand these things. I've got one, but sans the magic box, it just works as a 240V alternator.

Cheers Tim

Reply to
Tim Leech

It's a fairly complex affair, there are two control boxes, one on the generator itself and one on the wall. There are various devices for sensing the minimum load (40W bulb IIRC) and for starting the engine. There is an exhaust valve lifter for decompressing the engine for starting, a speed sensing relay and a fuel rack shutoff.

I have the circuit diagrams for the various models if you are really interested.

As Tim says, the basic alternator works fine without all the gubbins, just a field resistor needed for setting on-load voltage.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

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Reply to
Peter A Forbes

They are all 24V DC starting, forgot to mention that in my post.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

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Reply to
Peter A Forbes

details?

exhaust valve

gubbins, just a

Thanks for that Peter, it is really just idle curiosity, as most are far too small for my needs anyway. I remember about 25-30 years ago rummaging through the outbuildings of a dissused water mill in Cornwall, and despite being clogged with ivy and virtually derilict with a collapsed roof, when I flicked a lightswitch on there was a nice solid diesel chugging and the Startomatic sprang into life! I would imagine that the place hadn't been touched for years and was surprised that there was any charge in the batteries until I found them and saw that they were ex military nife cells.

The place is now sadly a trendy restaurant !

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

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