2013 - Volume #37, Issue #5, Page #38
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Gas-Powered Battery Charger
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The Amsterdam, N.Y., welder built his first prototypes out of lawn mower engines and car alternators to charge batteries for his camper. But they were heavy and gas-guzzlers.
His latest version only weighs 15 to 20 lbs. and charges a 12-volt battery in less than 20 min. on about half a weed whacker tank of gas.
“It works great,” says Hanke. “It’s like a rapid charge.”
He started with the 31cc engine from a broken weed whacker. He removed the shaft and head and fabricated an aluminum plate to bolt on a magneto from a 1973 Honda CB350 motorcycle.
“The biggest challenge was the magneto part that spins had to be perfectly lined up and couldn’t wobble,” Hanke says. “I used feeler gauges to shim it.”
Once the magneto was mounted, he fabricated more mounts for the voltage regulator and rectifier from a 1986 GM alternator. He created a shroud by wrapping it with aluminum tape, which pulls air through to keep the engine cool.
Hanke says he hooks up the battery and starts up the weed whacker engine. He added a throttle that can be set at different speeds and runs it at full throttle at first, then slows it down. He isn’t certain if it would overcharge the battery, so he keeps an eye on it. After about 15 min., he checks the battery with a pocket voltage meter.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Hanke, 97 Hewitt St., Amsterdam, N.Y. 12010.
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