Generators come in two grades. Home/RV and contractor.
The electrical generator part of both types is more or less the same quality
with the major difference in the number of poles. A US spec generator
produces sine wave AC power at 60 htz. A two pole generator requires the
engine to spin it 1850 rpm while a single pole system requires the engine to
spin 3600 rpm to get the 60 htz. The carburetors are typically set and
cannot be easily changed. Most contractor grade systems not only use a cheap
B&S/ Tecumseh engine that is rough and varies the rpm (and thus voltage and
frequency - i.e 60 htz) but also a single pole generator requires a 3600 rpm
which makes the air cooled engine extra loud. The RV/Home models typically
use a better quality and quieter Honda/Kohler water cooled engine that is
more rpm consistent and a two pole generator so it only has to spin 1850 rpm.
I have a contractor grade generator as backup power to my house for three
years now (used it twice already this year!). When the power goes out I use
a laptop on it since laptop modern power supplies can handle anything from 50
htz (Britain) - 60 htz and 100(Japan) - 220 (most of Europe) volts. The
power supply basically conditions the 18-20 volts the laptop needs.
In three years never had a problem even when the B&S engine starts to sputter.
Randy
> Vern Anderson writes:
> "Our region is buying a portable generator ... I'm almost certain
> I need to use a power line conditioner to protect the solid-state stuff
> ... from fluctuations in the generator's power."
>
> Hi Vern-
>
> In my former life I was a geophysical well logger in the Appalachian coal
> fields. We had portable genny's on all the logging trucks which ran the
> digital equipment (and the coffee maker). There's a rating on generators,
> which of course I can't remember properly, that has to do with being "RV"
> Rated or "Construction" rated.
>
> The "RV" rated ones put out a nice smooth signal with very little noise or
> voltage fluctuation. They'll run your laptop just fine. Most Onan genny
> sets are RV rated. We used Onans strictly at my place of bidness. That's
> the kind you want to use. The "Construction" rated gennys put out watts
> and watts of power, and will run a Skil Saw just fine, but don't hook up
> your 'puter or it'll fry. The signal is both noisy and variable. And
> that's the kind you DON'T want to use!
>
> Side story -- One cold morning, the generator wasn't running quite as
> smooth as it should have. I had just booted the system up and was putting
> paper in the printer when one of the rig hands heard the genny sputter and
> went over to it and blipped the throttle linkage to clear the carb. I
> heard the sputter and turned around to kill the 'puter just in time to hear
> the genny rev and watch all the lights grow bright for a second and then
> die... Had to drive three hours home, change out the 'puter and then drive
> back to the job... LONG DAY!
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