Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection

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awemawson:
Morray, the switching (of 3.5 amps @ 24v DC) is done by a single four pole change over plug in relay, and as it happens I have about thirty spares in hand as they are the style that the original generator controller used, so that is one approach that I seriously considered.

But seeing the not inconsiderable arc leads me to want to tame it !

(The back to back zener method is one of the options I cited a couple of postings above)

At the moment getting 'all the bits' into that box and connecting them is proving quite a challenge despite having installed pre-wired sockets and plugs for all external connections.

awemawson:
This control box for the shutter automation has taken far too long for such a simple device, and it's driven me up the wall!

The real problem is I've been too ambitious getting it into a small box, with the result that virtually none of the switch or relay contact screws are accessible with the components in the box. This means that wiring has had to be done as a 3D jumble on the bench, and the bits then returned to the box - this necessitates wires that are long enough to manoeuvre the items as they are re-fitted. Not too bad if the circuit was finalised and I only had to do it once, but that wasn't the case !

However, a mile stone today, all is assembled in the box, and now the box has plugs and sockets for all it's external connections so fitting to the generator 'should' be trivial (famous last words!)

I was extremely fortunate that the holes that I'd bored for cable glands exactly matched the sockets that I then decided to use, so that was a bonus.

I've made up cable forms to run to the thermostat and limit switches and hope tomorrow to get it actually in operation.

(Attached is the final version of the circuit)

awemawson:
So as I'd hoped, I managed to fit the control box this morning. I need to finalise the cable runs, and also where I source the 24 volts from. Ideally it would be via the key switch on the Deep Sea 3110 control panel, but that doesn't have the current capacity.

Anyway it's is at last fundamentally working as intened - just awaiting titivation.

awemawson:
So now I need to sort out how to get fuel into the tank. There is a filler but it's rather high up to pour into.

Originally there was a semi-rotary hand pump fixed to the tank support framework, but it's 'gone missing' over time. Mounting holes measured at five inches spacing but I couldn't for the life of me find one that size either new or used.

Several of varying sizes appeared on ebay while I was looking and eventually I bought the nearest to five inches that I could (measuring and scaling pictures!) for the princely sum of £12. This turned out (I think!) to be a bargain - it's mounting holes are 5 1/2" apart but looking at the pipe mounts they have original over spray paint, and there is still a membrane across the opening, so I presume that it must be 'new old stock'

I'd intended to CNC plasma cut a new mounting plate, but removing the old one for measurement realised that it could be adapted if I could manage to mount a 'false centre' in the old spigot hole and bore it out larger and offset 1/4" .To this end I bolted a strip of steel across the old hole, drilled a centre in the new location and cut it out with a hole saw - all went well with no dramas :thumbup:

I still need to make a wooden handle for it and sort out it's plumbing - input and output are both 1" BSP, the tank input orifice is 1/2" BSP, and I think I'll put a ball valve below the pump to try and minimise drips after use - but that's for another day - at least the pump is now off my bench :thumbup:

mattinker:
Andrew,
Coming along nicely, looking forward to seeing all this in person!

Matthew

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