teotwaki
Excelsior!
I ran a very quick test tonight and...
<Spoiler Alert> ---- a high end generator's (Yamaha EV1000) 12 volt output is a last resort as a battery charger.
What I did was pull out a digital multimeter and two wire-wound 250 watt 1% resistors. One was 2.67 ohms and the other was 0.5 ohms.
Generator's DC output voltages measured with the "Smart Throttle" switch to OFF:
Open circuit 29 volts DC and 6 volts in the DMM's AC mode, basically ripple voltage
0.5 ohm resistor load measured 5 VDC and noticeably loaded down the generator, probably about 10 Amps DC
2.67 ohm resistor load measured 13.3 VDC and roughly 3 v in the DMM's AC mode, probably about 5 Amps DC
I'd be willing to bet that a similar Honda high end generator is just as poor. Tomorrow I'll check my 3kW Yamaha generator's DC output but I'll bet that the output is similarly as wildly unregulated as my little 1 kW Yamaha
Conclusion: If you ever has to use a generator to charge a battery, monitor the battery closely for voltage and also if possible, temperature.
<Spoiler Alert> ---- a high end generator's (Yamaha EV1000) 12 volt output is a last resort as a battery charger.
What I did was pull out a digital multimeter and two wire-wound 250 watt 1% resistors. One was 2.67 ohms and the other was 0.5 ohms.
Generator's DC output voltages measured with the "Smart Throttle" switch to OFF:
Open circuit 29 volts DC and 6 volts in the DMM's AC mode, basically ripple voltage
0.5 ohm resistor load measured 5 VDC and noticeably loaded down the generator, probably about 10 Amps DC
2.67 ohm resistor load measured 13.3 VDC and roughly 3 v in the DMM's AC mode, probably about 5 Amps DC
I'd be willing to bet that a similar Honda high end generator is just as poor. Tomorrow I'll check my 3kW Yamaha generator's DC output but I'll bet that the output is similarly as wildly unregulated as my little 1 kW Yamaha
Conclusion: If you ever has to use a generator to charge a battery, monitor the battery closely for voltage and also if possible, temperature.