Jim Caudill
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2002
- Location
- Dayton, Oh
During this past week, most of my family members were without power (brother is still out). I have a couple of generators that were pressed into service. I used the one in the RV (Onan Microlite) with an extension cord to help out the brother. A smaller "carry around" is a Coleman Powermate Pulse 1850. This generator will put out 125vac @60hz while driving a 3.5amp Milwaukee drill. When I try to drive a 7amp SHop-Vac, the voltage falls off to around 93vac. The hz remains constant at 60, so the rpm is not the issue. The throttle just barely has to open to keep the rpm up, so it is not hp limited. I even ran a much bigger shop vac that pulls 11amps, with the same indicated voltage drop.
Coleman says they sold off the Powermate line over 10 years ago to "Powermate Inc." and that Powermate is in Bankruptcy. Visits to www.Powermate.com has lots of hyperlinks for manuals, parts, and pricing that are no longer functional.
My armchair analysis leads me to believe I have a defective voltage regulator, although I don't know for sure the generator even has one or what it looks like. Assuming it has one, are these things somewhat generic? Can I go to my friendly generator repair shop and ask for a "voltage regulator" for my 120v 15amp generator? Are voltage regulators adjustable? (thinking of the old voltage regulators from the 50's cars). Seems like the old car VR's had a bat, field, & current terminals or some such. Maybe today they are just some little solid-state block with 3 terminals or somesuch.
Thanks in advance. Hoping someone is here that has an intimate understanding of these little generators.
Coleman says they sold off the Powermate line over 10 years ago to "Powermate Inc." and that Powermate is in Bankruptcy. Visits to www.Powermate.com has lots of hyperlinks for manuals, parts, and pricing that are no longer functional.
My armchair analysis leads me to believe I have a defective voltage regulator, although I don't know for sure the generator even has one or what it looks like. Assuming it has one, are these things somewhat generic? Can I go to my friendly generator repair shop and ask for a "voltage regulator" for my 120v 15amp generator? Are voltage regulators adjustable? (thinking of the old voltage regulators from the 50's cars). Seems like the old car VR's had a bat, field, & current terminals or some such. Maybe today they are just some little solid-state block with 3 terminals or somesuch.
Thanks in advance. Hoping someone is here that has an intimate understanding of these little generators.