Homemade DC Generator in Action

About five years ago some Amish families began moving to our area of Manitoulin Island, Canada, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know these hardworking neighbours. One day, as I drove up to the home of David and Miriam Kuepfer, I heard a gas engine running. The Amish in our area are not against the use of all electricity, just grid-supplied power. The motor I heard turned out to be a homemade DC generator.  It’s primitive, simple and ugly, but it sure does work. David uses it to charge cordless tool batteries and the automotive-style batteries they use to power the running lights on their horse-drawn buggies. The homemade outfit you can see in the video below is made with a salvaged automotive alternator driven by a small Honda engine with a 1:1 pulley diameter ratio. The internal regulator on the alternator automatically adjusts voltage output so the car battery you see in the footage doesn’t get over charged. Click below to watch this thing doing its job flawlessly. It’s short, but I think you’ll find it interesting.