RE: (ET) Elec-trak Gone

["Markus Lorch" <mlorch vt edu>]

Hey guys,

the electrac charger won't run on 230V 50Hz for the two reasons noted
by others. 
(1) it can't handle more than twice of its design voltage.
(2) because of the ferroresonance properties for output voltage control it
is tightly coupled to the 60Hz frequency. 

Harold has confirmed that there exist different capacitors for 50Hz 
and he has some but I forgot to order them in time. My family is in
the electric power business so I think I will manage to get some in
Germany. Plus I got a 1500w step-down transformer a while ago over 
ebay.

BUT, I don't intent to use the built in charger much anyhow, plus in one
of my two E20s the diodes are bad I think. I sold my Soneil chargers
to a fellow on the list and bought me the 220V/international version of
the 1212 chargers (3). I intent to use those :)

Thanks for all the messages and well-journey wishes, I'll let you 
guys know when we and the stuff get to Germany.

Markus  
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pieter [mailto:pvcl plitch com] 
> Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 8:25 AM
> To: Markus Lorch; elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
> Subject: Re: (ET) Elec-trak Gone
> 
> 
> Hey here's a dumb question - I'm guessing that the ET charger 
> wasn't made 
> "universal" and won't run on 120 or 240 50 VAC 50hz house 
> current elsewhere 
> in the world?  Can anyone confirm that.  If so, I guess you 
> can always find 
> a German golf cart charger....
> 
> At 02:03 PM 5/7/2005, Markus Lorch wrote:
> >Hi Guys,
> >
> >well its time for me to leave our current home in Virgina and
> >move "back home" to Germany. For the last two days we had the
> >mover's in the house helping with packing and loading. The
> >last things to load were my two E20s with attachments and
> >wagon as well as the chipper that I wanted to convert to
> >electric but never got to.
> >I had charged the batteries up all the way, then sealed the
> >battery vents with hot glue - (just in case, don't want to
> >have any acid spills) and eventually drove them right in the
> >40ft container. My yard equipment and the BBQ took about
> >15ft of the container. Initially we didn't think we will be
> >even close to fill that HUGE container but in the end we had
> >to get creative to get it all in.
> >For a while it was up in the air if I could take the flooded
> >batteries or not but the transport company had found out that
> >you are allowed to, just the negative battery terminal has to
> >be disconnected.
> >So now the tractors will be rocked accross the big pond. The
> >full journey will take about 30 days. The ship will only take
> >about 14 days from Norfolk, VA to Bremerhaven, Germany. With
> >a bit of luck I will be mowing grass in Germany by mid June.
> >
> >Well, just felt like sharing the story. The movers were pretty
> >impressed by the tractors going up the steep ramp without a
> >fuzz, I just had to take the tiller off and lift the tiller bar
> >up to its highest position. I had to get more clearance to enter
> >the ramp. They had to help me with the second tractor as it had
> >to go in backwards I didn't have enough weight on the rear wheels
> >to provide for the necessary traction.
> >Oh, one funny part. When the tiller bar initially left me
> >high-centered trying to enter the ramp the two big guys thought
> >they could just lift me a few inches until I had passed the dead
> >spot. I told them that I thought it would be a bit much but they
> >had to try ... well to no surprise they weren't able to get it off
> >the ground.
> >
> >So much from Virginia, next mails will be from Germany
> >
> >Markus
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> 
>