Converting 110 V DC to 240 V AC ????
I am considering all ways of re-doing the electrics on our Bursens organ. We have a generator producing 240V ac but we also power the organ from the steam engine producing around 110 DC. We convert the 240 to 110 for most of the lights and the motor that drives the bellows and keyframe. The 110 motor is 2/3 the size of a 25 ltr drum, produces less than 1 HP and weighs a lot, so I am looking for an alternative. 240 V ac are easier to find and we can reverse a 110V transformer to get 240 but how do we simply change DC to AC. Oh the other thing we need to take into account is that when I am not concentrating on keeping the steam up the volts go down, the speed slows and the organ sounds horrible. All ideas welcome, who said hand turn !. Thanks Nick.

Hello Nick, I think it's all possible, but with a lot of engineering. In my opinion, the easiest way of doing it is to install a 24 volt DC motor, wich runs of two large batteries. They will act like a buffer. This ensures your organ running on a constant speed, whatever the traction engine is doing. You can use the steamengine or the generator to charge your batteries. It's also easy to regulate your speed with a DC motor. If you want more information, I'm willing to ask a friend of mine whom is showman and an expert in electrics. With kind regards, Wilem Kelders

Hello Nick, I have seen a similar setup to Willem's suggestion, on Ken Frost's Carl Frei 'De Ochre', it had a battery system when it was imported into the UK. It seemed to power up from the keyframe, so it only used current when a book was playing because as soon as the book finished, everything shut off except the display lights. Personally I'd have thought the power drain when starting a motor to drive the keyframe & feeders would have drained the batteries in no time at all. However if you are charging from an engine/generator that would not be so much of a problem. With all the rules & regulations these days I would say a lower voltage would be safer in the long run anyway. Regards Robert Washington :org:

Thankyou Willem and Robert I had not considered doing that but I can see it has much merit and should be investigated further. If your showman friend has any tips Willem it would be appreciated.