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AlaskaAviator 
Newbie 
Joined: 25 Jul 2019 Location: N.M. Online Status: Offline Posts: 14 |
 Topic: Micro-Air easy startPosted: 13 Sep 2019 at 10:47am |
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Installed a Micro air easy start on my AC unit yesterday. 2200 Honda starts it right up now. 195 model.
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Olddawgsrule
Senior Member 
Joined: 20 Sep 2017 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 1014 |
Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 12:52pm |
It should if done right and happy to hear it works for you. All they are is a capacitor bank allows the current to get stored first, then releasing to remove the surge from you generator. |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 2:38pm |
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Correction: A Micro-Air Easy Start is more than "a capacitor bank." From the Micro-Air site: "EasyStart™ - The most advanced & effective soft starter for all A/C applications EasyStart™ is a one-of-a-kind, custom-developed soft starter for single-phase motors. It employs a 4-part start ramp sequence that is self-optimizing, resulting in the lowest possible start-up current. EasyStart can deliver 65-75% start current reduction as compared to a compressor's LRA (locked-rotor amperage). EasyStart is the perfect solution that allows an air conditioner or refrigeration compressor to operate on a generator, inverter, or limited utility power when it would otherwise not have functioned. It can also be applied to air compressor and fluid pump motors" So, it is a soft starter, which is a far cry from a hard start capacitor. It has a learning capability to recognize the power source and adapt the start sequence. The Relearning EasyStart-364 instructions have a good picture of at least part of the inside of the unit. While there is a capacitor in there, there is also a circuit board to control the soft-start process. See also the FAQ on the MicroAir site.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 3:10pm |
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+1. The Easy Start also monitors the voltage to the compressor while running and shuts it down if the voltage sags too low (either because the genny is overloaded or there is a sag in grid line voltage) . It will attempt a restart after 5 minutes. So, its doing a lot of fairly complex tasks.
OTOH, it is switching in start capacitors (I think in several stages) in order to achieve as soft a start as possible. So, in a way, both of you are right.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Olddawgsrule
Senior Member
Joined: 20 Sep 2017 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 1014 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 4:47pm |
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Okay guys, the hype is obvious. Marketing is very good and product is selling.
Enough said.. |
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Olddawgsrule
Senior Member
Joined: 20 Sep 2017 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 1014 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 4:54pm |
You're on the right path.. It's all abut the right capacitors. The rest is marketing.. Going back to being silent.. |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 6:27pm |
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If the capacitor(s) is/are storing charge, they would only be useful for 1/2 of a 60 Hz cycle, or a little over 8 milliseconds. That is probably not how the easy start works.
OTOH, the right capacitor would delay the voltage curve relative to current curve (making an inductive load more resistive, or less reactive if you prefer). This would have the effect of making the voltage and current more in-phase with each other and thusly increasing the actual power to the compressor motor (which is a mostly inductive load). I don't know which; someone with an easy start might be able to tell if it's more than just a capacitor in there.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 9:09pm |
The picture to which I referred in my post shows that there is a large capacitor and below that, a circuit board. How it works, I don't know. While it does decrease the starting surge current needed to start the compressor, it will not allow the AC to run if the generator is overloaded. IOW, I can run the AC and the converter IF the batteries are charged and all that is needed is a float current. I can't run any of the other high-power-draw items at the same time either. My iX2000 will run the AC, and it does not bog down like it did before I installed the EasyStart. It does throttle up, but more gently than before. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I will say that the Micro-Air EasyStart is much more than marketing hype. The other alternative would have been to ditch the iX2000 and go for a Predator 3500 or equivalent.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 15 Sep 2019 at 3:55am |
If you can accomplish what MicroAir has done with just a start cap you should mount that in a black box and go into business (adding some marketing hype of your own of course.  )I didn't want to spend $300 hard earned dollars on what $10 worth of caps could do either, but in the research I did I didn't find any other product or DIY option that would consistently and reliably allow a 2kW genny to start a 13.5 kbtu/h a/c. And I didn't want to fool around on the roof of my trailer doing a bunch of trials in hopes of maybe finding a cheaper solution.The EasyStart does the startup job very well, plus a couple of other useful functions. Is it worth the $300? Sure, for those who need it. Its priced based on the functions it performs, not on the cost of its components. It addresses a small market segment which hasn't yet attracted cheap asian competition. I'm sure that will change given time. Of course, it doesn't create energy, so it won't allow you to run a 3kW load on a 2KW generator. You have to leave pretty much all your other AC loads off while the a/c is on. Overall, I would recommend the product, if you expect to boondock in places where you need a/c, don't want to lug a large generator, and (importantly) are allowed to run a genny during the hours you are trying to stay cool. This last one was the gotcha for me, the warm country campgrounds we go to all have quiet hours rules, so I've made only limited use of the genny running the a/c. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
Posted: 15 Sep 2019 at 6:10pm |
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In my case, we tend to stop at free places (e.g. Walmart parking lots) while we are traveling between destinations. Since there are no hook-ups available, I have used the generator to cool off when the weather was just too hot to do without AC. Some of the parks we have stayed at also have the restriction on what hours a generator may be operated. It is quite annoying when someone is operating a non-inverter generator outside those hours. Restrictions don't apply when at a truck stop or Walmart though. Still, my Generac iX2000 is a lot quieter than some of the generators I have heard.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Micro-Air easy start