[sdiy] OT: Generator?

[J. Larry Hendry]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mitchell Hudson <mitch at sirius.com>
I got in an argument with a guy the other day about
generators. He says that if you are turning the crank
on your generator and there is NO load connected
to it  will get harder to turn when you connect a load
to it.
-----
Of course this is true and would violate the laws of physics
if not true.  If you put more load on a generator without
applying more energy to run turn generator, the generator
will begin to slow down (RPM).  Think of riding a bike along
a level street.  The pedals have a consistent resistance (caused
my many things, mostly friction) and you overcome that by inserting
energy to pedal the bike.  If you come to an up hill climb and
continue to put the same energy into the pedals, your rate (MPH) will
decrease.  To maintain the same speed, you need to put more energy
in.  A generator is simply:
Energy in - less conversion losses = energy out.

Of course, this is a simple analogy of a quite complex topic.  :)
Larry Hendry (done some generator running in my days).