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Hi folks,
As the government is starting to open the floodgates to get rid of their carbon monster AMMPS MEP's , the ever prevailing question has arisen for the interested buyer of a Military Generator of what the cost of ownership is going to look like.
Well, for those of you who remember the days when the O hundred series where phased out and we where able to get them for a few hundred bucks and had to deal with a simple straightforward electro machinal control system (only pcb was the exciter unit), those days are basically over.
The AMMPS Series are basically fully Solid State Units and their control system has not one Relay (except K1 and Starter Solenoid).
All switching is done through MOSFET or IGBT Semiconductors and which, depending on the DC Current they have to switch, produce heat. Lots of it.
Besides this, if you have ever taken off the top cover of a 1030 or 1040, the radiator is mounted directly behind the control unit which already serves as a big heatsink for the internal IGBT / MOSFETS. To cool everything down, a fan was placed to the side of this cavity to cool down the control unit and radiator at the same time.
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD's) do not like cold temperatures and have a heat resistor installed to warm them up when ambient temperatures fall below 40 F
This produces more heat in the control unit, even in sub zero temperatures.
I described the issue last year with internal corrosion in an another post here under Generators:
Repair of AMMPS 10x0 A1 Control Unit after Water damage - a suggestion for AMMPS Owner's
I understand perfectly, that some forum members are working with a shoestring budget to get and keep their Generators running.
In those instances, I personally would stay with a 002A , 003A or 004A or their 8 Hundred Series Counter Parts.
With current auction prices between 5K to 15K for the AMMPS and the much higher cost of repair / parts, I would suggest to check your bank account before dishing out the money for an AMMPS.
On the same token, do not buy the models which are ending with a 1 (i.e. 1031, 1041 etc)
Those are 400 Hz only and CANNOT BE CONVERTED (that's why they are much cheaper at auction)
The supply of low cost NOS Control Cubicles for the AMMPS is very limited. If you can, buy one or two now.
Sincerely
Peter
As the government is starting to open the floodgates to get rid of their carbon monster AMMPS MEP's , the ever prevailing question has arisen for the interested buyer of a Military Generator of what the cost of ownership is going to look like.
Well, for those of you who remember the days when the O hundred series where phased out and we where able to get them for a few hundred bucks and had to deal with a simple straightforward electro machinal control system (only pcb was the exciter unit), those days are basically over.
The AMMPS Series are basically fully Solid State Units and their control system has not one Relay (except K1 and Starter Solenoid).
All switching is done through MOSFET or IGBT Semiconductors and which, depending on the DC Current they have to switch, produce heat. Lots of it.
Besides this, if you have ever taken off the top cover of a 1030 or 1040, the radiator is mounted directly behind the control unit which already serves as a big heatsink for the internal IGBT / MOSFETS. To cool everything down, a fan was placed to the side of this cavity to cool down the control unit and radiator at the same time.
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD's) do not like cold temperatures and have a heat resistor installed to warm them up when ambient temperatures fall below 40 F
This produces more heat in the control unit, even in sub zero temperatures.
I described the issue last year with internal corrosion in an another post here under Generators:
Repair of AMMPS 10x0 A1 Control Unit after Water damage - a suggestion for AMMPS Owner's
I understand perfectly, that some forum members are working with a shoestring budget to get and keep their Generators running.
In those instances, I personally would stay with a 002A , 003A or 004A or their 8 Hundred Series Counter Parts.
With current auction prices between 5K to 15K for the AMMPS and the much higher cost of repair / parts, I would suggest to check your bank account before dishing out the money for an AMMPS.
On the same token, do not buy the models which are ending with a 1 (i.e. 1031, 1041 etc)
Those are 400 Hz only and CANNOT BE CONVERTED (that's why they are much cheaper at auction)
The supply of low cost NOS Control Cubicles for the AMMPS is very limited. If you can, buy one or two now.
Sincerely
Peter
