Book Reviews

“It would seem prudent to first preface the reviewer (me) as not being an engineer, an electronic guru or anything other than an avid reader of all that is mechanical, electrical and alternative energy.??  Over the years I have collected every book on every facet of power generation, from pre 1900 to present that I can get my greedy little hands on.??  During the last 10 years or so, while designing my off grid dream, such things as induction generators and power factor correction became the central focus.  There was a time about 5 years ago that if you did a Google search on residential power factor correction the first page of Google would have had links to threads posted by R. Gayle (myself).??  This does not show me to be an expert in the field but rather illustrates the voracity of my quests for this information, I knew enough about the issue of power factor correction to ask hard questions, and I found very little information available.  ??Fast forward to Yesterday…02/03/07??I purchased a copy of Bill Roger’s new book “The Home Power Producer’s Guide To Electrical Reality” , I stayed up late last night reading it from cover to cover. I will undoubtedly reread it at least a few dozen more times.??In his book Mr. Rogers addresses not only what power factor is, but how it is corrected, and most importantly why we as power producers darned sure should be concerned with the subject. His explanation of power factor and it correction is clearly written by a man that not only has a clear grasp of the subject but can explain it in print so that the common man can understand the concept.??Mr. Rogers book also addresses ST type generator heads, and their issues, there is also a goldmine of information on induction generators , theory and practical application.??There is no other book on the market today, (either in print or out of print) that deals with these subjects in a manner that is applicable to the home power DIYer. ??I was told that the book was somewhat expensive, and perhaps to some it might seem that until… you read it.??This book is clearly worth every penny to the vast majority of DIY’ers (99.9%)?that last .1% you can’t make happy anyway ??To me this book it worth whatever I would have to pay for it,, (think many times what one would actually pay for it)??This is a two thumbs and big toes up book! This book is exactly what the market has needed for the last 10 to 15 years. Mr. Rogers has clearly?”identified the crisis, and provided a solution”??Great book Bill, I am looking to start collecting your works, can’t wait for the next book.??  -Bob Gayle, Pacific Northwest DIYer, and AE enthusiast

Very nicely crafted. Making the arcane accessible to those of us who haven’t spent much time working on things that go “hum” is a talent. Thank you for sharing yours with us.  ??I recognized the formulas for inductive and capacitive reactance and phase angle from the theory I had to learn for my ham radio ticket years ago, and never thought outside that particular box enough to realize that the same principles that govern oscillators also apply to AC motors and generators.??  This is something everyone who is messing around with generators really NEEDS to understand. Now I have a better handle on the theory and it makes sense.??Thanks again, Bill. I look forward to reading Volume 2.??  -Quinn Farnes, a highly talented DIYer

I just finished making the mods in Bill’s book to convert an induction motor into an efficient induction generator. The motor I used isn’t quite as high end as the one Bill used, but it’s very close. ??I started with the governor on the 6/1 set a bit high, it was belching black smoke after I closed the contactor, but I turned it down to the point where it stopped smoking and just a little bit more, and I read 18.1 amps output. ??I just used Bill’s specs right out of the book for the first test, I haven’t tweaked it yet for optimum output and power factor. I still have some work to do in that area, but I don’t expect any massive gains. I think just using Bill’s specs got it pretty close, even though I’m using a slightly different motor. I’ve got decent output, the motor runs nice and cool, and the engine sounds happy. I don’t think it gets too much better than this.??Nice work, Bill !!! Thanks for the time you put into this.  -Mark Phiber,  DIYer and Slow Speed Enthusiast

I finished Bill’s book yesterday.??http://www.utterpower.com/home_power.htm??It really is an excellent text on home power systems, and I came away with a much better understanding of power systems, and how I can tune my various loads for better efficiency. Reactive power, apparent power are illustrated in a hands-on approach that I found very helpful to a clearer understanding. I think Bill’s pioneering development work on practical, high efficiency induction motor power will be a real boon for grid connected folks, too.??I’m also looking forward to the next volume, Bill.??  I highly recommend this book.??  -Bruce M, DIYer and splow speed EE with plenty of projects underway.