# Honda Parallel Cables Homemade



## emaggio

Can anyone help me find a recent thread that illustrated store bought parts to make parallel cables to run two Honda 2000i generators? Can't seem to find it.

Thanks,

emaggio


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## skippershe

emaggio said:


> Can anyone help me find a recent thread that illustrated store bought parts to make parallel cables to run two Honda 2000i generators? Can't seem to find it.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> emaggio


Is this it??

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...c=2454&st=0

Dawn


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## hurricaneplumber

Honda Cables info


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## kjdj

Here is the post LINKY

Here is a cut and paste from the above post. j1mfrog summed it all up. To save your search time.

He writes,
Sorry the pictures below are so small, I don't know how to make them show up big. They are in my Gallery where you can see them larger.

Well after being told that the two outputs were simply wired in parallel, I finally figured that I needed to do a little research on my own. You see Iâ€™ve read a lot about the Honda generators and paralleling and inverter technology on this forum and maybe some others as well whistling.gif but I never seemed to get the whole picture. Some of it was just wrong; I had read previously that the two outputs were different. Looking back; I donâ€™t know why I would have taken that at face value, it doesnâ€™t make sense. unsure.gif

So I went to the ownerâ€™s manual and got the whole picture, and here it is.

IPB Image

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/uploads/1..._1108151369.jpg

This is the wiring diagram for a Honda EU200i taken from the ownerâ€™s manual, which I downloaded from the Honda site. From this wiring diagram, a person with a working knowledge of electricity can make some important conclusions.

1. The Banana jack output and the standard three-prong outlet are wired in parallel, just as Kevin stated above. Thanks for that simple eye-opening piece of information Kevin.







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2. The Banana jack output is not protected by a circuit breaker. This is important and leads me to a discussion of the safety of the various methods of paralleling these units.







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First I would like to dispel a myth, which I myself am guilty of spreading shy . The myth is that you have to parallel through the banana jack outlets. Some have said that Honda has an auto-synchronization circuit that is only connected through the banana jacks. This is untrue. It is true that the inverter technology utilized by Honda allows this auto-synchronization, but the wiring diagram clearly shows that the two outputs are electrically the same point, so you can parallel with either output.

Now letâ€™s talk safety. ph34r.gif I see four basic methods to parallel. Iâ€™ll list them then talk pros and cons of each. Please feel free to correct me where Iâ€™m wrong or clarify where Iâ€™m vague.

1. Honda factory made parallel kit.
2. Three-prong method.
3. Big Sky method
4. Mayberrys/Wise sales method (Honda authorized parallel kit)

1. Honda Parallel Cables (See parts catalog below): The Honda parallel kit is a bit of a mystery to me, I donâ€™t see the advantage, and maybe someone can clear this up for me. It parallels the two generators but the paralleled output still has to come through 16.7 amp receptacles. What do you gain? You donâ€™t have a built in 30 amp breaker on the generator. This method is safe but you donâ€™t really gain anything from your effort. This statement is copied from the Honda parts catalog: â€œParallel Cables: (EU1/EU2 only) links 2 EU1000is or 2 EU2000is â€" Includes ground wire connection. Note: Output is limited by the capacity of the receptacles.â€

Pro: Safe
Con: waste of time and effort.

2. Three prong method: This method is safe to a degree. Basically what you would do is take three feet or so of heavy-duty extension cord with male ends on them, run them to a box where you would splice them and connect them to a thirty amp female receptacle.

Pro: Breaker protected
Con #1: If one three-prong lead becomes unplugged with the other generator running, youâ€™ve got a hot plug lying on the ground. It is circuit breaker protected, but still hot.

Con#2: On a heavy draw, if one circuit blows, the other would probably follow immediately. This is not that big of a deal, but Iâ€™d rather run my power through one circuit than two. Personal preference.

3. The Big Sky Method: Parallels two generators though the banana jack outputs directly to a thirty amp female receptacle.

Pro: Cheap

Con #1: If one of the banana jacks comes out, the other is hot as described above for the three-prong circuits. The risk is higher in one aspect; no circuit breaker protection, but lower in another; the banana jacks used have a built in jacket. (Actually Iâ€™m not sure Big Sky uses these, but they should.)

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Con #2: The Big Sky Parallel kit does not have a built in circuit breaker. That would not be a big deal if what they told Jared was true, but it is not.

â€œThe answer from big sky: We do not add a breaker because the units have internal breakers that work well. Can I build one? Sure, we don't really do anything special, just ensure that you use the parallel plugs not the standard 120 outlets because you will not draw a full 30 amps, those plugs are limited to 16.7 amps even when synchronized.
That is why their kit is $90 instead of 200+ (when you buy with the generator).â€

Look at the wiring diagram; you wonâ€™t see a circuit breaker on the banana jack output. So what? Well, what that means it that the first protection afforded is at the main circuit breaker on the distribution panel in your camper. If you have a fault between the generators and your camper panel, there is an increased risk of fire, electrical shock, and burning up your $1000 generators. I was previously leaning towards this method. Now I believe that it is too unsafe. I will not risk it.

4. The Mayberrys/Wise Sales method, AKA the Honda authorized method: (see parts catalog below). This method takes the output from the banana jacks, parallels the two, runs them through a thirty-amp circuit breaker, then to a thirty amp female receptacle.

Pro: Negates con #2 of the Big Sky method with the use of a circuit breaker. Puts the protection at the generators (the source). Pro #2 is that this is a Honda factory authorized part.

Con #1: Same as Big Sky Con #1. If one of the banana jacks comes out, the other is hot as described above for the three-prong circuits. The risk is higher in one aspect; no circuit breaker protection (the circuit breaker is after the splice), but lower in another; the banana jacks used have a built in jacket.

Con #2: Expensive. Probably overpriced in my book. I believe they can get away with this because this part is actually listed in the Honda parts catalog even though Honda does not manufacture it. This setup could probably be built by many of us. But if you buy the one endorsed by Honda, thatâ€™s got to give you a warm fuzzy.

Iâ€™ve said a lot. I really donâ€™t believe too many people are still reading this except for those who are about to make a purchase or who have done this research already.

Feel free to correct me where Iâ€™m wrong.

Hereâ€™s a page from the parts catalog.

IPB Image

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/uploads/1..._1108357001.jpg


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## redmonaz

After reading this I have a question about my $250 Kipor 1kW. Can I use 2 three prong plugs and a junction box to link 2 of these to get 2kW? I know this wouldn't run the AC, but maybe the microwave etc.
Thanks,
Don


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## SmkSignals

emaggio said:


> Can anyone help me find a recent thread that illustrated store bought parts to make parallel cables to run two Honda 2000i generators? Can't seem to find it.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> emaggio


I went ahead and bought the Honda Certified Parallel Power Kit @ Camping World. It has a factory Honda parts sticker on it.

Here is the link - Parallel Kit

After spending almost 2 grand on gen's, I wasn't gonna go cheap _and possibly dangerous _on a homemade parallel kit.


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## skippershe

SmkSignals said:


> Can anyone help me find a recent thread that illustrated store bought parts to make parallel cables to run two Honda 2000i generators? Can't seem to find it.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> emaggio


I went ahead and bought the Honda Certified Parallel Power Kit @ Camping World. It has a factory Honda parts sticker on it.

Here is the link - Parallel Kit

After spending almost 2 grand on gen's, I wasn't gonna go cheap _and possibly dangerous _on a homemade parallel kit.
[/quote]
Good thinking Kurt


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## Sluggo54

redmonaz said:


> After reading this I have a question about my $250 Kipor 1kW. Can I use 2 three prong plugs and a junction box to link 2 of these to get 2kW? I know this wouldn't run the AC, but maybe the microwave etc.
> Thanks,
> Don


Nope. The outputs from the two gennies won't be synchronized. That could/would cause some very interesting patterns on an oscilloscope, but you wouldn't want to feed it to your electrical stuff.


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## redmonaz

Sluggo54 said:


> Nope. The outputs from the two gennies won't be synchronized. That could/would cause some very interesting patterns on an oscilloscope, but you wouldn't want to feed it to your electrical stuff.


After I thought about it a few minutes I figured that would probably be the outcome.


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