Generator Tests for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCX

Say, Danielle, where's the generator?

When we run across content generated by the "cleanup crew" in an eHow.com niche site, we often wonder just how bad the original had to have been for Leaf Group to pay someone to perform one of those fabulous rewrites. It's especially true of content that might be construed to be somewhat technical but has been sent to, say, a graduate of a small history department for a touchup. Well, that's what happened today, anyway: rewrite specialist Danielle Smyth jumped on a post purporting to explain "How to Test a Tractor Generator," which can be found languishing at HomeSteady.com (a previous version lived at ItStillRuns.com for a while, but it was born at eHow).

The original, written by someone either named "Guide Fisher" or "Nathan Fisher," wasn't worth spit, to be honest: Nate didn't even seem to know the difference between AC and DC generation. But when you get right down to it, Smyth was just as ignorant, if not more so. We were quite amused by her opening "instruction," which told readers how to:

"[Prevent] the machine from sinking into the ground..."

Really? Sinking into the ground? WTF does that even mean?! But Danielle got even more creative when it came time to write the techy bits, sharing this bit of wisdom for all to see: "Place the key back in the ignition of the tractor and turn on the headlights. This will enable some power to flow through the generator so that you can test it." Yes, Danielle did apparently think that turning the headlights on causes "power to flow through the generator." Clearly, this expert does not know what a generator does. She harvested this from an article that said to turn on the headlights while the engine is running, then shut down the engine. If the lights dim, the alternator works. That's because now the lights are running on 12-volt battery power alone instead of the 14 or so volt output of the alternator. Duh.

Danielle also harvested some information about brushes, suggesting that, 

"...it’s possible that the brushes might be too worn to exert adequate pressure... "

...which is a strange interpretation of how brushes work on electrical motors and generators. Then again, eHowians in general seem to have been particularly ignorant of this type of technology...

That being said, little or nothing of what Smyth had to say seems to have been based in any sort of knowledge, just garden-variety avarice. That's a classic reason for receiving a Dumbass of the Day award! While we're at it, Danielle, what voltage should that generator output, anyway?

SI - ELECTRICITY