Automatic Voltage Regulator SR7-2G 064-86500 Compatible with AVR SR7 Mecc Alte Generator

My genny was producing wandering voltages, flickering lights, and would push about 260v under a light load. These are all classic symptoms of a failing regulator. So I found this unit and ordered it. Note: this is a knock-off of the original Italian design. It is NOT a genuine factory regulator. Do you care? I sure dont, considering its $230 cheaper than one from Italy… assuming you can even find one! :)The first regulator arrived damaged right out of the box. The copper on the inductor had been rubbing on the box and had worn completely thru. Kinda freaky, but hey, strange things happens. But the return process was quick and painless. The return and the replacement unit even crossed in the mail.The replacement arrived a week later and was in good condition. I installed it on an 1800 rpm liquid cooled Perkins 2.214L with a 20kw Mecce Alt 120/240v single phase head made in 2012. Simple installation: two screws and a few wires. Easy stuff. If you take a picture before you begin, its almost impossible to screw this up.I double-checked everything, cranked up the genny, and got 248 volts right out of the box. The scope showed a good, clean sine wave without a hint of instability and little distortion. Honestly, I could have just buttoned it up and run it like this without a second thought, but I figured I’d tweak it to “perfection”. Adjusting the VOLT potentiometer got it stable at 240 volts no load, so I put an 18kw load on it to see what happens. At 18kw the voltage was 234V. That is a very low drop. Perfection. The STAB adjustment was dead-on out of the box and I really couldnt improve on it, so kudos to the test guys at the factory. The FREQ (aka HZ) trimmer comes “full-on” from the factory so adjustment here is optional. (In a pinch, just turn it fully clockwise and let the main breaker deal with any overload). If these adjustments are scaring you, understand this VR comes with simple instructions that require only a voltmeter and screwdriver.TL:dr: This is a really decent regulator at 1/4th the cost of a genuine part from Italy. Happy camper here, and I’m ready for the next hurricane.