Tensioning fan/drive belt

[Keeping Up]

 

...

 

4) Diode splitters are the spawn of the devil and should be exorcised from a boat and replaced with a voltage sensitive relay (or twin alternators preferably)

 

...

 

 

On the contrary. Unreliable relays with their moving parts that jam and their contacts that fail, are the spawn of the devil and should always be replaced by nice solid state diode splitters.

[David Schweizer]

Yes but you wouldn't want to replace a 50A alternator with a fancy Iskra 175A one without changing the drive substantially. Surely a 50A car alternator is going to cost less than £150 esp if second hand, or more cheaply to get a regulator that runs at 14.4v or so for an existing alternator. What voltage does an A127 give out?

I will own up. Our boat was uused as the test bed for the prototype Sterling Advanced Alternator Contoller, and Charles Sterling gave it to meafterwards for helping him, so it cost me nothing. The alternator plus the spare only cost £30 each at the time, so changing to a modern car alternator is an uneccessary expense. The voltage output recorded with the higher setting on is 14.8volts

 

On the contrary. Unreliable relays with their moving parts that jam and their contacts that fail, are the spawn of the devil and should always be replaced by nice solid state diode splitters.

As much as it pains me to agree with Nicknorman, I have to say that having burnt out several split diodes, I eventually fitted an Albright Relay, which is a very well built and substantial unit, quite unlike the flimsy Durite and Lucas versions. Since fitting, it has performed without fault.

Edited April 5, 2012 by David Schweizer

[Keeping Up]

As much as it pains me to agree with Nicknorman, I have to say that having burnt out several split diodes, I eventually fitted an Albright Relay, which is a very well built and substantial unit, quite unlike the flimsy Durite and Lucas versions. Since fitting, it has performed without fault.

 

I'll agree that using the right relay will be as reliable as using the right diodes - just as using the wrong diodes will be as unreliable as using the wrong relay.

 

But I'll stay with my diodes thank you.

[nicknorman]

I'll agree that using the right relay will be as reliable as using the right diodes - just as using the wrong diodes will be as unreliable as using the wrong relay.

But diodes inherently drop lots of voltage whereas relays don't, so it's back to a self fulfilling prophesy about needing remote sensing.

 

David, why does it pain you to agree with me?

[Keeping Up]

But diodes inherently drop lots of voltage whereas relays don't, so it's back to a self fulfilling prophesy about needing remote sensing.

 

 

The cheaper relays usually have a noticeable drop across their contacts too.

 

It's not actually a self-fulfilling prophecy. I initially got the controller because I had a strange Motorola alternator which provided only 13.6 volts. The alternator has since been changed but the wiring is still a bit long and thin so it drops some volts and it benefits from a controller, plus I really like the way that the Adverc cycles the volts up and down to get the absolutely maximum amount of charge without excessive gassing, so I'm keeping the setup with the controller and the diodes.

 

The blanket assertion that either method is better than the other for all boats is questionable. There's probably no way we'll ever agree on this, it's like debating whether pumpouts are better than cassettes; we prefer different systems so that's the way they'll stay.

 

 

[nicknorman]

The cheaper relays usually have a noticeable drop across their contacts too.

 

It's not actually a self-fulfilling prophecy. I initially got the controller because I had a strange Motorola alternator which provided only 13.6 volts. The alternator has since been changed but the wiring is still a bit long and thin so it drops some volts and it benefits from a controller, plus I really like the way that the Adverc cycles the volts up and down to get the absolutely maximum amount of charge without excessive gassing, so I'm keeping the setup with the controller and the diodes.

 

The blanket assertion that either method is better than the other for all boats is questionable. There's probably no way we'll ever agree on this, it's like debating whether pumpouts are better than cassettes; we prefer different systems so that's the way they'll stay.

I think you would struggle to find a relay cheap enough to drop 0.7v or so even at very low charge currents (it would have melted first!)

 

Anyway, yes fair enough. I suppose my counter arguments were partly a consequence of the very complicated and scary-to-the-novice advice the OP received early in this thread. I am not suggesting that you should strip out your controller, but equally I don't think it was helpful to the OP to suggest that one should be installed. BTW there is another thread going on at the moment highlighting the problems with controlers!

Edited April 5, 2012 by nicknorman