Only 6v from Lucas A127 alternator

[OldGoat]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

"You have a lot to learn, Grasshopper."

 

Nothing to do with boats is EVER that simple!!

 

 

In this case it's not that boats are complicated - it's a matter of adapting a motor vehicle system and parameters for generating electricity but failing to realise that the parameters are different (alternator running at slow speeds on a boat) - and not adjusting it.

[Tony Brooks]

4 hours ago, Motters79 said:

Nope no joke. Untill now I clearly had absolutley no undestanding of the processes involved in getting the alternator to produce a charging current. I assumed you just span it and power came out. I have been educated! Thanks Tony 😁

 

Happy to help. What I described is how nine diode alternators work. Increasingly we are seeing six diode alternators that do not have a D+ terminal but an Ign & WL terminal. The Ign becomes live when the ignition switch is turned on to exite the alternator and electronics inside the alternator open circuit the WL connection when a given output voltage is sensed, so the warning lamp goes out. There are also six diode alternators that do have sufficient residual magnetism in the rotor to start charging, but they are rarer.

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Tony Brooks