allbright relay/contactor

[Mr Gray]

Parrelleling alternators, as recommended by the guys on this site, I've bought an Allbright contactor, so trying to keep simple, nice big fat cables from leisure and start batteries connected to the bottom contacts, now, body earthed to negative leisure battery and one of the spade connectors connected to the D on the alternator, I have no movement from the contactor when the engine is running, is it me or is it the contactor?

[BargeeSpud]

If you're anything like me when it comes to jobs like this, it'll be you!

 

I know how frustrating it is when something seemingly straight forward turns out not to be. Still, someone on here will be able to put you right - but not me!

[Mr Gray]

Thanks for that, you sound just like the wife, lol

[smileypete]

Parrelleling alternators, as recommended by the guys on this site, I've bought an Allbright contactor, so trying to keep simple, nice big fat cables from leisure and start batteries connected to the bottom contacts, now, body earthed to negative leisure battery and one of the spade connectors connected to the D on the alternator, I have no movement from the contactor when the engine is running, is it me or is it the contactor?

The alt relies on current through the charge warning light to 'excite' the field winding via the D+ connection and kick in, but if all the current is going though the coil of the Albright instead, this won't happen.

 

So the charge warning light needs a resistor put in parallel across it, a higher wattage bulb across it (8 watt say?), or just swap the charge warning light itself for a higher wattage bulb.

 

EDIT: Just re-read and noticed that you have ONE of the spade contacts on the Albright connected, but BOTH should be connected - one to batt negative and the other to D+

 

So try connecting BOTH spade connections, if it still doesn't work do the charge warning light mod described above. (The Albright isn't like a regular car starting solenoid where I guess the body can serve as the return connection for the coil.)

 

(Side note to experts - There might be another way to fix the D+ issue but I won't suggest it to the OP as I'm not 100% sure it'll work - put a couple of diodes in series with the Albright coil so D+ can rise to 1.2V before the coil starts drawing current. IF this does work 100% it might be more convenient as a bridge rectifier with blade terminals are readily available and it means no changes to the panel wiring)

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited January 4, 2013 by smileypete

[Iain_S]

Parrelleling alternators, as recommended by the guys on this site, I've bought an Allbright contactor, so trying to keep simple, nice big fat cables from leisure and start batteries connected to the bottom contacts, now, body earthed to negative leisure battery and one of the spade connectors connected to the D on the alternator, I have no movement from the contactor when the engine is running, is it me or is it the contactor?

 

Is the other spade connector connected to negative? (Be careful, If I remember right, there are 4 spade connectors on the coil, connected in two pairs, and it is fairly important vital to use one from each side of the coil, and not two from the same side, which results in a short circuit.)

 

Iain

 

crossposted with Smileypete

Edited January 4, 2013 by Iain_S

[BargeeSpud]

Thanks for that, you sound just like the wife, lol

I've heard similar from the missus for so many years, that it's now my default setting I'm afraid, thereby by proving her predictions of my abilities more right than wrong. Life just seems easier if I go along with it.

 

Edited January 4, 2013 by Spuds

[Mr Gray]

Hi, just read some of above, I put a metre over the spaces and they all seemed connected, is continuity bleeper bleeped regardless of which one I touched. So presumed it didn't matter.Wrong again? I haven't touched the "supply" to the D+ Just added the wire from the Albright to the post on the back of the alternator

[WotEver]

... continuity bleeper bleeped regardless of which one I touched...

 

Don't use Continuity, the coil's resistance is low enough to cause it to beep, as you have found. Use the lowest resistance range. You will find two terminals that show a low resistance to the one you have connected, and one terminal that will show a direct short. Connect one of the former to -ve.

 

Tony

[jonathanA]

keep it simple, just touch a battery positive to one of the coil terminals and connect a neg to the other - a loud clunk and the relay is working. now you can mess about with the d+ etc and get it all installed properly knowing that the thing works. I'm not familiar with the all bright unit, but it looks like the 4 spade terminals for the coil are arranged in pairs one above the other. I would sugest you want a +ve to one of the upper pair and a -ve to one of the lower pair.

[Tony Brooks]

 

 

snip

 

(Side note to experts - There might be another way to fix the D+ issue but I won't suggest it to the OP as I'm not 100% sure it'll work - put a couple of diodes in series with the Albright coil so D+ can rise to 1.2V before the coil starts drawing current. IF this does work 100% it might be more convenient as a bridge rectifier with blade terminals are readily available and it means no changes to the panel wiring)

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

 

Again, not for the OP

 

Feed positive from ignition switch aux and "earth" the negative side of the coil to the main starter terminal on the MOTOR side of the solenoid. That way it should drop out during cranking and only energise when the starter is not being used. Unfortunately this way will allow people to flatten all their batteries if they left the ignition on with the engine off.

 

DISCUSS!

[Mr Gray]

Its all getting complicated.... But its not for my ears,so will go simple when we get back as we're away this weekend , also confused over new v/amp Meter where the charge light is lit all the while and why on earth does the water pump keep going off on its own, no drippy taps and can't find a leak anywhere, as you see I'm full of joy and good news.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Mr Gray

[by'eck]

Its all getting complicated.... But its not for my ears,so will go simple when we get back as we're away this weekend , also confused over new v/amp Meter where the charge light is lit all the while and why on earth does the water pump keep going off on its own, no drippy taps and can't find a leak anywhere, as you see I'm full of joy and good news.

 

Sort one problem at a time and don't use phrases like why on earth when talking about boat electrics

 

jonathanA's suggestion for testing the Allbright contactor seems the best starting point.

[Mr Gray]

Ha ha, good point, one thing at a time sounds good.

[Mr Gray]

Right, OK, The allbright contactor works fine, I had a flash from the -ve wire, on 1st attempt, then 2nd attempt, "Click", jobs a good one. all wired up and working, engine fires, and when the alternator picks up, contact is made, when the engine is stopped it drops out. On tick over I have 13.3ish v when the connection is made and both alternators are working together then on tick over I'm getting 14.4. Thing I cant work out is the rev counter has stopped working, but when the engine is stopped the needle shows 500 rpm ! Not the end of the world tho.

[jonathanA]

Right, OK, The allbright contactor works fine, I had a flash from the -ve wire, on 1st attempt, then 2nd attempt, "Click", jobs a good one. all wired up and working, engine fires, and when the alternator picks up, contact is made, when the engine is stopped it drops out. On tick over I have 13.3ish v when the connection is made and both alternators are working together then on tick over I'm getting 14.4. Thing I cant work out is the rev counter has stopped working, but when the engine is stopped the needle shows 500 rpm ! Not the end of the world tho.

 

most likley that you moved the tachometer pickup wire on the alternator and perhpas its now making poor conenction - usually labelled 'w' there will be another thin wire on the alternator that isn't the warning lamp that provides a signal to the rev counter - so check that. the other obvious thing is what happens if you disconnect the D+ feed to the allbright (or the neg either one, just to put things back to how they were...) if the rev counter works fine then you need one of the clever people to help you if no change and its not a lose wire then you probably still need one of the clever ones...

[Mr Gray]

Well I disconnected everything, rev counter still reads 500rpm, start engine rev counter drops to zero. Reconnect everything and leave it. This morning, rev counter reads about 100, start engine, and it reads fine, goes up when I rev up, goes down when I don't. This evening all is back to normal. Perhaps it had the Norovirus? Or was just fed up with me ! Not to worry