Alternator Wiring - unknown wire

[darbon]

Hi

 

I've finally got my BMC working, but i have a problem with the alternator wiring.

 

The terminals are 2x B+ and 1x D+. These i know what to do with. However the alternator has another wire protruding out which comes from the inside. As it has no visible terminal i'm unsure what it is, it looks like its possibly a modification.

 

My guesses are that it could be either: Battery Sensor Regulator wire or an Aux wire for a relay setup.

 

I'm not bothered if it's an Aux wire, as i only have one battery (starter) connected.

 

How can i tell if it is a battery sensor wire? If it is, and i don't connect it, am i in danger of overcooking my battery?

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

(sorry, can't seem to upload a photo from photobucket for some reason)

[by'eck]

Could be a brush wire mod to allow control via an external regulator. Make sure any contact on the end of this wire is isolated.

[Guest]

Could be a brush wire mod to allow control via an external regulator. Make sure any contact on the end of this wire is isolated.

Quite likely, I used to have a spare alternator that had such a wire for a Sterling alt. controller.

[trackman]

Sounds right to me. I've had two alternators in the past that had external regulators, on different boats. One was a Sterling regulator. The other Beta's own brand. Both needed connections to the innards of the alternator such as you describe.

The Beta version also involved removal of the alternator's original regulator, meaning the latter was u/s when the Beta device failed recently. The Sterling setup left the alternator regulator in place, so that could take over if the add on failed. All that was needed was to disconnect the extra control wire and tape it up safely.

[darbon]

Thanks for replies,

Think I'll just isolate it then. I'm not planning on using any battery charger in the future as this is only a starter battery, just didnt want to overcook it!

 

D