-=> Jay Emrie said to Greg Mayman
 -=> about "VEHICLE LED'S" on 10-15-03  22:32.....

 JE> {at}TID: PX/Win v3.0pr5 PX96-0466M2
 JE> {at}MSGID: 1:123/140 8a4a921b
 JE> {at}TZUTC: -0400
 GM> -=> Jay Emrie said to William Kitchen
 GM> -=> about "VEHICLE LED'S" on 10-10-03  10:23.....
 
 GM> JE> Further this just verifies my statement that some of the smaller cars
 GM> JE> may not have a beefier enough alternator.
 
 GM>On the contrary, it sounds to me like the alternator is quite up
 GM>to the task.

 JE> Ever see a Honda with a 100 Amp Alternator?  I

Irrelevant. You don't need a 100A alternator to run a car sound
system.

The reason I assumed that the Honda alternator was up to the task
of powering the sound system was because there was no mention of
the system showing any symptoms of reduced supply voltage on the
loud passages.

But I thought it quite ingenious of Honda to automatically open
the throttle a bit when the drag of the alternator increased as
the load came on.

 JE> seriously doubt it.  Normally 40A I believe.  My PU has one. Stands to
 JE> reason that a lesser capable alternator will put out less at the same
 JE> lower RPM that the 100 Amp alternator will.

Nope. "Stands to reason" usually comes before an erroneous
assumption. This case is no exception.

The 40A or 100A rating is the _maximum_ current output rating of
the alternator before it overloads. This is more dependent on the
load than on any other factor.

What VOLTAGE the alternator puts out at any revs should be only
what the regulator allows it to put out. That is the whole
purpose of having a regulator.

The ability of the alternator to hold up the voltage at low
revs is a function of the drop-out speed, which is the point
at which the regulator becomes saturated and is feeding the full
voltage of the alternator to the field.

Below this speed, the regulator cannot increase the magnetic flux
of the field to maintain the output voltage, so the voltage
decreases. This decreases the current in the field, which
decreases the flux which decreases the voltage even further,
until there is no output from the alternator.

This speed is quite unrelated to the maximum current rating of
the alternator.

It is quite likely that the drop-out speed of the 100A alternator
might be intentionally set higher than that of the 40A one, due
to the need for more cooling air flow at the higher current
output.

So the 100A alternator would be "less capable" than the 40A one
at low speeds.

From Greg Mayman, in beautiful Adelaide, South Australia
   "Queen City of The South"    34:55 S  138:36 E

... Some people fall for everything and stand for nothing.
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

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