On 3/14/2010 10:32 AM, Jerry Eichenberger wrote:
I'm NOT a fan of alternators' replacing generators.
Many reasons:
1. Coupes don't need that much current, so the idea that an alt. will
produce juice a low rpm means little to me.
Can't argue with that. If you don't care, you don't care.
2. Alts. fail suddenly, generators don't.
Can't agree here. Both can fail suddenly, in fact any other type of
failure is rare in a generator. An alternator can drop a phase or even 2
and still provide some charging capacity. Also, the newer, permanent
magnet alternators do not have an exciter circuit to fail and have
reliable solid state regulators (also available for the Ford alternator
system as well as the generator setups). One plus for alternators: the
charging current is not carried by the brushes.
3. If you drain your battery totally dead, you can't get an alt. to
charge the battery. I know a Coupe is dangerous to prop, but in a
real pinch, out in the boonies, if you have to get it started and have
a gen., the gen. will start recharging the battery as soon as it's
running.
Agreed, but this only applies to planes with a mechanical master switch.
If you have a solenoid you need enough juice to trip the solenoid,
otherwise the battery cannot charge. Also, since the permanent magnet
alternators do not have an exciter circuit, they can charge a dead
battery too.
4. Gens. are far less expensive to overhaul, if your alt. can be
repaired at all.
The cost to overhaul is roughly the same. Alternator parts are
certainly no harder to find than generator parts and cheaper to boot.
Try to find bearings for those Delco generators that do not say "Made in
China" on the box!
--
John Cooper
Skyport East
www.skyportservices.net
