Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 10:14:25 -0700
Reply-To: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Subject: Re: Big Alternators - take 2
In-Reply-To: <B8DD8FDC.1D68%albell@uvic.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
The dual alternators that I have seen in Germany (have one set of brackets
here and a complete setup sitting in Germany at this moment - both from a
TD) have an external regulator. It is really kind of neat too - in stead of
a radio existing in the DIN opening in the dash there is a knob and a set of
LEDs. These LEDs show the voltage of the system and the knob is used to
turn it up or down to compensate for the electrical load of the system. The
dual alternator set-ups that I have are from Syncro T3s that were used by
the German Army for radio communications. The alternators are 65A each and
are just paralleled together. I think the key is to have external
regulation to ensure that both are putting out the same voltage and not
fighting against each other. A F@rd external voltage regulator will do the
trick - there is a web site out there with a person doing this mod (single
alt) in a Volvo with a Bosch Alternator.
David Marshall
Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
4356 Quesnel Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada V2J 6Z3
http://www.fastforward.ca mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775 FAX: (250) 992 1160
- Vanagon Accessories and Engine Conversions
- Vanagon, Transporter and Iltis Sales and Importation
- European Lighting for most Volkswagen models
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Alistair Bell
Sent: April 13, 2002 7:34 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Big Alternators - take 2
slipped on the keyboard - sent partial message!
What I meant to say in the garbled message was that the work done will be
the same whether you use on or two alternators.
Maybe David means that if your van's electrical system is drawing close to
110 amps then splitting the job between two (close to 55 amps each) is less
"stressful" on each alternator.
I can see an advantage to having 2 alternators (do they have to be matched?
I don't think so) where one is dedicated to the house battery and the other
to the starting battery. That way the charging/output characteristics of
each alternator can be matched to the battery served.
Mind you, you can get a honking big (externally regulated too) alternator
that would supply all the electrons a vanagon owner could possibly need
(mmm, I sound a bit like B. Gates musing over the need for more than 604kb
of RAM), and they look like they are not much bigger than a 90A unit. Then
you won't have the problem of mounting 2 alternators (maybe easy, maybe
not).
Alistair
--
'82 Westy -> diesel converted to gas in '94
albell@uvic.ca
http://homepage.mac.com/alistairbell/home/
on 13/04/2002 7:07 AM, Alistair Bell at albell@uvic.ca wrote:
> have to be picky on this...work involved is same wheher one or two
> alternators (110V*14V
>
>
> on 12/04/2002 9:34 PM, David Marshall at vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG wrote:
>
>> The ultimate is to use two alternators - there are factory brackets for
this
>> and it is healthier for each alternator as they will be producing less
>> current and not working as hard to achieve 110A
>>
>> David Marshall
>
