It does the exact same thing. Because they used a LED they had to shunt across it with a resistor for the same function. Tom www.towercooler.com
-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of mark drillock Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2010 2:00 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: alternator installation In a Vanagon the dash alt light led current itself does not provide the excitation but there is a 150 ohm resistor in parallel with the alt led that does provide a small initial startup current to trigger the alternator field winding. Mark
Tom Hargrave wrote: > .............. > > But a alternator rotor retains so little magnetism that it usually > takes a small amount of current to start one up. That initial current > is supplied through your GEN dash light. Then, once the alternator > starts up a smaller of two diode bridges inside the alternator > provides current to the regulator. The larger diode bridge provides > current to the car's electrical system. > > BTW, this is why your GEN light stays on when your alternator or > regulator fails. The alternator rotor is no longer receiving excite > current from the regulator and it continues to draw the small amount > of current through your GEN light. But the current is not enough to > drive the alternator to put out any real power. > > |
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