tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post7049398448521740943..comments2024-02-26T18:53:40.799-05:00Comments on Adventures of Tanglewood: Alternator Reconfiguration for Improved PowerPeter Haydenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586816406202219798noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-51904679511953097002021-04-04T13:11:16.131-04:002021-04-04T13:11:16.131-04:00Thank you Peter, that's encouraging. My circum...Thank you Peter, that's encouraging. My circumstances mirror yours... 2 alternators, 1 engine, 1 battery bank. My combination of alternators will be overkill for my boat, but I'm considering adding a 12 volt gyro that pulls about 80 amps during the initial start up, for about 50 minutes. I'm thinking that might be a bit tough on a single 120 amp alternator, but a walk in the park for Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381033026267938960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-23347030019001540372021-04-03T21:10:17.797-04:002021-04-03T21:10:17.797-04:00Hi Colin,
Yes, the approached worked as expected,...Hi Colin,<br /><br />Yes, the approached worked as expected, and I have done the same thing on the boat we are commissioning now. That said, you should keep a few things in mind if you take such an approach.<br /><br />First is that most regulators assume they are only controlling a single alternator, so only have a temp sensor for one alternator. If you are controlling two alternators you will Peter Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586816406202219798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-5911077675515609032021-04-03T16:50:54.894-04:002021-04-03T16:50:54.894-04:00Peter, I wonder if I could ask you to post a quick...Peter, I wonder if I could ask you to post a quick follow up on your 2 alternator, 1 regulator installation, 5 years later. Is everything still working as planned? It seems like a fantastic idea.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Colin (colinnhunt@gmail.com)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381033026267938960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-64289562823424040382016-11-24T05:08:49.162-05:002016-11-24T05:08:49.162-05:00Great post Peter! Like the single regulator appro...Great post Peter! Like the single regulator approach and start battery charger which seem to be slight improvements over Dirona's approach. I plan to copy your design using two 220 amp alternators for maybe 10kw. Heck we might be able to wash, dry and make water while underway, all off the main. <br />Alex, mvWildBlue.comAlex Benson, Wild Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12040944135950563736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-62921044301369479072016-11-08T15:06:16.873-05:002016-11-08T15:06:16.873-05:00I should add that if Balmar had not suggested this...I should add that if Balmar had not suggested this as an option, it never would have occurred to me to do it. Peter Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586816406202219798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-30661711518489272072016-11-08T15:04:22.053-05:002016-11-08T15:04:22.053-05:00Jim, I honestly don't know the answer, despite...Jim, I honestly don't know the answer, despite a degree in electrical engineering. I believe is all comes down to field controlled alternators and how they work, and I expect they act more like current sources rather than voltage sources. More field voltage begets more output current. This makes sense when you think about a single alternator with external regulator. The load (in this Peter Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586816406202219798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-90768630674723701032016-11-08T14:23:53.196-05:002016-11-08T14:23:53.196-05:00I am very interested to hear that the two alternat...I am very interested to hear that the two alternator outputs when connected in parallel and pushing current into a common load are behaving just as you wanted. But I am more interested in understanding how this came to happen.<br /><br />Let's look at a simple analogy. We have two alternators, A1 and A2. They each make exactly 10.000-Volts at their output. We connect them, one at a time, to ajimh@continuouswave.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14379953118884601968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-89063173298789469842016-11-08T00:04:41.885-05:002016-11-08T00:04:41.885-05:00Peter,
Excellent research and explanation. You ma...Peter,<br />Excellent research and explanation. You make a complex subject very reasonable and realistic. I will definitely keep this for my project list.<br />Thanks, Bobbobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11667591957821880215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-45884220416757817622016-11-07T11:51:22.611-05:002016-11-07T11:51:22.611-05:00It was actually Balmar who recommended the approac...It was actually Balmar who recommended the approach I took, so I know they are good with it. And the "proportionality" works exactly as you describe. I should have explained it better. Each puts out according to its rated capacity. In my case the alternators capacities are about 1/3 and 2/3 of the total capacity. When I tested, I measured current from each alternator at different Peter Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586816406202219798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086978695636448584.post-3423274610411950392016-11-07T10:12:27.182-05:002016-11-07T10:12:27.182-05:00I am generally leery of combining two sources of v...I am generally leery of combining two sources of voltage and current in parallel to supply a common load, and particularly so when the two sources are not identical. DId BALMAR have any reservations about your plan to connect the two alternators in parallel? <br /><br />Have you made any measurements of how the current is distributed when charging? For example, if your HOUSE battery is being jimh@continuouswave.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14379953118884601968noreply@blogger.com