Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Archive through February 9, 2001	2
	Archive through May 4, 2001	2

By Jack Eggers2 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have a Max2 and i was wondering if the charging system on the twin 16hp briggs will be enough to keep up with the two 55w lights on the Max2.I have put a 850cca auto battery on the max2.If not i can install a 65-100 amp alternator if need be.Thanks,Jack

By Eugene Kochnieff on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hi Jack,
Save the extra weight and fit a small 40-55A internally regulated alternator. It will give you at least 400W, more than enough to keep up with lots of lights and top up the battery quickly after winching. (if you have a winch)
Or maybe run 1 or 2 electric trolling motors for water crossing.
Also the smaller alternator will probably only take 1 to 1.2 HP from your engine the larger one will work but i think it is a case of diminishing returns.

By Markski on Unrecorded Date: Edit

It kind of depends Jack. The answer is yes if you're running the engine at full RPM all the time, however that's unlikely in the real world isn't it? You'll probably be draining the battery some, though you do have a large reserve in a battery that size. Also, you probably have a recoil backup starter to use should you need it. Keep in mind when using the larger lights the stock wiring and switch may not be up to continued use, especially as the voltage drops after lengthy periods of having your lights on. By the way, if you do discharge the battery enough that it won't start the engine, you still can start and run the engine with the recoil starter. Just keep in mind that for the charging system to work, and thus,the lights, you need some voltage in the battery for the voltage regulator to work. (usually about 7 volts or so) I find a voltmeter instead of an amp guage tells me more about the overall health of the system and also doesn't require as heavy a guage wire as amp guages do. If you're adding lights in addition to the stock lighting just turn them off when they're not needed and use the stock lighting alone. If you're replacing the stock lights with 55 watt units you might just want to try them before you decide you need the external alternator. Might want to use different (heavier) wiring and a better switch though. Two more things that are really nice to have at night are interior lights that don't shine up in your face and a backup light. Neither needs to be anything very bright, just enough to find where you dropped your beer or something! And when you go to back up you are really blind looking back where there's no light when your eyes aren't used to it.

By David Keeso (Argomag) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hold on, Does an alternator really drain your HP? I didn't know this. Our ARGO had the origional alternator or regulatior- whatever it is, and it was a big box looking thing on the engine just under the air filter. It blew and he got a new one installed. That also didn't work so we thought it was a fuse problem. One of the fuses would melt--yes, melt, the filimemt would literally drip out of the inside of the fuse and it wasn't just once. Then we replaced the alternator or regulator again and since then, no problem. But why would it suck out the HP?

Backup lights would be a very good idea. Even those red tail lights would be a good idea. After the ARGO was rolled and we put the rollbar back on, I was thinking about lights on the rollbar, and as the backup light was brought up, I thought of a light that could pivot on its mount so that when you go to reverse, you turn the light and see everything.

Markski, of course, you wouldn't have open beer in the ARGO would you?? (just joking) But, drinking and driving, even an ARGO can't be a good combination. I don't drink, never have, and not even legal drinking age in Ontario, but driving has enough variables in any vehicle, and the last thing anyone needs is impared abilities. As of tomorrow, I will be one year closer to legal drinking, but at 18, you are still trying to prove to your parents you can hold some level of responsibility.

By Eugene Kochnieff on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hi David,

Yep an alternator uses up your HP. 1 Hp is approx 746 watts and alternators are about 80% efficient.

So if you are running 600watts of lights and other accessories all at once you lose about 1 hp from your engine to drive the alternator and supply the power.

By Roger Smith on Unrecorded Date: Edit

The load an alternator puts on what drives it depends on what the alternator is putting out electrically.

Generators make electricity by moving magnets and wire coils past each other. Car's of the 50's had generators with permanent magnets in the case, and that induced DC current into a spinning armature.

Alternator is slang for an alternating current generator. The shaft that spins in a car's alternator, called the rotor, has a large coil of wire that makes a spinning electromagnet when it's fed a small amount of power from the battery. That spinning magnet induces AC current into another set of wire coils called stator windings. After the AC is rectified to DC you have something to charge the battery.

HOW DIFFICULT it is to turn an alternator pulley (rotor) depends on how much the alternator is putting out. If the rotor is fed no current,(via the regulator) there's no magnetic forces going on in there, therefore all the drive belt has to do is spin the thing. As you increase battery current to the rotor,(regulator says we need charging) it will make a stronger magnet, put out a higher charging current, require lots of effort to turn, and get hot eventually.

So the longwinded answer is if the battery is charged there's no noticable engine power loss through having to spin the rotor. If you ran the battery down, it would pull on the engine relative to what charging state it was in.

By David Keeso (Argomag) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Thank you.I finally understand. By the time this is posted, I will be 18, and one would think that I would at least be able to figure out the diff between alternator and regulator.

By Eugene Kochnieff on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hi Roger,
Good explanation.
A few points if i may.

What people called a generator on older cars is in fact a dynamo which is a DC generator. The dynamo's of old cars had field windings not permanent magnets the field windings were fed by the regulator and this controlled the output voltage and to a lesser extent the current.

As you say an alternator is an AC generator. The rotor of an alternator is fed via slip rings from a solid state regulator. The alternator is a current limited device that only needs voltage regulation.

Both actually generate AC current.

The dynamo and alternator differ in the manner the AC ic rectified into DC.

The dynamo uses a mechanical rectifier called a commutator the alternator uses semiconductor diodes.

Both have losses and use power even if the battery is fully charged and both supply output proportional to load.

One little nit pick you can't induce a dc current!
All induced currents are AC by definition.

By TIM O'KEEFE on Unrecorded Date: Edit

HERE IS A LITTLE TIP I LEARNED IF YOUR BATTERY IS DYING OR WON'T HAVE ENOUGH JUICE TO CRANK STARTER. IF YOU TURN THE KEY THE SAME TIME YOU PULL THE ROPE, IT'S A REAL EASY PULL AND THE MOTOR TUNS MUCH FASTER THAN THE PULL ALONE. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THE COMPRESSION WHEN THEY TRY TO PULL. I MYSELF AM PARALYZED WITH NO STOMACH MUSCLES AND CANNOT PULL START MOTOR UNLESS I TURN THE KEY AT THE SAME TIME.

By Roger Smith on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Thanks Eugene for clarifying, especially about my generator/dynamo permanent magnet statement. Guess I was having a Senior Moment!

By Brian whoeler (Victhedog) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Can someone post how to add a alternator to a briggs engine. contacted briggs was told they dont support adding this (they don't sell a kit to do it)
need to know where to mount it where do I connect the belt to to run it

thanks

Brian

By newmax on Unrecorded Date: Edit

does anyone know how to add an alternator