SuzukiSavage.com - Generator not Alernator!!!

T Mack 1 - FSO

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sold 2001 LS650 for
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Generator not Alernator!!!
08/31/07 at 06:24:59

All,
I keep see many people call the charging system an Alternator. This is wrong. It is a generator.

Why??

An Alternator is a "set "of coils, one spinning, one fixed. One of them gets a voltage from the battery (or other source) which creates a electro-magnet effect. Most modern Alternators have a regulator to adjust this voltage so you get a faster recovery. But, an alternator will work poorly if the voltage drops too low. Now, this sounds like your getting enery from nowhere, but, don't forget that you're burning fuel and stealing some of that energy to convert to electricty.

A Generator has a coil and a set of magnets. It will work with a dead battery or a fully charged battery. Minor problem with generators is the faster they spin the more voltage they create. That's why there are voltage regulators. Bigger issue is, if they spin too slow then they don't give enough voltage.

Now,......many people think that a generator makes DC voltage and a alternator makes AC voltage. They see the rectifier on the bike (thingy that makes AC into DC )and thus think they have an alternator. This is WRONG. All generators and alternators create AC voltage. To get DC voltage, they use rectifiers, either external or internal to the unit.

So, the LS650 has a generator because it has magnets spinning around the stator coil(s).

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Engineers design things, Technicians make them work.
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30% of being mechanical is confidence/30% is knowing to go slow when needed/30% is looking repeatedly at what you have/10% is dumb luck Wink

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LANCER Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Savage Beast Performance Parts Posts: 10661 Oklahoma Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #1 - 08/31/07 at 06:44:43 OK
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thumperclone Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline PGR rider riding with respect Posts: 6056 Grand Junction Colorado Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #2 - 08/31/07 at 13:42:57 correct.. the field is mounted on the rotating part and is refered to as the rotor.the armature isw wound on the stationary part and refered to as the stator..ls 650 has a 3 phase >100 volt(@ 5k rpm) AC generator that goes to a regulator/rectifier = 14 -15.5 volts dc across battery @ 5k rpm..
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SavageWahine Serious Thumper Offline Aloha & Hang Loose Posts: 1553 Beautiful Kauai! Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #3 - 09/01/07 at 02:11:12 Wonder why Clymer's manual calls it an alternator???
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thumperclone Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline PGR rider riding with respect Posts: 6056 Grand Junction Colorado Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #4 - 09/01/07 at 06:21:15 SavageWahine wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09: Wonder why Clymer's manual calls it an alternator??? theres a post here some where that lists clymers' errors..ssm calls it a AC generator..
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feelinjunky Full Member Offline No Comment Posts: 238 NJ	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #5 - 09/01/07 at 10:51:36 so the faster the engine is running, the more power is generated?
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #6 - 09/01/07 at 10:56:28 Only as long as the coils are energized. So I guess Vdub's of old had a DC altenator?
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T Mack 1 - FSO

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sold 2001 LS650 for
a 1986 XLH1100

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Emmaus,Pa
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Re: Generator not Alernator!!!
Reply #7 - 09/01/07 at 15:48:58

One of my Dad's old Beetles had a gen. Think it was the '64. Not sure what was in the '68 and couldn't see what was in the '01 but 99% sure that was an Alt. My '78 Sirocco had an Alt because I blew the volt reg trying to jump my '46 Jeep (didn't have RPM's up on the VW, not enough juice,.....expensive oops)

Reason why many cars and such went to alternators, the field voltage could be adjusted at lower RPM's to get more juice. Then adjusted at higher RPM for less.

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Engineers design things, Technicians make them work.
---
30% of being mechanical is confidence/30% is knowing to go slow when needed/30% is looking repeatedly at what you have/10% is dumb luck Wink

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thumperclone Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline PGR rider riding with respect Posts: 6056 Grand Junction Colorado Gender:	Re: Generator not Alernator!!! Reply #8 - 09/01/07 at 18:03:18 feelinjunky wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09: so the faster the engine is running, the more power is generated? power is measured in wattage,revs of a generator is mesure in hertz(cycles per second).. larger field = more power 3 phase current is more efficient/easier to rectify to dc..
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Max_Morley

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Re: Generator not Alernator!!!
Reply #9 - 09/01/07 at 20:52:21

This discussion kinds follows what I learned at Oregon TEch many years ago and had reinforced over the years by factory trainers. For what is worth the standard terminology now is generator according to GM. I think it came with the SAE standards for OBDII in '96. In alternators it was easier and took less current to control the rotor magnetic field than to have large pole show magnets in generators, Also all the current had to go through the brushes so output was limited. An advantage of a generator was it had residual magnetism and would start charging even with a dead battery when you coasted down a hill and started it that way. Most alternators do not and need have an exciter voltage/current to start them. It usually comes via the light bulb and the bulb goes out when the alternator voltage = battery voltage. FWIW both are AC generators, the brushes and armature rectified it in the old style and the diodes do in the new one. This discussion could easily run the same as oil choices, helmet laws, cam chain wear or other personal choice items. MAx

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Max at Thumper Acres. '96 Savage bagger, '03 Savage w/Cozy sidecar for wifeni.

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