Charging System Explanation???
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
That's why I've always referred to the parts on a Harley separate (stator, rotor, or rectifier) instead of just calling it an alternator.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Farmington ,MS
Everyone went to alternators because the were smaller, lighter, and required no maintenance
According to the dictionary:
alˇterˇnaˇtor
ˈôltərˌnādər
noun
a generator that produces an alternating current.
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
a generator puts out DC...and alternator puts out AC ...that is the only real difference.
Everyone went to alternators because the were smaller, lighter, and required no maintenance
According to the dictionary:
alˇterˇnaˇtor
ˈôltərˌnādər
noun
a generator that produces an alternating current.
Everyone went to alternators because the were smaller, lighter, and required no maintenance
According to the dictionary:
alˇterˇnaˇtor
ˈôltərˌnādər
noun
a generator that produces an alternating current.
What I was making a distinction about is that on a Harley the alternator is 3 separate parts and on a passenger vehicle it's all in 1 unit.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
Alternator = alternating current...nothing more, nothing less
Older alternators had the voltage regulator separate...how do you classify them?
Last edited by Tom84FXST; Apr 20, 2018 at 01:18 PM.
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
It is all one unit on a Harley till you take it apart...take the cases off a car alternator and you will have a rotor and a stator in your hand.
Alternator = alternating current...nothing more, nothing less
Older alternators had the voltage regulator separate...how do you classify them?
Alternator = alternating current...nothing more, nothing less
Older alternators had the voltage regulator separate...how do you classify them?
On a Harley you don't have to replace all three parts to fix your charging system (usually) however you don't take your car alternator apart when you go to the parts store to get a new one.
Yes I completely agree that both systems work in exactly the same way but replacing the bad parts is done differently.
That's all I'm really saying.
As for older alternators had the voltage regulator separate since I've never messed with one I don't worry about it.
Last edited by texashillcountry; Apr 20, 2018 at 01:48 PM. Reason: Add info
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
All this talk of alternators takes me back to my early days in the electricity generating industry. We made what were also called alternators - up to 600 tons in weight and about 50 feet long! Our biggest ones went to Enrico Fermi and San Onofre in Cali.They were shipped dismantled, as rotor and stator, due to their respective weights (around 150/350 tons). No, I'm not in that photo!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/35351847@N05/3806786407
https://www.flickr.com/photos/35351847@N05/3806786407
Last edited by grbrown; Apr 20, 2018 at 02:51 PM.
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
All this talk of alternators takes me back to my early days in the electricity generating industry. We made what were also called alternators - up to 600 tons in weight and about 50 feet long! Our biggest ones went to Enrico Fermi and San Onofre in Cali.They were shipped dismantled, as rotor and stator, due to their respective weights (around 150/350 tons). No, I'm not in that photo!
here
here
As we all know electrical systems run on smoke because when the smoke leaks out they don't work anymore!!!!
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 190
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From: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Actually, a car's charging system works a little different. They use an electro magnetic rotor which spins inside a pack of 3 coils, the stator. The electro magnets magnetic force is regulated by powering up and down the rotor. This dynamo always delivers what the system asks.
The alternator/dynamo of a motorcycle is far less complicated, smaller in size, cheaper, but technically sucks. Here, a permanent magnet is used which means the output is fixed, and needs to be regulated a different way. The rectifier/regulator does this by burning the remaining amps from the alternator to ground. In other words, the alternator is ALWAYS stressed to max capacity, one of the reasons why they'll go south once in a while.
P = U * I (Power = Voltage * Amps)
If you have a 300 watt alternator, you will need to pull (300 watt / 13 volts) = 23 amps from it, in order to keep the voltage at 13. If the electrical system (ignition, lights etc) only needs 5 amps, the voltage would rise to 60 volts (300 watt / 5 amps) if the regulator didn't come into play. It will burn away (waste) 18 amps to ground in order to keep the voltage at 13.
I've been reading quite some messages from people stating a faulty battery will destroy your stator and I really wonder why, since the alternator is stressed to full capacity anyway, regardless the state of the battery.
Btw, mine burned down yesterday
The alternator/dynamo of a motorcycle is far less complicated, smaller in size, cheaper, but technically sucks. Here, a permanent magnet is used which means the output is fixed, and needs to be regulated a different way. The rectifier/regulator does this by burning the remaining amps from the alternator to ground. In other words, the alternator is ALWAYS stressed to max capacity, one of the reasons why they'll go south once in a while.
P = U * I (Power = Voltage * Amps)
If you have a 300 watt alternator, you will need to pull (300 watt / 13 volts) = 23 amps from it, in order to keep the voltage at 13. If the electrical system (ignition, lights etc) only needs 5 amps, the voltage would rise to 60 volts (300 watt / 5 amps) if the regulator didn't come into play. It will burn away (waste) 18 amps to ground in order to keep the voltage at 13.
I've been reading quite some messages from people stating a faulty battery will destroy your stator and I really wonder why, since the alternator is stressed to full capacity anyway, regardless the state of the battery.
Btw, mine burned down yesterday
Last edited by Daedalus; May 15, 2018 at 04:32 PM.
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
Man you can't say something like that without details!!!!!!!!!!
What burned down???
Charging system or whole bike???????????
What burned down???
Charging system or whole bike???????????