Alternators And The Charging System.

An Explanation Of How The Charging System Works.

A car needs electricity to run by supplying the spark to ignite the air fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.The lights, wipers, horn and other accessories need electricity to run. Most of that electricity comes from the battery. The alternator keeps charging the battery to mintain its charge. Otherwise, the battery would quickly run down, out of power. It creates an electromagnetic charge that passes the current to the battery in a cycle. The alternator consists of the stator, rotor, diode, and a voltage regulator. The rotor consists of two interlocking north and south pole electromagnets which spin inside a bundle of copper wires. It is here that the voltage is converted from Alternating Current (AC) to Directional Current (DC). It is connected to the alternator drive belt or v-belt which spins the rotor. The copper wires are called the stator, which stays in one place. It has three sets of wires with many loops on each that form an evenly distributing three phase system. These wires are connected to a rectifier. Some are designed to connect to the rectifier on one end, while other systems run end to end while a connection is made at each stopping point. The rotor spins inside the stator. Current is sent through a pair of brushes. This current makes constant contact with two slip rings located on the rotor shaft. This magnetizes the rotor and draws alternating current through the stator. The diodes in the rectifier are designed to make the current go in only one direction. Each of the three sets of wires in the rotor have two diodes. One faces the north pole windings and the other the south. This makes the DC current run on a heavy wire directly to the B terminal. After this transfer occurs the electricity runs through the diode assembly.

The charge can be maintained with a DC current. After the electric charge is converted to DC it runs into the voltage regulator where the charging voltage is controlled. Most alternator's have a charging rate between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. This is very important to protect the electrical components that also run the automobile. This component can be housed within the alternator or outside of it depending on the make and model of the car. If the voltage goes below 13.5 the device will give it more amperage and the charge will increase. If it goes beyond 14.5 volts the regulating device will quit supplying current and maintain a balance.

There is a warning light for the charging system that can indicate some problems, but not all of them. In many cases if it lights up at all it means the charging system is not working due to a broken alternator drive belt. Many problems can occur that do not set off the warning light. They range from too much charging output, too much voltage, or noise from the housing.