Over the past few years, we have run across some teams who, for the goal of attaining maximum power, chose to run without an alternator. We started thinking about that and decided to see if there were ...

Disconnecting the battery while the engine is running isn't a valid test for alternator function and may damage sensitive electronic parts. Instead, use a common voltmeter and the following test ...

Your alternator is arguably one of the most important parts of your engine. Usually found attached to the front of the block, it’s responsible for keeping your battery charged as you drive down the ...

The alternator is responsible for charging the car battery and powering all the car's onboard network consumers. If it fails or is unstable, the battery will either not be charged or start discharging ...

A failing battery might seem straight forward to spot, but a failing alternator can be a little more difficult to identify without knowing its voltage output.

In this video, we explore the voltage output of an alternator when driven by a waterjet. It’s an engaging science experiment that showcases the interaction between water pressure and electrical ...

We earn commissions from purchases you make using links in our articles. Learn more. The alternator is a device that keeps your car’s electrical system running once the engine is on. It’s essentially ...

A common problem exists when driving automotive alternators via motors. In the process of attempting to regulate the charging voltage of a low battery, the alternator shaft torque usually exceeds the ...

Modern automotive alternators have a voltage regulator built into them. Typical car alternators generate the field using a DC current through slip rings. The field current is much smaller than the ...

A version of Part 1 appeared in the Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012 issue of Test & Measurement World. See the PDF. In January 1979, Electronic Test published an article claiming that a single test circuit that ...