Can I use a car alternator as a generator?
Did you know a car alternator can be turned into a generator with a little know how and persistence? The car alternator’s role is to produce electricity for your vehicle. So, with minor modifications, the alternator will produce electricity for a home. It charges batteries and runs small appliances or lights.
How much electricity can a car alternator generate?
Conventional alternator may only produce power for about 500 Watt to 600 Watt. But nowadays, a single alternator can produce power up to 2500 Watt, depending on the power demand.
Can a car alternator be used to power a house?
But if you’re living off the grid and doing so on a budget consider that you can run your house lighting system on a 12v circuit with battery backup simply by using automotive alternators and batteries (actually deep cycle marine batteries work better) with 12v lights.
How fast does an alternator have to spin to produce electricity?
Most alternators need to spin at about 2,400 rpm at idle, have their maximum output above 6,000 rpm, and should never exceed 18,000 rpm.
How do I build a wind generator from my car alternator?
Building a Wind Generator using a Car Alternator – YouTube
Can a car alternator produce AC current?
Car batteries operate on one-way direct current (DC) electricity, while alternators output alternating current (AC) electricity, which occasionally flows in reverse.
Are alternators AC or DC?
An alternator works together with the battery to supply power for the electrical components of the vehicle. The output of an alternator is direct current (DC). When the alternator pulley is rotated, alternating current (AC) passes through a magnetic field and an electrical current is generated.
Can a car alternator power an inverter?
The average size alternator used in a vehicles’ DC charging system is about 100 AMPS DC. This can power an inverter that will deliver about 1,200 watts @ 120 VAC.
How much horsepower does a car alternator use?
If you like to deal in HP, then 1.5kW is about 2HP. At an overall efficiency of 20% this means you will need about 10HP from an engine to provide this. The amount of power at idle, normal and maximum is alternator dependent.
Can I make a wind turbine with an alternator?
Windmills can provide you with electrical power for free – but to convert motion into current you’ll need a generator. “A car alternator could be a handy solution if you’re stuck, producing a steady 12 volts as its spindle is turned,” says Dartnell.
What motor is best for a wind turbine?
The Walfront NE400 is easily the most powerful home wind turbine motor on the market today. It’s good for charging batteries or appliances up to 24 volts, and can produce 400 watts when rotating at its maximum operational limit of 950RPM.
Can a car alternator produce 120 volts?
An alternator is so named because it produces alternating electrical current. This energy can be converted from one voltage to another using a transformer. Thus, the 12-volt AC output from an alternator can be transformed into 120 volt-AC current.
How many AC volts does an alternator put out?
Most alternators that are charging properly should produce a voltage of about 13.8 to 14.2 volts at idle with the lights and accessories off.
How many amps is a car alternator?
Alternator ratings range from about 60 or 70 amps up to 150 amps or more on many late-model vehicles. Some high-output alternators can generate upward of 200 amps. The amp rating of the alternator is matched to the vehicle’s electrical system.
What is the output voltage of a car alternator?
around 14 volts
Output voltage should be around 14 volts (13.8 to 14.5 depending upon the application) with the engine running. If you check the voltage at the battery under the same parameters, you should not have more than a half volt drop between your result at the alternator and the result at the battery.
How many batteries do I need to run a 3000 watt inverter?
For a 3000-watt inverter, the number of batteries you need depends on their amperes per hour. For example, the average car battery has a 50Ah rating. If the battery banks you want to purchase are also 50Ah, you will need six of them for a 3000-watt inverter.
How much fuel does alternator use?
So yes, more electrical load consumes more fuel. A fully loaded alternator can consume 100 Ampere(boils down to ~1.3kW) if you go crazy with your radio. That’s roughly 10% of the total load on the engine at 100km/h. Most people won’t go that far though.
How much torque does an alternator need?
If your alternator demand is for example, 2kW, then you need 2.7 HP from the motor to drive it. The details of RPM and torque vs. power you’d have to get from the alternator supplier. Typical alternators were 50-70A at 12V, or about 720W (roughly 1HP.)
How do you make a homemade alternator?
DIY Hand Cranked Alternator – YouTube
How big of a wind turbine Do you need to power a house?
A typical home uses approximately 10,649 kilowatt-hours (kWh), an average of 877 kWh per month. Depending on the average wind speed in the area, a wind turbine rated in the range of 5 to 15 kW would be required to make a significant contribution to this demand.
Which motor is best for generate electricity?
Brushless DC motors (BLDC) or permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) are pretty much the same thing and are the best to use as generators. They generate AC, so they require a rectifier on the output.
Can you put two alternators in a car?
FAQ: CAN I USE 2 DIFFERENT ALTERNATORS IN THE – YouTube
How many volts can a car alternator produce without regulator?
Basically, the voltage regulator controls field current through the rotor, inside the alternator, in order to control alternator output. Without a voltage regulator, an alternator may put out up to 250 volts. This is enough to destroy the car’s battery and electrical system.
Can a car alternator fully charge a battery?
An alternator cannot do everything a charger can. For starters, an alternator can charge a battery with a low charge, but it cannot charge a dead battery. As we said above, the battery’s job is to start the engine and then work as an electrical load balancer.
What happens if you put a higher amp alternator on my car?
That is, your alternator will only supply the amount of amperage a particular component demands—and no more. So high-output alternators will not harm your components or charging system, no matter how high you go with the amps.