Alternator Output

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Your meter could be off. Try a different meter.

[ORCoaster]

I use two meters, one digital with new batteries and then the old tried and true Analog meter that I have used for 30 years.  At the time it was top of the line and I use the 50 volt scale and can be accurate to .5 volt on that scale.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Did you try your meters on a known good battery? What do they read? 12 volt indicates a bad battery.

[ORCoaster]

That is why I measured my truck battery.  It was less that a few months old and still gave me 12 volts.  I will try the wife's car and maybe the guy across the street.  Let you know tomorrow as the weekend looks sunny.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

If a recent new battery also reads 12 v, it has to be the meter. Maybe the meter's got a bad battery.

Go here www.dealsoff.com/harbor-freight-coupons/
and prinrt a coupon and get a free digital multimeter at HF.

[ORCoaster]

I have a HF digital meter with brand new batteries in it.  It provides a single volt reading due to selector is at 300 volt scale.  It provides me with a 12.0 reading.  The other meter I use is analog and the battery voltage again was dead on 12.0 volts as of last Saturday.  I will measure in the cool of the morning as that is low volt time.  I bet it will be.......you guessed it 12.0 volts DC!!!!


Then I am going to put it on the charger for a bit and see if indeed I can get it to the full potential of 12.7 or so.

So much fun. 

[ORCoaster]

Out in the low 50 degree morning with two meters, the battery charger and an extension cord. 

First the measures.  HF digital shows 12.0 and so did the VIZ analog.  So no surprises there.

Hooked up the battery charger and flipped it to the 10 amp mode and sure enough getting about that into the battery.  But only for like 5 mins then the green full light comes on the charger and 0.0 on the amp meter.

So I flipped it to the 2 amp trickle charge and up comes the amps and then it starts to cycle.  A few seconds of charge, a few with the full power light on.  I let it go that way for about an hour then I noticed that it didn't cycle anymore and a fairly steady 1.5-1.6 amps were registering on the amp meter.  I flipped it to the volt side and it was solid at 13 with an occasional flicker to 14.  I ran it that way from about 1 till 5 and it was still taking that steady input then. 

I finally had to wrap stuff up for the evening and just for grins I cycled the glow plugs and cranked it over.  Very strong spin on it and instant on.  I looked at the internal gauges I have and I had a positive amp reading and 14 volts on that gauge.  I shut it off and did a restart without letting the glows cycle off and the internal volt gauge dipped to 10.5 and immediately came up to 12.5 then 14.0.   

I hope that the battery can keep its charge now that it is back up to nearly new.  I wonder if putting the trickle charger on it tomorrow if it would go all day or just a few hours?

I will post again if I get another draw down in like two months. 

 

[mtrans]

If your "new" battery go from 12V to 14 V in 5 min,for me it isn`t good,you can do it with good one BUT for 5 hours.Do you try to desulfate?
I try on old battery,but have some + for 5 days.On new one ,I got after more try much better results.
I think they made poor or from recycled battery todays, battery are mostly bad today.
This is how I did,don`t afraid to hook on 110 VAC,I did on 220 VAC and there is 12.8 V on battery,so it`s safe.Just disconnect one battery terminals for peace of mind your alternator,and go.
I use 16 mF ,from washing mashine,and get 3 A ,but it`s very pulsating curent.


more from:
" My charger is fused to 5 amps with a neon indicator lamp to show when its hot. Its built in an Army ammo can.
I use a 50 mfd ac motor run capacitor for a 2 amp current limiter, just enough juice for a slow overnight desulfating charge. I used a 25 amp/400 volt bridge rectifier. This charger will charge any lead acid battery, no matter what the battery voltage is ... 6, 12, 24 volt ... it doesn't matter. My cost to build it was $12.
The problem with regular voltage limiter chargers is they cannot equalize a battery or desulfate cells. Not enough electrical pressure to bust up the lead sulfate that's insulating the cell plates.
The power output is limited by capacitor size - 25 mfd per amp output. If you want a 1/2 amp charger use a 12 mfd capacitor, if you want a 6 amp charger use (3) 50 mfd capacitors wired in parallel , ect , ect, ect ...  "

[burn_your_money]

mtrans can you post a picture of your setup?

[mtrans]

I can  bUT IT SAME AS PICTURE,I JUST DIDN` PUT SWITCH,BUT IF YOU NEED?
DIY,NOT MUCH T SEE.
BEST

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

If your "new" battery go from 12V to 14 V in 5 min,for me it isn`t good,you can do it with good one BUT for 5 hours.Do you try to desulfate?
I try on old battery,but have some + for 5 days.On new one ,I got after more try much better results.
I think they made poor or from recycled battery todays, battery are mostly bad today.
This is how I did,don`t afraid to hook on 110 VAC,I did on 220 VAC and there is 12.8 V on battery,so it`s safe.Just disconnect one battery terminals for peace of mind your alternator,and go.
I use 16 mF ,from washing mashine,and get 3 A ,but it`s very pulsating curent.


more from:
" My charger is fused to 5 amps with a neon indicator lamp to show when its hot. Its built in an Army ammo can.
I use a 50 mfd ac motor run capacitor for a 2 amp current limiter, just enough juice for a slow overnight desulfating charge. I used a 25 amp/400 volt bridge rectifier. This charger will charge any lead acid battery, no matter what the battery voltage is ... 6, 12, 24 volt ... it doesn't matter. My cost to build it was $12.
The problem with regular voltage limiter chargers is they cannot equalize a battery or desulfate cells. Not enough electrical pressure to bust up the lead sulfate that's insulating the cell plates.
The power output is limited by capacitor size - 25 mfd per amp output. If you want a 1/2 amp charger use a 12 mfd capacitor, if you want a 6 amp charger use (3) 50 mfd capacitors wired in parallel , ect , ect, ect ...  "

Where did this idea come from? From what I can tell looking at the diagram, it is a a capacitor current limiter through a full wave bridge, rectifying house current of 120 V AC (in your country 240 V AC). The output is 120 VDC and 240 VDC. I don't know what high voltage like that will do to the battery. Battery de-sulfators use pulsed voltage at some frequency around 4 khz. Your circuit being full wave does not have much pulsing going on at the intended frequency of 60 hz (50 hz).

[mtrans]

Yes you are right,one way of use capacitor is as current limiter,but theory say it`s more than 50/60 hz after cap and diode.
I also don`t believe it can work,but I first test on bad battery and then on "good" one from shop just like ORCoaster,and in both cases I get  ~ 14V and 3 A on BATTERY,same after 5 hours of use so...
Only real DC come from dinamo,alternator isn`t,and I don't`have oscilloscope to verify.
For desulfate ,they say,you need strong and short pulses and that give cap,and there isn`t cap AFTER
diode to kill pulses completely.
For real one desulfator,there is a LOT electronic, so this one is good for me.
I need a caple  run to see same +++ on new battery,not much on old one.Just do it,it`s easy and helps a lot.
And notice,this isn`t for charging as is for desulfate.

[mtrans]

By the way,ORCoaster because you are there,
put One diode(10A) after 3 small ones and before it go to rotor field,in that direction.I have 13.6 v before and 14.2-14.5 after that operation.I do put swich parallel with add diode,so it`s ON(or close) on start car because I don`t want too mach current to battery on start,but  after 15 km I change to OFF (open) so I get more V for rotor.
So,it`s not your privelege for gremelins.
Perhaps you find that usefull.Best

[mtrans]

I just  recharge my bad battery and remmember you ORCoaster, so for you one that don`t belive you can conect battery on 220 V AC here...

[fatmobile]

 So running 220 volts AC through a capacitor and bridge rectifier allow it to be hooked to a DC battery.
 Interesting.