Piggy-back Alternators?

[daveheaddon]

Gents....quick question from an electronics ignoramus.

If I have two low-output alternators is it possible to 'piggy-back' them in some way? they are both very /thinslim and I wondered if they could be welded together in-line such that the spindles drive both from one pully-wheel.

I imagine they could also both be drive off separate belts.

Then...and here's the crunch. How would they be wired to provide the output?

Comments appreciated.

Dave


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[pvb]

It's not feasible to weld them together. You could drive them separately, but you'd need special brackets, pulley, belt, etc. Probably the cheapest longterm solution is to replace the alternator with a higher-output one.

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[LadyInBed]

My boat has a 24v and a 12v battery system so two alternators are required. The engine drives the 12v alt and the 24v alt is driven from a double pulley on the 12v alt. This puts a lot of strain on the 12v belt which had to be beefed up in size to stop it slipping and shredding within 3 months.
The best solution would be to run both alt’s direct from the engine so if one goes the other is still functioning.


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[William_H]

Alternators are so cheap from car used parts suppliers it woyuld be foolish to try to join 2 together.
You may iimagine that you would get twice the charge into your batteries from 2 alternators or a higher current alternator not so. The current into the batteries is a function of the voltage and the size of the batteries. The current rating of the alternatotr is a measure of what it can supply before it gets too hot or it's voltage drops. An alternator is usually only overloaded by other services ie in a car with headlights heater etc. running.
Before you condemn your alternator put an ampmeter in the circuit and see if it ever approaches it's rated current. I would guess not. To get more charge quickly into your batteries you need to increase the voltasge of the regulator most commonly done with one of the smart chargter regulators. However when doing this the voltage of the system may exceed the ratings of your lights and electronics etc. Regards will

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