Recommend Alternator Regulator?

[demonboy]

Hello again,

As per my previous post regarding a rubbish Turkish alternator regulator I am considering upgrading the regulator. A friend of mine has an integrated system which regulates both battery and alternator (famous English make who's name slips my mind) and was simple to wire. Currently my internal alternator regulator has been bypassed and external wires have been soldered to it to feed the external regulator. I seem to remember my friend didn't have to do this and it's not something I am happy doing myself.

My main problem is that I have no instruction manual for my regulator and trying to set the cut offs for bulk and float is impossible. In fact I think it may be malfunctioning as I can't get the batteries to 14.4v.

Could anyone recommend an alternator regulator that optimises the charge for my batteries? I have a Perkins Prima M60 and an 80amp alternator. I have a regulator on my solar panels and a Mastervolt battery charger for shore power. Seems I just need a decent reg for my alternator.

Thanks in advance.

Jamie
s/y Esper

 

[pampas]

Have a look at Strelings site for the alternator to battery system, Just fitted one and I am amazed at the results. alternator loading is about 30 amps, baffles me as to how it does that and it does what it says on the box.

 

[demonboy]

Sterling. That's the make! Thanks.

 

[morgandlm]

Sterling

Another vote for Sterling regulators. I fitted one a couple of years ago and find it meets my battery charging needs using a good old fashioned (if much criticised) "off-1-both-2" switch. You do however need to do a little, fairly simple, modification to the alternator to pick up and identify the appropriate field wire.
Morgan

 

[jdc]

Adverc

Another British company is Adverc, of whose products and service I have only good things to say.
It runs at 14.4V boost then cycles back to 14.0V (with temp compensation). I find this gives high charging currents yet does not fry batteries - I have heard that some boat systems charge at 15V or more, which I think may be too high for good battery life; others may comment.

The difference to the charging under engine since I fitted one to my current boat would have been astonishing were I not to have already experienced it on two other boats. I understand they are used extensively on ambulances and fire engines as well as yachts.

I have found the chaps at Adverc to be extremely helpful over the phone or via email: it's a small company so you always get 'the man who knows'.

http://www.adverc.co.uk/product/12

 

[Chris_Robb]

Another British company is Adverc, of whose products and service I have only good things to say.
It runs at 14.4V boost then cycles back to 14.0V (with temp compensation). I find this gives high charging currents yet does not fry batteries - I have heard that some boat systems charge at 15V or more, which I think may be too high for good battery life; others may comment.

The difference to the charging under engine since I fitted one to my current boat would have been astonishing were I not to have already experienced it on two other boats. I understand they are used extensively on ambulances and fire engines as well as yachts.

I have found the chaps at Adverc to be extremely helpful over the phone or via email: it's a small company so you always get 'the man who knows'.

http://www.adverc.co.uk/product/12

An alternative suggestion:
Adverc -Good guys - I have a 110 amp prestolite open framed alternator from them - V good value, came with field wire for external alternator already fitted - I have linked it however to Stirling alternator booster which I already had. The alternation booster is around £120 but the battery to battery charger is around £246. The benefit is that the latter is simple to install, where as the former requires the modified field wire. If you are going for a new alternator as well, you could end up paying exactly the same for a new alternator and and sterling booster, rather than just the alternator to battery charger. This now gives you a spare alternator as well.

Things to look for. Very common to have problems with the sterling regulator because your wiring is not up to scratch. I had over voltage trips, which Mr Stirling said was imperfect wiring - I doubled up the wiring to the batteries and hey presto, it worked perfectly, and the charge rate went from 70 to 90 amps on start up! Mr Stirling is (un) fortunately always right.......

 

[pvb]

Currently my internal alternator regulator has been bypassed and external wires have been soldered to it to feed the external regulator. I seem to remember my friend didn't have to do this and it's not something I am happy doing myself.

Jamie, I think this is the key thing you have to consider. If your alternator's internal regulator has really been bypassed, you'll need to reinstate it before you can add an external booster such as the Adverc or Sterling. If you're not happy doing this yourself, you'll have to get an auto-electrician to do it for you. Both the Adverc and the Sterling work well and are proven products. Alternatively, once your internal regulator is reinstated, you could use a Sterling Alternator-to-Battery charger, which has had good reports and doesn't need modifications to the alternator.

Or, you could simply replace the external regulator with another one. The unfortunately named ARS 5 from Balmar would work well.

 

[mattnj]

you can make one for under a tenner, bit of work (an afternoon?) but works VERY well....

http://www.amsterdamhouseboats.nl/voltage_regulator.htm

 

[ianj99]

Jamie, If your alternator's internal regulator has really been bypassed, you'll need to reinstate it before you can add an external booster such as the Adverc or Sterling..

Not so. The Sterling replaces the internal regulator. This will only come into play if the Sterling one fails.

In fact I use a Sterling regulator with an old alternator that had an external CAV regulator and field relay. I binned this and just use the Sterling with no problems whatsoever. Not surprising since you are really substituting one for the other.

(I did check first with Charles Sterling because it did state in the instruction booklet that came with the regulator that the existing one had to be working.)

Ian

 

[pvb]

Not so. The Sterling replaces the internal regulator. This will only come into play if the Sterling one fails.

OK, ignoring the fact that your story casts doubt on the accuracy of Sterling's manuals, does the same apply to the Adverc?

 

[ianj99]

OK, ignoring the fact that your story casts doubt on the accuracy of Sterling's manuals, does the same apply to the Adverc?

I agree the manual was confusing, which is why I checked.
Can't comment on an Adverc as I've not used one.

 

[pvb]

As far as I'm aware, the Adverc doesn't start boosting until the batteries have reached about 13.5v - this is to prevent high loads on a cold engine. Obviously, to do this, the alternator would need to have its own internal regulator.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

I agree the manual was confusing, which is why I checked.
Can't comment on an Adverc as I've not used one.

Adverc is a modernisation of the old TWC device. I had one of those on a previous boat and it did all I asked of it. The designer of the original device has a web presence and will advise on the care and feeding of TWCs if you ask nicely.

 

[PCUK]

"OK, ignoring the fact that your story casts doubt on the accuracy of Sterling's manuals, does the same apply to the Adverc?"


Yes it does, the onboard regulator is removed and replaced (easy - two screws!) with a brush holder that is then connected to the Adverc.
The Adverc is used on ambulances, fire service vehicles, short drop tail lift delivery trucks etc. etc. Nuff said!
MIne's been onboard for thirteen years and was a replacement for the original TWC that Adverc used to market, then bought out and improved on.

 

[Chris_Robb]

OK, ignoring the fact that your story casts doubt on the accuracy of Sterling's manuals, does the same apply to the Adverc?

I think Stirling gives advice saying that make sure the alternator is working first, hence having a working regulator is needed just for this. It would be sensible to have one, as the Stirling is very sensitive to bad wiring and will cause an over voltage trip if it encounters resistance.

As I suggested earlier, an option is to get the 110 ah Prestolite from Adverc here
http://www.adverc.co.uk/cm/files/alternator_pdf/pp1123_avi128.pdf

This still needs an alternator controller as it is regulated to 14.2V but it is heavy duty and well cooled. Ariadne would also have a spare whuch out where he is could save him a load of money for an emergency replacement.

 

[demonboy]

Thank you all for your comments.

What I still don't understand is whether I have to bypass the internal regulator by doing some additional wiring. I tried this on an alternator once and it went disastrously wrong, not least because my soldering skills left a lot to be desired.

The Sterling set-up my friend had meant that the wiring on the alternator was not touched internally, it was just rewired via the regulator first before entering the boat's circuit. That's what I am looking for.

Also should my alternator stop working I want to be able to just chuck on my spare one without having to do some additional wiring.

 

[VicS]

The Sterling set-up my friend had meant that the wiring on the alternator was not touched internally, it was just rewired via the regulator first before entering the boat's circuit. That's what I am looking for

The modern Sterling Alternator to battery chargers ( AB series) may be what you want.

Ici mon ami

Unlike old alternator boosters they do not require any internal connections or modifications or to the alternator.

They give you enhanced charging of the domestic battery bank with bog standard charging of the engine start battery.

 

[pvb]

As I suggested earlier, an option is to get the 110 ah Prestolite from Adverc here
http://www.adverc.co.uk/cm/files/alternator_pdf/pp1123_avi128.pdf

This still needs an alternator controller as it is regulated to 14.2V but it is heavy duty and well cooled. Ariadne would also have a spare whuch out where he is could save him a load of money for an emergency replacement.

I'd second the recommendation of Prestolite alternators. I have a 90A Prestolite Leece-Neville as my second alternator, and it's a brilliant bit of kit. With an Adverc booster, it just churns out amps.

 

[ianc1200]

As we're on the subject, has anybody here got a Sterling alternator to battery charger using two alternators? The Sterling manual says you simply wire the outputs of both alternators to the unit, which I have. My two alternators, a 90 amp Prestolite and an Eastern European 110amp go into the 210 amp Sterling alternator to battery charger, but the most I've seen out of it is 70amps.

Would also be interested to know of experience of how much it should put out when close to being fully charged.

IanC

 

[pvb]

My two alternators, a 90 amp Prestolite and an Eastern European 110amp go into the 210 amp Sterling alternator to battery charger, but the most I've seen out of it is 70amps.

The output is dependent on the ability of the batteries to absorb it. Unless you have a very large battery bank, you may not see much more than 70A charging current.