[hellosailor]

Interesting that they use square wire for denser stator windings. I know that's been done with speaker voice coils for the same reason.

Their FM-12-180 PDF shows that same curious "Engine RPMs" versus output, but after puzzling over that, I can only think that is because the chart is really not about the alternator's output. It is about how that alternator compares to an unnamed "OEM" (stock) alternator at those various engine speeds. So they're really just saying, gear it up any way you'd like, the output is about 4x that of a stock (40? 50?) alternator. And from the tech notes, there are continuous duty speed numbers, so you can gear it correctly for your own setup.

I didn't see a 165 in their Voyager series, but what's not to like about a 180 instead?(G)

 

[hellosailor]

Maine, if you're going to go where no man has gone before and make up your own new system....just consider the heat transfer issue for a moment.

Do you know ANY device, other than a hundred year old coal boiler, that has the crude heat transfer surfaces of a modern regulator? Hell no, modern heat transfer ranges from simple fluting (on rifle barrels and auto oil pans alike) to finely made fins, in the heat transfer section of every air conditioner or hydronic heater installed in the last 50 years.

So...Why not start with an alternator frame that has been fluted, with a fairly large number of deep thin flutes, to quadruple the heat transfer area? Should be a simple machine shop operation with an immediate payback in performance.

Or for that matter, "liquid" cooling, not necessarily using water or antifreeze.

There are ways to move heat. Alternators just never seem to use them.