The Way A Vehicle Alternator Works

How a Motorcar Alternator Works

A separate diode trio, consisting of one diode per phase, within the rectifier sends DC current back to the voltage regulator. The voltage regulator monitors the incoming DC current, adjusting for higher or lower voltage, as it travels back to the rotor. As the alternator generates its own electrical current, the electrical feed from the exciter wire powering the field current is discontinued.

Rectifier Diodes

The AC contemporary from the stator is sent though the rectifier, a series of output diodes, which allows a contemporary to flow single in one circuit, converting alternating current to plain contemporary. These output diodes consist of six diodes, one duo for Everyone page of the stator. Three diodes convert denying collection of the current while the remaining diodes convert the positive current. Once converted to DC, the current is routed from the rectifier's output diodes to the battery and other electrical components.

The Voltage Regulator

The Rotor

When the ignition is turned on, an electrical happening is sent from the battery to the alternator's voltage regulator via the "exciter" wire. The voltage regulator modulates this in fashion to constitute a fixed administer ongoing (DC) voltage that runs ended the rotor, which is a solid iron core wound in a coil of wire. This ongoing generates a Attractive nature buttoned up the coiled wire. The rotor is spun by a zone driven by the motorcar's Engine.

The Stator

As the engine is started, a girdle connected to the alternator spins the rotor within the stator. The stator consists of three sets, or phases, of iron cored conductors which are wound in wires and does not measure inside of the alternator. As the rotor spins inside of the stator, the Attractive universe rotates, sweeping its convinced and contravening poles across the stator's wire coil phases and generates an electrical alternating current (AC).