> Does anybody know of a good way to measure the output of the
alternator to
> determine how close I am to using up all the capacity of that thing
under
> various conditions? I would even like to display that in the aircraft
on a
> permanent basis, if it is at all possible.
>
> Thanks,
> Dave
> A227 Mini U2
A voltmeter across the battery provides a rough idea. For a given RPM,
switching things on should should show the same volts meaning that
whatever available extra current is charging the battery.
A quickie ammeter check is a digital voltmeter, with a 200.0 millivolt
scale, across the length of the positive battery cable. That presumes
alt output is not connected directly to the battery, else move it
temporarily upstream. #4 wire will show .00025 mV for each amp for each
foot. Of significance is that the cable end farthest from the battery
is more positive than at the batt. A larger drop is obtained by idling
for a while with all loads on, then if the minus sign on the voltmeter
is showing, observe at what RPM it extinguishes.
Regards,
Fred F.
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