ATC529R

just so i am clear.

I CAN run the FB alternator with my system, because the stereo pulls from the battery?

I have no power options on this car and it will rarely be driven at night with headlights on. and i'm in my 40's so, it's not like the amps will be at full power often. probably minimal to medium most of the time.

then the 30 amp alternator should be enough to rejuice the battery. yellow top 770CCA deep cycle battery

am I interpreting this correctly?

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Simplest I can make it:

Think of a battery like a tank of water.
Think of an alternator as a pump that fills the tank, & which shuts off when the tank is full.
Think of ANY electrical load (doesn't matter stereo, lights, ignition - all the same) as a hole of a certain size near the bottom of the tank.

The tank will hold a maximum amount of water (Amp-Hours)
The pump can deliver a maximum amount of water into the tank (Amps)
The hole will drain a water from the tank in proportion to it's diameter (Amps)

If you have a small hole in the tank, the pump can keep the tank full & even shut off from to time until the level in the tank drops a bit.
If you add more holes, eventually you reach the point where the pump must run full-speed all the time to keep the tank full.
If the total drain through the holes exceeds the capacity of the pump, the tank slowly drains even if the pump is running full-bore.
Once the tank is empty enough, no more water comes out of the holes.

If you make the tank larger, the time it takes to drain increases, but if your holes flow more than your pump can deliver, it still will drain eventually.

If you make your pump larger, it can keep even a small tank full.

"How long will the tank run?" can only be answered with enough information about the size of the holes.


Without knowing the actual power draw of the equipment you are adding, any answer to the question "is this Alt going to be big enough" requires specific info about the power draw of the equipment involved, or it's just a WAG.

I upgraded my alt even though I don't have a powerful stereo, because I like having the spare capacity in the Alt so it can recharge the battery quickly after starts, and so that voltage (water pressure) does not drop off at idle on rainy nights with the wipers and defroster going full blast. Which was prone to happen with the stock alternator.

If the Alt has enough spare capacity, it carries less %-of-maximum load, provides max power output less frequently, is under less stress, runs cooler, and (theoretically) will last longer.

I also think the later-gen Alts look better.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

So, um, where does the water come from?

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Made by Artesians.

StumpDrummer

Dont realy know SolarAbby but there should be some kind of upgrade to the guts they can do..and if hes only gonna do a single sub setup.....I really didnt see a problem with just useing the stock Alt myself.