As a side note, there are single wire aftermarket "self exciting" alternators too.94flamds10blazr said:well as a set of magnets rotate inside a bunch of copper wires it generates ac current. Things called Rectifiers take that alternating current and turn it into the direct ,or DC currrent , that your truck runs and recharges on. You have at least one "turn-on" wire that comes off the dash light for charging. It has a 12 ignition feed on it and if the alt goes out then it'll get a ground so then the dash light will come on
OrangeCrush said:yeah scotts got handle on this shit, at least thats where ive been learning from:read:
Id need credit for thatKyle said:note to self, write essay about alternator and use this thread
Whifflebat said:Its because its magnetic that it makes power. When you move a magnet around a wire, it induces a current in the wire. When you put a whole bunch of magnets in there and a whole bunch of wire and spin it really fast, it makes lots of current, or at least enough for a truck.