I've been thinking about getting a Sterling Power Advanced alternator regulator. I have a 5 year old Vetus 3.10 engine. There seems to be 2 trains of thought:
1) It's a waste of money getting an external regulator for a fairly modern alternator (with it's own regulator) - they were designed to charge the batteries quicly and properly in the first place.
2) Aternators can only charge batteries to about 75% so you need an eternal regulator with it's staged charging etc.
I've spent the last few weeks investigating the power requirement on my boat, in particular Sterling Power have some excellent products. I've ended up looking at a replacement alternator (mine is fairly old and has a low output) and a 3-1 inverter/charger/cross over. Works out a lot cheaper then buying los of separates. I work in a techie environment and the spec sheets are good. I'd be very interested in any feedback and I'll certainly post any feedback I have! Oh and to answer your question, standard regulators (unless stepped electonic of course) only provide limited charging to a bank of betteries (they are designed for deep cycling of standard batteries and may not even be suitable for sealed or gel batteries that are often found on secondary banks). Neither are they too fussy to 'condition' different configurations of batteries. I'd strongly suggest you download their spec sheet from the main site - it makes some good reading and has given me confidence from a technical perspective. Just need to add it to the list of things to buy for the old tub, just bought two new sets of duo props, new nav equipment, new gauges etc etc. B.o.a.t - Bring Out Another Thousand' as a splendid friend of mine who is an ex commander in the RN once said! :o)
Battery information, note this is in two messages as it's too long for one. Batteries on Boats.A totally flat battery will not recharge.Lead acid ok for cranking the engine.Gel lead acid for domestic use. Don’t use cranking, (car batteries) for the domestic services.Engine starter battery has a large surface area of thin plates, small discharge, rapid recovery, high crank amps., Domestic batteries have thick, heavy plates, slow, deep, discharge. Alternators.Use a marine grade battery to accept a high charging current and fast re-charging from a high output alternator. For yachts, Rule of thumb, 1/3rd., of battery capacity. i.e. 210 Ah in total capacity, use an 70A alternator. ( Note it is not usual for the cranking battery capacity to be considered for this calculation).With a Yanmar 2GM engine the maximum recommended alternator size is100A. Pulley size is important to allow the efficient transfer of power via the belt, use not less than a 2.5 inch pulley and a minimum of 50% belt wrap around the pulley is vital. Marine diesels are low revving so the alternator must provide the desired output at lower revs., than a car engine. Do not over tighten the belt, as this is the biggest single cause of alternator and water pump failure. The deflection of the drive belt on the longest length between the pulleys should be about 1 inch/2.5cm. Chargers.Car batteries are designed to be charged in 10 hours or so, a marine battery in 30 minutes.A non marine battery connected to a high output marine charger, the battery would boil.A 50 A alternator will need to run for about 1.5 hours to put 50Ah back into a battery.Use a marine (Smart or intelligent) charger for shore power of at least 10A, keep it on continually. To assess required charger the Rule of thumb is 10% to 25% of the capacity i.e. Using the 1/5th., rule 250 Ah, therefore use a 50 A charger. It is not advisable to go larger than 25% as it could damage the batteries.Fit a marine grade charger, preferably a “Smart” charger, this is a the stage (or intelligent) charger, which means that it can be left permanently connected to the batteries. When the batteries are fully charged it goes into a float condition and will not damage the batteries. Many automotive chargers give a constant charge which means that they cannot be left on permanently as they will boil the batteries, so calculate charge time and disconnect it at the end of that time period.Standard car chargers re-charge to 90% capacity in say 4 hours and require a further 6 hours to get to 100%. continued in second message
To test the remaining charge capacityBattery voltage compared to nominal charge remaining.Before measuring the battery voltage after a charging, isolate the battery for an hour or so and let it stabilise, then measure the voltage, using a DVM.100% is 12.7 volts at an SG of 1.265.75% is 12.4 volts at an SG of 1.22550% is 12.2 volts at an SG of 1.19025% is 12.0 volts at an SG of 1.155Discharged is 11.9 volts at an SG of 1.120Batteries last longer if they are not deeply discharge, particularly to the 50% level, use a solar panel or wind generator to keep them topped up. Lead acid Ah capacity is spread over 20 hours, i.e. 100Ah is 4 A for 20 hours.Age reduces capacity. If batteries read 50%/60% when charged, about 12.2 volts after stabilisation, they are on the way out.Simple test, fully charge battery, use a 40 W bulb which takes 3.33A measure number of hours to discharge to11V. e.g. say 10 hours times 3.33A equals 33Ah.Battery capacity should be twice the average consumption.Say a fridge takes 3A for 50% of the time e.g. 12 hours at 3A = 36A.Say other electrics take 15Ah per., day, lights, ‘phones etc., plus the fridge =50Ah, double it to 100Ah for a services battery, for prudence go to a 200Ah.Rating a battery.20 hour rate is checked at 20 deg., C. set drain current so that battery voltage falls to 10.5 Volts after 20 hours e.g. 4 A times 20 =80Ah.Reserve capacity.This is the time in minutes which a battery will supply 25A before voltage reaches 10.5 Volts.Cold cranking Amps., An engine requires battery with a high CCA, not the same as a high capacity, as required by a domestic battery.Cycling, a means of measuring a batteries life.Deep-Discharge. How a battery copes with a deep discharge of 50% at 12.2V.Chargers should be marine grade and1/5th., of total battery capacity.Examples:-A Lucas 16ACR has a max., output of 34A.Say crank battery is 100Ah. Domestics are 80Ah times two =160Ah say discharged to 50% therefore alternator ahs to replace e 80A divided by 34A = 2.5 hours times 1.5 hours = about 4 hours to get battery to 90% if in good condition.Total capacity is 260Ah therefore marine charger should be 1/5th., equals 52A.Alternator should be 1/3rd., i.e. 90A. Use a battery management system and a battery monitor with a current shunt showing % of charge remaining, battery volts and current drain.With batteries you get what you pay for.
Battery management systems. I installed a unit made by "Adverc" of Wolverhampton see www.adverc.co.uk e mail techsales@adverc.co.uk . British made, A simple black box, no fancy flashing lights which operates in parallel with the alternator's internal field control, so if the device fails it can be unplugged and returned for testing with no adverse effect on the original system. A fault is unlikely as Adverc offer a 5 year warranty. Excelent support from the staff. I suggest that battery wiring is carefully checked as I found that wires had been taken off the batteries without fusing and that the +ve and -ve isolating switches did not isolate due to incorrect and unsafe wiring. As an aside any anchor winch should be supplied from the engine battery, not the domestics, and the engine should be run when using the winch.
Buy a cheap digital voltmeter from Maplin, from about £6.00.
If a battery management unit is installed make sure that there is virtually zero volt drop from the negative terminal of the alternator to the battery negative, it should be preferably zero but no more than 0.1 volts. The battery management system can only compensate for losses in the positive cables, not the negative, as I found out recently to my cost. The battery wirng on my boat had a negative earth lead about 3 metres long and a number of joints, plus an isolator, before connecting to the engine. 0.6 volts were dropped across this arrangement so the alternator output appeard too low when measured from the batteyr negative to the alternator output terminal, it did not go above 14 volts. I have now corrected this problem with a very short earth braid from battery negative to the engine and removed all the unnecessary teminations and overlong cables. I removed the isolator in the negative cable to the engine, the isolator now only isolates the negative to the services. There is of course still an isolator in the postive battery cable.
Are possible 100 pcs in 1 square meter, =~~ 1 KW one meter.....
[/quote] If accept , so one "cake" are height 2 cm (magnets 1 cm and coil 1 cm) it gives 1 WATT ,100 cm length 50 pcs cakes oscillating dynamo it give 50 WATT.
are possible 100 pcs in 1 square meter, =~~ 5 KW one meter...
I have a sterling regulator and it has been very good at dumping charge into my battery when I use the engine. Although you can use maintenance free batteries, Sterling recommend you use a large free-venting (non-maintenance free) battery which can be topped up regularly with distilled water. Despite this, I'm using a maintenance free Bosch texxmax battery 175Ahr (used for lorries) and it's been treated fine by the charger. I was doubtious at first since I fitted the Stirling a month before my previous (leisure) battery died, losing a cell! This looks, now, as though it was a coincidence.
I live aboard, so my battery gets cycled regularly, and is constantly charged via solar panel and wind genny, however the Sterling gives a notable improvement to charging rates when using my 60A alternator.
I fitted a Sterling alternator regulator three years ago and on many occasions have been known to say “that’s one of the best things I’ve ever bought”! My boating consists mainly of trips inland, with probably no more than three hours each day with the engine running and the rest of the time at a mooring using several battery powered items including a fridge and tv. I estimate I take around forty amp-hours from my power supply before my engine is restarted and my standard charging arrangement could never replace this during my periods of motoring each day and called for many hours of mains charging back at my home mooring. The excellent Stirling product has my batteries topped up in little more than one hour. There are some who say the fierce charging rate ,, is harmful to a battery causing buckled plates and overheating but I strongly disagree with this. I subscribe to the theory that a high charge is beneficial to a battery by loosening some of the harmful deposits which accumulate on the plates and which to my mind are caused by the trickle charge. I will add that the unit has a heat sensor anyway and when activated will revert the operation back to the standard charging mode.
Think that you should first of all decide if you need such items-the same for solar panels etc. and that is dependant on kind of sailing you do-power;motorsailing;pure sail-likewise whether live aboard or just weekend sailor .
If you have low power useage like myself then as I said elsewhere traditional lead acid batteries whether starter or deep cycling are not expensive if you go to a specialist supplier-about £60 for a 120ah.-and before I hear about spillage,gell batteries etc. I have never known lead acid batteries to leak on boats;off road;on tractors;plant etc.
My 120ah starter battery takes a max. of 10 secs in winter to preheat my 40 hp engine and start it. My ammeter and voltmeters read full charge no more than 30 mins after starting and that is usually the amount of time it takes to get under way out of harms way and set the sails.
I run on three batteries;split charged with one dedicated to the engine;Usaege for me during the day are instruments and radio on standby which take hardly any power and my autopilot if I need to use it(my boat will sail a straight line on its own). In the evening the pressurised H and C for a shower(use the handpump during the day) and lighting for a short period of time. But as I said elsewhere I sail in northern lattitudes in the summer with long days and cold water!-beer stored against the hull below the water line remains cool even on a hot summer day.
Of course its different if you live aboard;cruise the med. etc but in most cases a well set up engine;a good powerful battery set up and powerful alternator is what in my opinion must come first-then go for the extras.
Personally prefer to spend the money on extra sails and the like!
Well one thing this discussion has done is that it has led me to wonder what kind of alternator I have fitted-why-because it does seem to charge my system very fast!-just another thing to do this winter!
Thanks for everyones' very useful comments and experience. In the end I purchased a NASA battery monitor BM1 and found (to my surprise) that I don't really use much juice. I really like the battery monitor which monitors the house battery only - it takes all the guesswork out.
Am I alone in being completely baffled by the posts from Andrew Feliks? It's probably all good stuff, but what does it have to do with alternator regulators?
