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Whilst waiting for the new dc-dc converter to arrive. I should probably think up how I am going to do the regenerative braking thing.
Ideally, we really only want the alternator turned on during a certain set of conditions:
1) The alternator is spinning.
and
2) We are slowing down.
I haven't really found out a great way to do this yet. Initially I was thinking that I would just take a signal from the brake lights. When the brake light would go on, the alternator would turn on. Unfortunately, this really doesn't actually ensure either of the two conditions are met. It simply means the brake is on. I could be sitting at a stop light, or starting the car on a hill. In both of those cases I don't really want the alternator to turn on. However, it does make enabling the alternator a simple affair. You get brake light signal, you turn on. Pretty easy. The complicated route would include watching the speed sensor to ensure you're actually slowing down, and probably watching the tach signal to make sure the engine is running. I really don't feel like doing all of that though haha.
So, for now, I think I am just going to hook it up to the brake light and see how that works. I can always tweak it in the future. But, if it works, there is no reason to make it more complicated.
As always, if you have suggestions I'm all ears!
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