Help me kill my alternator - it is stubborn and won't die

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by ratgreen

A 4 pole double throw switch would probably be the easiest option, one switch to disconnect all 4 wires.

You could put resistors in so that the double throw position grounds the 4 circuits through the resistors. I'm not sure that's what is needed, but there is no reason for the switch to be double throw otherwise.

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Another way is to get an extra OEM connector and plug it into the alt on one and and your car's wire harness's connector on the other. That way you do not cut wires on your car's harness.

That's the route I will go with my Acura. I bought an extra harness for a couple bucks on Ebay.

[Daox]

Alright, here is the proposed setup. Its pretty simple, the dc-dc converter, and a SPDT switch to flip flop signals from actual (normal alternator operation) to false (kill alternator output).

[California98Civic]

Looks smart, help the inexperienced understand. I assume the red represents the entire set of maybe four signal, power, and grpund wires going into the alt? Also, I found my thread on the switch for my car. Very detailed, and in some pleaces, like on page six, people show up with their own experiements and data:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post286419

[Daox]

The red wire is only one wire. It is the "S" wire or sense wire. The service manual says that if the sense wire goes above approximately 14.4V, the current to the field coils is shut off. So, I am using the dc-dc converter to send 15V to the sense wire.

[Daox]

Alright, the dc-dc converter seems to work great. I just installed and tested the circuit out. I made a quick little video that explains it fairly well I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs3fY1rx5Hs

[California98Civic]

You gonna want that switch inside the cabin, tho! Haha.

[Daox]

Haha, quite true. This is phase 1. I just want to get a quick setup to plug into the fuse holder and it'll be operational. With my Metro, I just disconnected the big battery wire. I installed a relay to be able to hook it back up, but I never wired power to the relay to turn it on. It was never an issue.

Phase 2 brings the wires into the cabin and I want to tie into the brake light to reactivate the alternator for a regen braking setup.

Phase 3 is modifying the sense signal even further to crank up the alternator output to get a bit more regen out of things.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Daox

Haha, quite true. This is phase 1. I just want to get a quick setup to plug into the fuse holder and it'll be operational. With my Metro, I just disconnected the big battery wire. I installed a relay to be able to hook it back up, but I never wired power to the relay to turn it on. It was never an issue.

Phase 2 brings the wires into the cabin and I want to tie into the brake light to reactivate the alternator for a regen braking setup.

Phase 3 is modifying the sense signal even further to crank up the alternator output to get a bit more regen out of things.

Cool. Add a phase four with capacitors to absorb the regen energy better than the lead acid battery can??

[Daox]

Perhaps, if I ever even get to phase 3! Plans are easier (and IMO funner) to make than doing the actual work haha. Just ask Darin all the hair brained stuff I've told him over the years.

I've been wanting to do the regen thing for a long time though, so I'll probably at least get that far. However, the returns greatly diminish after phase 1 of the project. Its more of a 'neat factor' kind of thing after that.

[Nedlom]

Funny enough, I've done the exact same thing to my car, but never noticed any real mpg difference from switching the alt.

I've got a switch in the cabin so I can manually switch the alt while I'm driving, so I'd switch off while accelerating or holding speed then back on while braking.

If I switch the alt off while idling the revs alter and load reduces, but if I switch while cruising at a steady speed displayed mpg drops very slightly (according to torque pro).

With the alt off my voltage drops pretty quickly, which made me wonder if the dc-dc converter was adding to the drain on the battery and effectively negating any gain, but I've got two dash cams and glow plugs burning away too... at this point I got bored and moved onto some other project...