Tested: power draw of Geo Metro accessories & systems (volts, current/amps, watts)
Inspired by Tim's own investigation of his Paseo ... and his constant, incessant bugging me about how much power I thought it took from the battery and/or alternator to run my Pontiac Firefly (Geo Metro)...
Some good to know basic research. I was genuinely surprised how little power it takes to run the engine (no accessories on). Voltage measured at the battery. Amps measured in a jury-rigged circuit with a multimeter inside the car. Volts x Amps = Watts. To start the engine for the engine-on readings without blowing the 10A fuses in the multimeter, I roll started it. Code:
Watts ... item |
At least that incessant bugging is good for something. :D
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well... you can add all that up, divide by the system voltage (14v? depends on alternator), and figure out the minimum Amp draw on your alternator... sometimes it pays (a lot in my case) to find a better higher-Amp alternator as it will put less drag on the engine.
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Wait... does this mean that like... 60 watts of electrical power are significant??
Surely we can jerry rig up some method of providing such a tiny amount of power so that I could completely remove my alternator and still be self sufficient without charging? by my rough estimation, 200 watts of juice would be more then enough to keep you afloat under most circumstances... -Steve |
well... most batteries aren't deep-cycle, so they tend to not fully recharge if run down completely.
Watts = amps * volts watts / volts = amps Batteries have a rating in AH (amps * hours) but most of them time they aren't "defined" unless they are specialty batteries 200/12.7 = 15.75 amps but as voltage decreases, so theoretically does the Amps consumed to produce the same amount of work. if the battery voltage drops to: 12v = 16.667 Amps 11.5v = 17.4 11v = 18.2 as the voltage lowers, the life on the battery charge will get lower faster and faster as components attempt to continually draw the same number of Amps... |
so... 60 watts at idle, is that just the engine running (ECU, Ignition, Fuel pump, etc) and nothing else? 5 amps is surprisingly low
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Yes, 60 watts just to run the engine, with the alternator electrically disconnected.
I was also surprised it was that low. |
The Geo has a very small engine so its got less draw. Its also an eco car from the start(or ecobox if you prefer).
A car more mainstream(read wasted design parameters) will use more juice for every one of these functions. The engine draws are likely 2x as much for most cars(4-6 cylinders obviously being about 1.75 for the 4s and 2.2ish for the 6s). The convenient when available answer is sunlight. Downside is panels are expensive. Its about 5-600 bucks for a panel that can outrun the alt. Also if its interior the glass dampens the draw of a panel and if its outside its likely damaging the airflow and its very likely to get stolen(solar panels for alot of applications are designed to break before the mounts, our local police lose 1-2 panels a year(50,000 population)). I'm aiming for this idea atm because I am looking at going solar for my house(instead of inverters I'm in the process of buying DC motors for virtually everything) and the panels are the dimensions of my trunk lid. I'm hoping to just be able to lift and drop it into the trunk when I get out and simply have the alt belt on a clutch(no removal no unnecessary belts or pulleys spinning and access to the alt if it gets dark or cloudy). |
Any dash light high/dash lights low measurements?
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