DrunkenwhippeT

One thought I have in regards to local shops bench testing alternators... In order for an alternator to give a certain power output, it needs an equal power input. One horsepower is equal to 745.699872 watts. 745 watts at 14V is 53.2 ish amps. 200 amps at 14V is 2800 watts, or about 3.75 horsepower. This isn't taking into account losses in bearings and belt friction. I'm doubtful that the average bench test setup has an electric motor that can sustain nearly this much power output without tripping it's overload protection. I'm pretty new to the competition audio world, doesn't anyone run current shunts in their alternator outputs for monitoring? I see people run voltage meters, but never current. I'm not planning on competing, but I do plan to run one on my alt, and probably one on the battery too once I start a real build.