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jmitch

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Posts posted by jmitch

  1. This is from Nathan at XS power about your question.

    We recommend charging at 16.8v for the 14v batts. 15.9v will work, but not as efficiently as 16.5-16.8v. Also, your have to consider that the amperage of your alt and the current draw of your system will determine how long your voltage holds strong. If you have a 100A alt, and your system only draws 95A, then your alternator output voltage will hold steady at whatever voltage the regulator is set to charge at. Lets say for argument's sake that it was set at 14.4 for a 12v system. Once you exceed 100A of draw, your voltage falls to battery voltage (12.8v for a fully charged 12v battery). How far your voltage falls beyond that is determined by how many batteries you have and how much current you are pulling.

    Using your example above, if your batts are fully charged (14v batts will be at 15.1v) and your alt is producing 100A at 16v, then if you only pound on it for 5-10 sec then the voltage is going to drop while you beat, and the voltage will come back up as you let off the volume. When you stop the alt will have a chance to catch up and bring the voltage back up. The VCM is not a magical tool that somehow holds your voltage steady all the time. The voltage will drop if you exceed the alts capabilities. Luckily the VCM displays exactly what is happening with your voltage so that you can see what is happening the minute your voltage drops.

    Works very well to help keep people from blowing up their alt, and to know when their system is performing to it's maximum capabilities!

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