ALLENAIR45
Member
WHAT IS THE PREFERED ALTERNATOR FOR A RV-7 WITH A LYC 0-360(180 HP.)PLEASE INCLUDE MODEL INFO.
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Van's Air Force
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Preferred alternator
- Thread starter ALLENAIR45
- Start date
Walt
Well Known Member
Agree, the 40 amp unit works perfect for me.
LifeofReiley
Well Known Member
A search here in the Forums shows Plane Power has had their issues.
LifeofReiley
Well Known Member
Dick sells the Internal and External Regulated with all the brackets etc you need. http://www.airtecinc.us/aircraft/index.html
There you have it - complete consensus!! 
They all work pretty well, they all have had problems, but none of them are to be avoided.
They all work pretty well, they all have had problems, but none of them are to be avoided.
blueflyer
Well Known Member
If you want one of Dicks, I have one of his 60Amp, internally regulated alternator's sitting on my shelf. Its never been installed. I bought a Lycoming 0-360 from Dick and this alternator came with it. I took it off and put on a B&C 60 amp externally regulated alternator.
I'll sell you mine for 50% of whatever Dick has his priced at. I hate to see it just sit on my shelf and go to waste.....and I'll never use it.
If you are interested, shoot me a PM or email.
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cbo111
Active Member
A while back I thought I was having problems with my Plane Power Alt (turned out to be a fuse on the bus). I sent the alternator in and within 2 days the company reported no problems with the unit. Even though it was way out of warranty, the Plane Power tech cleaned it up, refreshed it with some new parts and overnight shipped it back to me free of charge. Not a lot of vendors will do that.
Cbo
Cbo
After re-reading the description, I noticed the internal regulator. It isn't going to work for me. Sorry
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Taildrgr
Well Known Member
Plane Power was recently purchased by Hartzell Engine Technologies.
I have the PP 60A supplied by Van's in the FWF kit. Not flying yet, but the internal regulator made the wiring very easy.
http://www.plane-power.com/news_7-29-2014.htm
I have the PP 60A supplied by Van's in the FWF kit. Not flying yet, but the internal regulator made the wiring very easy.
http://www.plane-power.com/news_7-29-2014.htm
BillL
Well Known Member
There are some good comments here about alternators.
First determine what amperage you might need, full IFR, day vfr, LED lighting, etc have an effect, You can see the range of usage from 40-60amps.
Second, voltage limiting circuit, commonly called a "crow bar". So called, as it is like throwing a crow bar across the terminals and it will deliberately blow the field supply 5 amp fuse. It will prevent damage to glass panel and battery. It typically set at 16.7 volts. I don't know if it has a time delay.
Third - internal vs external regulator, Lots of different opinions based on the experiences of failure and pain getting replaced or locating a replacement part. You will have to wrestle with that. Either internal or external can use the voltage limiting. A separate unit can be purchased from B&C.
Fourth - cooling - that is another variable subject. There is a point where the electronics, diodes etc, will fail. While they all have internal fans, exposure to exhaust or hot air is a factor. The largest factor affecting life in a developed alternator/regulator is probably the temperature. Many cool with a blast tube and many do not, both have been successful for many hours of fun.
Well, there you have a summary of many hours of VAF, and what you will have to decide for yourself.
FWIW - I have the Plane Power, 60A, internal regulated and with crowbar circuit. I will measure temps to see if a blast tube is needed, although PP says it is not required/recommended. I did not select it because I am smart or have experience, VANS sells it with FWF kit, so I got it. For me, a "crowbar" is a must for my glass investment and IFR.
First determine what amperage you might need, full IFR, day vfr, LED lighting, etc have an effect, You can see the range of usage from 40-60amps.
Second, voltage limiting circuit, commonly called a "crow bar". So called, as it is like throwing a crow bar across the terminals and it will deliberately blow the field supply 5 amp fuse. It will prevent damage to glass panel and battery. It typically set at 16.7 volts. I don't know if it has a time delay.
Third - internal vs external regulator, Lots of different opinions based on the experiences of failure and pain getting replaced or locating a replacement part. You will have to wrestle with that. Either internal or external can use the voltage limiting. A separate unit can be purchased from B&C.
Fourth - cooling - that is another variable subject. There is a point where the electronics, diodes etc, will fail. While they all have internal fans, exposure to exhaust or hot air is a factor. The largest factor affecting life in a developed alternator/regulator is probably the temperature. Many cool with a blast tube and many do not, both have been successful for many hours of fun.
Well, there you have a summary of many hours of VAF, and what you will have to decide for yourself.
FWIW - I have the Plane Power, 60A, internal regulated and with crowbar circuit. I will measure temps to see if a blast tube is needed, although PP says it is not required/recommended. I did not select it because I am smart or have experience, VANS sells it with FWF kit, so I got it. For me, a "crowbar" is a must for my glass investment and IFR.
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Canadian_JOY
Well Known Member
To expand a bit on Bill's post above, the crowbar over-voltage protection typically does not have a time delay. It is a semi-conductor device (some are as simple as a zener diode) which has a fairly sharp "knee" voltage where the device transitions from being nearly a total non-conductor to being very close to a short circuit.
The intent of the over voltage protection is to ensure that, should something (anything) go wrong with your alternator, the o.v. module will take the alternator off-line so as to prevent the aircraft buss voltage from rising above a set voltage point (16.7V is a common design criteria). This helps prevent our expensive electronics from getting fried.
One point to mention is that, if your alternator field CB pops because the over-voltage module has done its job, don't reset that field CB. In some cases the forward current required to be conducted by the O.V. device is sufficient that it gets fried in the process and won't provide protection for a second O.V. event. I've seen this first-hand where the O.V. device was a zener diode, buried in the aircraft wiring of a certificated aircraft. Once I found the device I discovered it had literally popped open and was in two pieces (plus a bunch of black powder). Had the owner pushed the alternator field CB in again, there would have been a LOT of smoke emitted by the avionics. That smoke is expensive stuff...
The intent of the over voltage protection is to ensure that, should something (anything) go wrong with your alternator, the o.v. module will take the alternator off-line so as to prevent the aircraft buss voltage from rising above a set voltage point (16.7V is a common design criteria). This helps prevent our expensive electronics from getting fried.
One point to mention is that, if your alternator field CB pops because the over-voltage module has done its job, don't reset that field CB. In some cases the forward current required to be conducted by the O.V. device is sufficient that it gets fried in the process and won't provide protection for a second O.V. event. I've seen this first-hand where the O.V. device was a zener diode, buried in the aircraft wiring of a certificated aircraft. Once I found the device I discovered it had literally popped open and was in two pieces (plus a bunch of black powder). Had the owner pushed the alternator field CB in again, there would have been a LOT of smoke emitted by the avionics. That smoke is expensive stuff...
One option that is rarely mentioned, is to purchase a commonly-available automotive alternator (Samurai or '80's vintage Civic are common) and modify it for external regulation. Buy a B&C regulator with crowbar built in, and you have the reliability of external regulation with the convenience of being able to change out an alternator on the road from any auto parts store. There's also the option of buying a much cheaper Ford external regulator and adding a B&C (or building your own) crowbar module for the same protection.
The alternator modification is not difficult, and there are several references here on VAF as to how it is done. Plus you'll learn a lot about alternators, which will better prepare you to troubleshoot and repair when the time comes.
Edit: With all the good discussion about the "crowbar" device, this is what happens to the Odyssey battery at 18V. A failed voltage regulator without crowbar can go much higher - enough to fry some very expensive electronic equipment.
The alternator modification is not difficult, and there are several references here on VAF as to how it is done. Plus you'll learn a lot about alternators, which will better prepare you to troubleshoot and repair when the time comes.
Edit: With all the good discussion about the "crowbar" device, this is what happens to the Odyssey battery at 18V. A failed voltage regulator without crowbar can go much higher - enough to fry some very expensive electronic equipment.
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Captain_John
Well Known Member
