thank you Steve
I’m guessing both alternators can be used eventually. The leece-Neville involves additional costs (parts …) and the Motocraft involves the installation of an external regulator ?
since the leece neville has a regulator i would like to plug it in to test it. but I only see the two + and - terminals on the alternator. Is there a regulator power terminal that I cannot see?
Thierry I am a firm believer that what you currently own should be 2x, 3x valued over what you would have to buy out.
Either one of these units will work fine.
Expenses to get then mounted and working becomes then the deciding factors.
For best outputs and longest life’s they need to be spun a minimum of 4000 RPM. Can be spun long term up to 6000 RPM. Intermitted spun up to 8-9000 RPM.
So . . . . pulley ratios . . . see. Costs probably to get this. Bigger on the engine driving end. Smaller on the alt driven end.
Could cost more for a useable pulley for the L.N. than a regulator and harness for the Motocraft.
Then how your engine forces you to mount them.
Better stick with conventional horizontal shaft mounting with the Motorcraft. It only has one ballbearing.
The L.N. could be mounted shaft vertical having two ball beatings.
You will need the RPM for the pulled through from the back out the front fan cooling air.
Fans with blades straight out from the shaft are bi-directional.
Angled fan blades are biased best for one directional. Poor flow spun backwards. Usually be CW viewing from the pulley side.
Now if you were asking me the best automotive/light truck units to buy for DYI, I would say the 90’s and later internal dual fan units from Nippon Denso and Motorcraft. The best balance of amps, life, weight and costs.
And their internal fans are single directional biased.
Ha! And a Chevy/GM truck lover would say internal fanned Delphi units. After the CS hybrid they then got back better. Got’em used - use them. Buy out? Sorry. These just cost more.
External voltage regulation give better battery bank control. For longer bank life’s.
But to get this. You have to become friends with you VOM. Your wire cutters and crimpers. And reading, understanding diagrams.
S.U.
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Hi steve
excuse the long delay, I had to be absent this week.
I tried to test my “leece neville” alternator today. I connected the two terminals of a battery to the two connections of the alternator and made the rotor spin with a drill. The voltage increased from 13v to 14.9v. Sounds okay to me, but is it normal that I don’t have a wire supplying the voltage regulator?
Thierry
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Yes Thierry,
That is correct for a Field-diode (diode-trio) type.
For marine/industrial/heavy equipment these can be quite a distance from the operator installed.
It MUST have a magnetized rotor metals to do this self energizing turning on.
And turn on is RPM dependent. You must have really got it spinning.
On a cranky running DIY engine self-exciter types can be a problem.
Then you’d want one like the Motocraft you could turn on and off as the engine is able to power spin it.
As I’d said the L.N. could be converted to a remote voltage regulator too.
S.U.
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Ahhhh Steve! Tugging on my heart strings! The chevy 3 wire has been good to me! Ya the internal fan kinda sucks …but I have so many spares kicking around for off grid projects…
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Steve I used my rere pneumatic drille to achieve high revolution
you mean i might have difficulty starting the motor ic because i can’t turn off the excitation of the rotor?
i want to use old 10hp snow blower tecumseh engine
this engine will run at low speed for less noise
I hope it will not be too difficult to start at the chargas
Thierry
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Yes.
As nice as the idea of a One-Wire alternator is . . .
or just a positive and negative terminal unit is . . .
Those extra system wires gives you command on and off control.
And having a battery voltage sensing input is priceless.
These other simplified systems can only sense alternator output voltage.
Cannot compensate for long wire runs. Or corrosion at terminal connections and a the battery terminal.
Leading to chronic undercharged battery.
This Transpo brand voltage regulator should have a small potentiometer screw head. Allows you to tweak up and down the output voltage set point.
S.U.
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I was wondering how well it would do with all it’s cons that Thierrys has in the pro column wired through my solar charge controller on a water wheel…
[quote=“SteveUnruh, post:168, topic:4352”]
Those extra system wires gives you command on and off control.
And having a battery voltage sensing input is priceless.
OK Steve. I would like to have an on / off switch, a charging light and an ammeter. Now I am looking for an external voltage regulator for my motocraft alternator. Can you still help me make the right choice of regulator? (I do not wish to modify my LN alternator)
Thierry
Yes.
To begin with someone boning out a 70’s thru early 80’s Ford pickup, Bronco or full sized car.
Offer $20. bucks if they let you cut out the harness from the alternator across the engine bay to the factory voltage regulator. Get the harness plug ends and all. And every thing attached like the starter relay. Get the voltage regulator too for sure.
I have one spare set-up I got this way.
And two now parked pickups with these.
None of this has any full vehicle crunched/shredded scrap value.
Trying to piece this out of a part store is odious. ONE hook up mistake and you’ll let the majic smoke out of something. Embarrassing.
Then a Haynes, or Clymer, or Chilton’s manual for the wiring diagram.
Later if you go big battry bank then maybe a good specialized three stage Marine voltage regulator. The better of these assume two engines, with two alternators to be controlled going into 2 battery banks.$$$.
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And once the magic smoke comes out due to angry pixies, you can’t get the smoke to go back in 
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Hi Steve
Thanks Steve for this suggestion. The main problem I anticipate is finding a donor vehicle. Here in eastern Quebec vehicles from the 70s and early 80s are very rare even in scrap yards.
I’m going to do some research, around here, to find these parts. Failing that, do you have a suggestion for the brand and years of vehicles fitted with the alternator that might suit me?
Thierry
Yes. The later model early 90’s and on, full sized Fords with the Motorcraft duel fan units.
And the same era in the Chrysler/Dodge line-up having the dual internal fan Denso brand of alternators.
All of these will be dual ball bearing units.
The Chrysler/Dodge specified units as external regulated. The regulator function pita INSTIDE the PCM. There are aftermarket regulator retrofit kits.
The Ford/Motorcraft units are piggyback regulated. You can use as-is. Or drop off the regulator brush holder units. Bone it out and convert to two terminal externally regulated.
The later model GM/Dephi dual internal fan units are just as durable and wattage capable.
But true internal voltage regulated. To convert to external regulated is to split the cases and very careful de-bone out the regulator from the unit and two wire extend out to two rear case added in insulated field terminals. A lot of work.
Of course I am talking North America.
Europe and there are common equivalent French and German late model dual internal fan alternators.
Same-same. You really want any of these used WITH the cut out wiring harnesses to get the factory weatherproof terminals.
I know of very, very few who will actually crimp; then solder; and then heat shrink seal terminal ends best way.
And trying to individual pin the tiny inset voltage regulator pins down inside an alternator well hole, is very, very hard. Hard to get the right female terminal ends from an auto part store. Hard to keep them insulated separated. And then very much then NOT plug and play; easy-pleasie unit swap out.
Which tiny wire went to which terminal? When you have 2-3-4 all of the same. The factory polarized plug solves this.
S.U.
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i’m thinking about building a new downdraft coal generator. But I can’t decide on the model, central nozzle, crown nozzle, double flute. Each of these options has their advantages and disadvantages.
1 The central nozzle tempts me but it is very exposed to extreme heat. I therefore fear for its duration and that the heat of the nozzle will comunicate with the coal in the hopper
2 The nozzle crown seems more durable (only the nozzles are exposed to extreme heat), but building a good crown is difficult
3 The double flutes seem easy to build but no one has tested them to date.
what did you tell me?
Thierry
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Hopefully I can get this double flute of mine plumbed into an engine for real “Rubber meets the Road” testing.
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Hi Trigaux , i think a lot will depend on what you are going to use this new charcoal gasifier on, and also how good your charcoal feed stock is .
If it for a generator or stationary engine i would go with a typical simple fire up draft with either a single nozzle or flute coming in from the side about 4 inches from the bottom , or for nice longer run times a 55 gallon drum on a stand with a single vertical nozzle , coming in from bottom of the drum i use a carbide nozzle that’s lasted well over 2 years now its simple and cheap , why over complicate when a simple fire will work for years and years with no messing around .
If on the other hand its for a truck /car mobile system then Kristijans system certainly works as does Don and Bob’s systems and are all talked about on here so you can read the ins and outs of what makes a good mobile gasifier .
The double flute is looking promising , but until its hooked up to a engine doing work we will not know for sure just how good a gas it will make .
Dave
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Hi sorry i just noticed you signed off as Thierry my mistake i do apologize at the top of your post your surname/Christian name is the other way round .
Dave
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I’m thinking about a bottom fed simple fire using the hexaloy nozzle like yours Dave. It seemed like it would have to be too elevated to have any decent size of hopper but then I thought about putting it on a frame that would allow it to pivot for access to the bottom. I have a suitable tank. I just have to convince myself I need another updraft, but I’m lazy and they are so easy to build.
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Yes please Tom , make another updraft and use that nozzle horizontally i wanna see if it will last as long as my one in the vertical updraft .
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