Quote:
Originally Posted by VetteVet
Hello Andy, how are you.
since you quoted me I'll return the favor. As you know there will be voltage drops in the circuit downstream from the alternator that could be as high as 2 volts. Fortunately if the alternator is properly wired as yours and many others on the forums are, the alternator will compensate for that. It's output should always be higher than the battery voltage or it wouldn't be able to charge the battery or maintain the draw on the system. VV
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Aye, and there's the rub - it's that differential that the alternator is trying to make up from it's end that I'd like to capture and display.
Just like hydraulic pressure is the same everywhere in a closed system but varies once you start opening things, electrical voltage (like a pressure) is the same everywhere in a static circuit but varies when there are current drains (loads) open.
You could be 12V at the lighter socket and 15V at the back of the alternator, at least with a 3-wire alternator. But I actually don't know if the differences get anywhere near that large, that's what I need to test yet.