Has anyone used a voltage regulator from a old car as a charge controller? In theory it should regulate the voltage from the alternator to the 12v accessories to keep them from burning out.
The alternator regulators work in a totally different way; they vary the small amount of field current that goes into the armature windings, which varies the voltage output from the stator windings to keep the voltage at the right level.
Agreed, the vehicle alternator regulator is unsuitable for wind generation requirements.
The best way to regulate any over voltage is to connect a wind generator to a battery. The battery will take care with any over voltage until it is fully charged.(within reason)
It is at this point, when the battery is reaching its full capacity that some kind of control is needed to avoid boiling the battery. Ghurds DIY charge controller would do the job nicely for low power generators - 100 watt or less.
Old voltage regulator vs charge controller
Posted - 02/01/2008 : 20:39:15
