High Output Alternator

[ChrisJ]

And as per my memory lead acid batteries like to be floated around 2.3 volts per cell which means 13.8 for a 12V car battery.

This means 14.8 will cook the battery any time you take a long trip. There is a huge difference between charging a battery that needs charging and just keeping it topped off.

Sure, 14.8 is fine for people who never take long trips or who prefer to have 4KW (Again, typically a 12dB increase over 250W) at their disposal for bragging rights over the longevity of their battery but I wouldn't recommend it for the common Joe.


Also, 14.8V will absolutely shorten the life of lamps over 13.8V and anyone who tells you different is either ignorant or lying.

A lamp designed to be 55W @ 13.8V will be 63W @ 14.8V. That is 14% increase in output which means a noticeably shorter life.

SPLLTZ, I have no doubt that you know your stuff when it comes to building a loud system but I do have my doubts when it comes to your knowledge of electronics.

 

[NewZJ]

I'd just keep the stock pcm to prevent over volt and still have 200 amp for tunes

 

[ChrisJ]

If I was competing for SPL I would install a second alternator and run 3 phase out of it into a transformer. Step it up to 200 volt or so, rectify it, filter it and regulate it. Then I could drive an amp with it directly instead of using a SMPS in the amplifier. Could also run a hell of a lot smaller wire back to the trunk / hatch as it would only be 15 amps.


Just a weird idea I've had for over 10 years but have never done it.

 

[SPLLTZ]

Alright guys mike has contacted me with a price,

The alternators are 409.00 shipped with a minimum order of 5. If i can get 10 people who want one price would probably drop a slight bit more, but, i have a feeling im going to have a problem finding more than 5 homes lol!

Chris, like i said, take into consideration that that 14.8 isnt all the time esspecially if you externally regulate it, but i know my LED H11' bulbs i just stuck in have an operating range of 10V - 24V safely without dying

Most Halogen bulbs now days have 10V to 16V stability, but obviously the higher or lower you go the more harm to the bulb obviously

This is also taking into consideration that i run AGM batteries, (unfortunately still working on getting rid of the stocker up front while my xp3000's chill out in the spare tire well). Which are much much much stronger than a regular wetcell,

But again, take a DMM to your Chevy sonic's alt sometime, start the car, youll hangout around 14.8V for a few minutes, 14.6 and slowly it was fall down to 13's, and then to the 12's... Chevy knows that 14.8 is MAXIMUM for a 12V setup

Regardless i like constructive conversation, I am all open to learn new things along with teaching a few others some of the knowledge i have gained!

 

[NewZJ]

Sign me up for an alternator

 

[SPLLTZ]

Im sorry sonic007 but the battery is not made just to power the electronics while its on... that was the most ridiculous bit of information i have ever heard... What your really saying is your alternator does all of your work with your audio, which again is incorrect because you car ties up 40 percent of that alt at all times anyways, so your lovely 100A alt became 60A after electronics, 60A X 12V is tops of 720 Watts (this isnt even including efficiency into the equation which judging by your set up the amplifier is a solid 50 percent efficient.

anyways, how are you the lead tech and misleading people to believe your alternator does all the work while driving?
the battery is there for more than just starting your car, take the battery out sometime after you start it and drive around, let me know how that works out for you

 

[SPLLTZ]

NEWJz can you pm me your info on your sonic, year engine etc? Name etc... that way i can keep things straight when doing this

 

[ChrisJ]

Im sorry sonic007 but the battery is not made just to power the electronics while its on... that was the most ridiculous bit of information i have ever heard... What your really saying is your alternator does all of your work with your audio, which again is incorrect because you car ties up 40 percent of that alt at all times anyways, so your lovely 100A alt became 60A after electronics, 60A X 12V is tops of 720 Watts (this isnt even including efficiency into the equation which judging by your set up the amplifier is a solid 50 percent efficient.

anyways, how are you the lead tech and misleading people to believe your alternator does all the work while driving?
the battery is there for more than just starting your car, take the battery out sometime after you start it and drive around, let me know how that works out for you

For the most part normal people without a 4kW amp should be able to drive around without a battery. Any time you see a voltage even slightly above the battery voltage that means the alternator is powering everything. If you have the A/C running and the blower on high chances are if you go to put a window down you'll need the battery to take up the slack though especially if you're stopped idling. The battery is definitely often used as a buffer.

This was the alternator's biggest advantage over DC generators back in the day. Our model A runs discharging the battery whenever it idles.

 

[laborsmith]

The reason for preferring 150-160 over 200 is I suspect at 200 the alternator will whistle when demand is high due to less space for cooling. On the other hand I am finding the oem alternator seems to need battery power supplement particularly when using BringGo with cell plugged into the aux power and rock music going through the sub woofer. Fogs and cruise control with all the above demands a fast idle with lights and radio turned off to recharge the battery.

Battery, starter and alternator all passed the AutoZone tester.

Does Singer make the exchange for additional cost? I would prefer to drive there and have it done if possible.


Laborsmith

 

[ScarabEpic22]

After the initial order/GB of 5, will he still offer these as a 1-off (for additional $$ I can only assume)? Dont need it now, but probably in ~4 months I will.

 

[fieldhouse]

I may be interested... Looks like my amp will have a max draw of 110A.

How does this work? Does he ship a re-fabbed alternator and then you send back the original for core deposit?

 

[laborsmith]

Bumped for an update.

Laborsmith

 

[Paradox]

Hey guys,
just saw you guys are going to Singer Alternators for an alternator. I actually bought one from him about 8 months ago... He said that with our crankshaft pulley was too small and even with an overdrive pulley at warm idle(700 rpm) there actually would be a negative draw on the system. So I had to bump my idle to 900 rpm. Unless he has found out a way to overcome this, we ran into a few problems initially at the build stage as I was the first Sonic customer, but all got resolved, and all is awesome now. The stats on mine are
Cold max amps: 205 Amps
Hot max amps: 197 Amps
Idle High: 142 Amps
Idle Low: 115 Amps

*THIS is for the 1.8L engine*

 

[Paradox]

I may be interested... Looks like my amp will have a max draw of 110A.

How does this work? Does he ship a re-fabbed alternator and then you send back the original for core deposit?

When I purchased it, he had cases, so you keep your stock alternator and he ships you the new modified one. At least in my case.

 

[Devinnc04]

Wondering if I would need a better alternator

I have a jensen 600 watt max 350 rms amp with 8 gauge positive and ground wire should I upgrade anything?

 

[mcanderson0]

Paradox,

I have the 1.8 also. I plan on running around 300A with my sound system (currently about 200A in short stints, but in its Final Form, 300A).

Mechman Alternators no-quoted me very quickly. I think they make enough money on Tahoes and SUVs equipped for MAX SPL.

So I reached out to Mike Singer. He is slow to reply to emails, but is open and very helpful.

I have a 6" crank pulley. Does your model also have the 6" crank pulley?

Also, what belt did you go with? Mike mentioned I will need a shorter one, but wouldnt give me an exact answer on how much smaller. I am cautious to buy the Alt without knowing what size belt I should run.

One more: did you adjust your idle RPM via a tuner (I have Trifecta) or cant you adjust it on your own?

Thanks for the input! Dropping $450-500 on this item is a bit painful, but completely necessary with the serious sound I'm planning.

 

[mja]

Does someone have Mike Singer's email or business phone?

I tried going to his website, but it's not working on my browser.

Thank you.

Edit: Sales@SingerAlternators.com

 

[2014 Blue RS]

There's a shop by my house that builds and rebuilds alternators among other things. Made one for my Cougar project.

VehicleElectricalSupply.com 951-375-7957

Website says:
VES is a fully qualified rebuilder of rotating electrical components.

 

[mja]

There's a shop by my house that builds and rebuilds alternators among other things. Made one for my Cougar project.

VehicleElectricalSupply.com 951-375-7957

Website says:
VES is a fully qualified rebuilder of rotating electrical components.

Thank you, I'll talk to them and see what they say.

 

[HotBoxer]

I was going to look into getting a capacitor to stop my lights from fading when ABS/TC kicks in, which happens a lot in winter so my headlights are always flickering when I'm coming to a stop.

After reading this thread I'm not so sure...
What would I need just to stop the lights from fading? Audio system is all stock