Quote Originally Posted by Yendor View Post
If your going to run accessories you will need to fit a battery, so you might as well make it a decent size one.

The alternator might self excite but you will need to find the sweet spot in the RPM. This could be a bit hit and miss so I would recommend connecting up the exciter/warning light circuit. You can just connect this to positive (no warning light) but I would use a warning light. If you do just connect it to positive it will still need to be via a switch or it will flatten the battery when the alternator is not running.

Just connect the sense wire to the B+ terminal on the back of the alternator.
Thanx mate..but..

Alternator stator winding need the field winding(magnet) to generate electricity out of the stator winding.
Then without a battery to initially turn the field winding into a magnet it apparently won't work?
But, once the stator winding started generating electricity, it can feedback to the field winding and feed each other?

So, it it essential to have a battery connected to the field winding, at least for a fraction of a second to generate electricity out of the stator winding?

Does it work in theory?! I mean like chicken or the egg first sort of situation(which obviously I don't have to understand, but would love to ).
Is possible by wiring up an alternator to self excite by connecting the trigger wire to B+?!!
If I understood you correctly above, it's possible, provided I work out the proper RPM spot for that by experimenting?

I understand that without a battery, alternator B+ output voltage won't be smooth(battery function as a capacitor to smooth the alternator's pulsed DC output?).
So, if I'm to use an inverter, it would be a good idea to make alternator's output is smooth by connecting a battery to B+?!!
And that would also apply to many 12V appliances as well.

The only issue with using a decent size battery in the unit is that it would make it heavy. But, of course, the battery doesn't need
to be attached/fitted to the generator.