A vehicle’s battery is considered as the heart of the vehicle’s electrical system.
Being the heart of the system gives it a lot of tasks. First, the battery must
supply electrical power to the engine starting unit so that the vehicle would
start moving. Then, it must provide electrical power to all other electrical components
in the vehicle, including the fuel injectors, the distributor, the various management
computers that the vehicle is equipped with, and the all the electronic accessories
installed inside the vehicle’s cab. No wonder, it would be a big problem if the
vehicle’s battery would lose charge.
But do you know that the vehicle’s battery rely on yet another vehicle component
for its power? For the battery to be able to provide electrical power to the various
electrical and electronic components of the vehicle, it must be charged properly.
And for this charging function, the battery needs the
alternator.
An alternator is a generator that produces alternating current (thus the name
alternator) by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Alternators
have a wide range of application but they are more popularly used for vehicles.
The main function of the alternator is to charge the battery and to power all
electrical and electronic components of the vehicle while the engine is running.
Automotive alternators are made up of four basic parts: the stator, the rotor,
the diode packs or bridges, and the voltage regulator. These parts are aside from
the alternator belt and pulley that connects the alternator to the engine. The
rotor is basically a rotating magnet, set into motion by the engine through the
alternator belt and pulley. The rotor turns inside the stator, which is a stationary
core of iron lying beneath loops of copper wires. The motion of the rotor inside
the stator creates alternating current, which is then converted to direct current
by the diode packs so that it can be used by the battery and other electrical
components installed in the vehicle. To oversee the voltage generation of the
alternator, a voltage regulator is employed.
Your vehicle’s alternator is a very important vehicle component. Without it,
your vehicle’s battery and all other electrical and electronic components installed
in it would simply be useless.
