Maximum Field Current for Delco 10SI Alternator?

 Thanks to many people here I finally understand how to get a 12 volt
alternator to produce over 60 volts!  I made a crude field control resistor
from some NiChrome wire and, powered by a 4 HP engine it is doing a fine job
of charging my 48 volt battery bank.  I am, however, reluctant to connect
the output of the alternator directly to the field rotor without some
resistance inbetween.  Will it damage the field coils if I give it full
power?  It stll has the internal, original diodes in there so I'm not going
to try it quite yet in any case.  The doides are holding up fine at about 30
amps @ 51 VDC but I suspect they are at their limit.  That's about the limit
of 4 HP anyway.

  I going to guess its around 4amps.
Is the 10si a 60 or 100amp animal?

Cheers

 

It's the 60 amp (I think it's rated at 63 amps) critter.


resistor

connect

about 30

 

Yea, it seems to be around 5-6amp for full output, 65amp. My CS-130 (100amp)
requires 10 amp on the field for 100A out. Thus
90% of the output is produced by mechanical energy.



Hope that helps.

Cheers

 

I do not know the ratings or limits but these alternators have been adapted
successfully in cars and trucks to generate 120 VDC for power tools. I seem
to remember that the field was supplied directly from the 12V car battery.
Somewhere I have an adapter box sold commercially for this purpose.

Don Young