magnetos

 Along time ago in a land far away, WAAAAAy back when I was just a
young lad,there still some of the early automobiles left on the
streets that did not have batteries. They used magnetoes to supply
energy to the spark plugs and a mans strong arm to turn over the
engine. Now I need education. Can a magneto be used to charge a
battery and why not. Thank you one and all for any enlightenment you
can give me John,  carjo@nethere.com

  carjo@nethere.com wrote:


A magneto makes really high voltage, but not much current. It's great
for making a spark, but doesn't make enough volume of electricity
(amperage) to charge a battery.

It's like comparing a pressure washer with a tiny nozzle (great
pressure, very low volume) with an irrigation pipe (great volume, low
pressure).


mike

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   No, a magneto can't be used to directly charge a battery because it generates
AC.

   An ignition magneto is generally a very power device that makes a very brief
shot of very high voltage AC at a very low current for the express purpose of
making a spark.  To charge a battery, you would prefer to have continuous DC at
a much lower voltage and a much higher current.

Vaughn

 Vaughn Simon wrote:


All rotating generators or alternators make AC. In the case of
generators, a mechanical, rotating rectifier, called a commutator and
brushes makes the dc output. In an alternator, the dc is made by solid
state (diode) rectification.

The trick with a magneto is to time where in the generation cycle the
energy is sent to the spark plug, probably with adjustable points and a
moveable backing plate. The permanent magnets energize the primary
winding, with it's points. The secondary winding produces the high
voltage, low current.

Some good stuff here:
http://www.old-engine.com/maghma.htm




mike


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           'Think tanks cleaned cheap'

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   I also filter everything from a .cn server.

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 carjo@nethere.com wrote:

A magneto is a high voltage low current generator....generally still
used to fire spark plugs directly..as in aircraft....further explanation
here....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto_ (electrical)

Since charging a battery usually requires low voltage and a higher
current a dc generator is normally used.....a generator can be set
up to charge a battery using hand or foot power to operate...the
length of time it will take is generally dependent on the size of the
battery...this process is used in hand cranked flashlights and
radios....battery is charged by generator...and light or radio
operates for an extended period of time using battery....

hope helps....have fun.....sno