prophet@umcp-cs.UUCP (Dennis Gibbs) (09/27/84)
<> > 10-20 Amps from an alternator? I'd say *at least* 30, for > an old car, and more like 50-70 for a newer one. > Snoopy I think what you failed to get from my original posting was that the "mechanic" in question tested the amperage in the circuit when the battery was fully charged, the engine was idling, and there were NO electrical accessories on. In this case, 10-20 amps is fine, because if it were putting out more, the battery would likely overcharge and leak acid everywhere. Sure, when the battery's state of charge is low, or when there are lots of electrical accessories on, the amperage should be higher, as you noted. Dennis Gibbs -- Call-Me: Dennis Gibbs, Univ. of Md. Comp. Sci. Center. UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!prophet CSNet: prophet@umcp-cs BITNET: GIBBS@UMDB ARPA: prophet@Maryland