SSL639 ~ THIS will change the way we live on BOATS!

[@redbird6310]

You know that alternator is putting out good when you see sparks flying upward from the top of the mast and everyone hair is standing on end and the baby starts giggling for no apparent reason and the parrots starts reciting OHMs law and when people on land start asking YOU for an extension cord.

[@patwalker9890]

When I added a supercharger to my car, I added an auto tensioner for the belt. Never too loose and never too tight. I'm sure you can rig one up in all that space.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

That is AMAZING.....I am going to BALMAR web page right now....Thanks Captain Rick Moore....Shoe🇺🇸

[@MJGruskin]

I have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to electrical equipment, but whatever makes you sail more efficiently and less costly I’m all for it. 👏👍

[@lorier9356]

Interesting video. Loved seeing Maddy and little Ricardo laughing and having fun. It's the simple things in life. 😊

[@scotterx9835]

Bloody unreal. I normally glaze over to electrical tech videos because i simply never understand it. Subscribed!! Finally, an awesome educator that can explain things to a dumb Aussie. Can't wait to binge watch Capt Rick. 10/10.

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Thanks mate, and welcome aboard!

[@waynehulen7416]

Enjoy your binge

[@LAP1050]

Capt Rick, always enjoy 👍 your installation videos. Glad to see that your new crew member can actually hold and turn a wrench 🔧. I’m in agreement with comments about the serpentine belt’s proper tensioning. You may want to perhaps ask Balmar for their recommended tension specs just to make sure, they may be in the installation literature, you know, the one we never read until after we’re done installing…🤪 One More Thing ☝️ I noticed that the sound insulation foil cover looked pretty deteriorated, with pieces flapping around. Again, you may want to replace that before one of those pieces gets sucked into some component. Besides with the new engine, the engine compartment would look nicer. Just something to add to the list of things to do, we’re always here to help. If I think 🤔 of something else, I’ll edit ✍️. You gotta love all the helpers…

[@svZia-Switch51]

Nice install and update on your new system. So many exciting things happening at the same time in power generation and power storage/management. If feels like the innovation curve for boat-specific capabilities is suddenly getting much steeper after decades of little to no innovation. Good stuff for us!

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Yes, that's for sure!

[@snoopstp4189]

An alternator should be, by design able to run at maximum output with out overheating, if you have a heat problem it's probably because your engine room in on fire. You can add variable resistance to reduce current or even a switch to open the circuit entirely but the alternator, as long as it's turning is still TRYING to generate current. "Draw load" is not really an issue as you cant over draw current from the alternator. In some larger, much hotter environments, clutches are used to allow the alternator to turn slower but again that shouldnt be an issue for you ever.

[@thomaslemay8817]

I have been amazed my entire life my the number of people who use a technology every day yet they don't understand how it works or even what the dangers are associated with it .It is nice to see someone like you who is an exception to the rule.

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Thanks so much Thomas!

[@johnmcdevitt3683]

Glad you moved up to 48V. Interested in seeing that operation. Keep up the excellent work and keep feeding the little one

[@pinduckyfarms4748]

as an electric motor mechanic i am glad to hear some one talking ohms laws and watts laws. higher voltage less current is the way to be.

[@aday1637]

By the way, Rick, better to have the belt a bit loose as long as it grips okay. Less bearing wear. I've serviced 10's of thousands of motor belts over the years and I do speak from experience. Those bearings really take a beating with side tension too great. The field wiring in that cable is 12 volts. The ratio is set up to produce the 48 volt by sensing the 12 volt field while running. The output (48v) wire is the actual lead from the generation side of the generator. The voltage regulator maintains the field voltage so the output side remains fairly constant. The voltage regulator can adjust the field as the draw on the generation side goes up or down to maintain relatively constant voltage.

[@heaven-is-real]

Thanks 👍To you and Captain Rick... I never thought about what happens when it is loaded down.

[@Braap250]

@captainrick the belt should only right enough to avoid slipping. You will burn your bearings out making it that tight to avoid the belt "flutter".

[@mikegoodman447]

Suggest having those machined pulleys balanced. That's a lot of unbalanced weight and load being subjected to a small crank. Then as a final touch dial them in with a dial indicator on the engine. You will be surprised at how well the belt will stabilize and how the pulleys seem to be sitting still while running.

[@willykanos1044]

There are threee problems with your installation: 1. The engine is enclosed under the stairs and the cockpit. The higher output alternator will produce a LOT more heat than the factory alternator did. Heat destroys alternator diodes. You will need extras from Balmar. No regular alternator shop has replacements. You need to engineer additional cooling into and out of your engine compartment. Both in and out. Replacing diodes is not difficult but do not try to solder the connections. The heat will unsolder them. 2. A 100 amp or larger alternator needs double V-belts. 3. I tried Balmar's high-tech regulators but when they fail - and they will - you need backups. I eventually went to automotinve two stage regulatore because you can get them anywhere and they cost less than $10... Don't lose the old alternator. You will need it.

[@jonathanbuzzard1376]

Your electronics foo has failed you. He has moved from 12V to a 48V system, so for the same power the current has dropped to a quarter of the 12V system. The heat in a diode comes from the forward voltage drop which is basically constant regardless of the power draw. For reference this is the major power loss in the a power supply. Power is P=VI and as the forward voltage drop is a constant and the current has dropped the power loss drops too, and thus the heat you need to get rid of. You could probably totally eliminate failure by switching to GaN diodes (I would expect that to be pricey though), or move to active rectifiers and more or less eliminate the forward voltage drop and thus heat. Given the price of fuel active rectification is probably the best bet though it will have a higher up front cost. I would note the reason for moving to 48V systems is to reduce your power losses.

[@kentgoss9209]

The new alternator has a temp management system to protect the system which he did not have before. Also stated early in the video, he was adding a cooling duct to blow directly on the alternator to assist in cooling the alternator. Looks like he's covered all the bases for a successful retrofit.

[@_pic_7571]

I think the deflection you had on the belt at first was just fine. It is the unloaded side of the belt. You can easily over load the bearings on the alternator with the type of adjustment system you have. I would back it off to where it was and try it there first , you can always re adjust later. Overtightened bearings will go unnoticed for quite awhile but will significantly shorten the life of the alternator, and I guarantee that thing ain't cheap. If you can find one. Pic .

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

If there isn't enough tension, the belt will squeal when you put the alternator load on it, so I tensioned it up just to the point it stopped squealing under load.

[@_pic_7571]

@@SailingSophisticatedLady well you are there so I'll defer to your judgement. I just wanted to help 😊🍺.

[@AD-xt9og]

As a bus mechanic that deals high amperage alternators I would be careful with the tension till you get the second on there because of the front crank bearing. Once you get the second one on there then you can tighten the belts more. We have a a/c compressor on the other side that helps. Then the bearing I would worry the most about would be the water pump bearing it may not take the belt load needed for the 48 volt alternator. Carry a spare water pump looks easy to change.

[@richb313]

Getting that alternator installed and tested must be a relief. Now onto mounting the regulator. Seeing Maddy excited and Ricardo looking on is reassuring. Looking forward to when you have everything done.

[@peterstarkey1360]

48v system....now your talking....set it up over 2 years ago...people thought l was mad....NOT ME....l thought it was the way to go...still do....well done....cheers 😊👍

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Yes, it takes a while to adapt to new ideas, but now I would never go back! :)

[@jamminwrenches860]

Diesels with no load is NOT a problem, low RPM long term idle IS a problem. Increase RPM a little above idle to ensure proper oil circulation. Long idle increases wear on the top of the engine because of low oil flow. Depending on your particular engine raise RPM's till normal oil pressure on the gauge

[@10lauset]

Press the button....it starts!!!! .. Cheers to you.

[@eleanor4482]

Loving the progress. Will be as good as new when projects are complete. Thanks for the updates.😎

[@anitahardesty2163]

Not sure how I didn't get a notification for this video! So happy you got a new heart for the lady!! So exciting and well deserved. I have no clue about anything you are talking about but for some reason I enjoy it lolo. Sending blessings 🙌 and love ❤️ to you all! 🤙💫⛵️🙏💖

[@joesphbest3120]

Rick the one Capt. I know who is on the BALL👍👍👍👍

[@wienerwoods]

lol - just started the video. I have an instrument panel / starter switch in the cockpit of my boat that's so unpredictable I permenantly jury rigged a second starting system right on top of my engine! What I really need to do is rip out ALL of the old wiring and build a new wiring harness like you did. But there are many other things that need re-fitting or repair that are a higher priority on my boat. Like a haul out, blister repair and new bottom paint before I head accross an ocean. Glad you got your's sorted out. Fair winds!

[@Hitech82]

Brilliant. As voltage goes up. Amp drawl goes down.

[@yachticus]

such good support from Beta Marine - my go-to for re-engine on a yacht.

[@bobrose7900]

Set the regulator to a low current below about 1500rpm, otherwise you risk stalling the engine, helps alternator temps as well. Do a switch line to take one or both alternators out of circuit via the regulator - this is very useful and stops genset/shore power conflicts. Temperature senders will monitor alternator overheat (low rpm) and can throttle back output. Shut down protection is also beneficial in case the BMS(s) call a halt to charging. Some automatic clean air fire extinguishers in the engine and battery compartment will buy valuable minutes in the event of a muddle and is icing on the cake.

[@timwheeler527]

Good show! 12kw plus solar! Outstanding!

[@jkonet1]

Capt Rick you are such a......techy

[@chrishalford3858]

Excellent video, delivery and presentation are crisp and concise, I am now subscribed. Thanks.

[@aday1637]

48v is the current popular standard for battery systems for power. The higher the voltage the lower the amperage for the same watt output. That means smaller wire. They are even beginning to go to 60 volt systems. The drawback so far is the peripheral systems that go with it are not plentiful so far (inverters, charge controllers, etc). In time though I foresee a movement to higher voltages and perhaps even beyond 60 volts to reduce amperage even more. When I built the last 2 systems I didn't even look at 12 or 24 volts. There were already enough 48 volt components available even several years ago to make it quite feasible. I've begun to notice more and more 60 volt on the market lately. Cap'n Rick might have to replace his 48 volt stuff to keep up.

[@donnakawana]

Wow, that's amazing output.. excited for the future of SSL she's built for anchoring anywhere... She is her own city...

[@juancarlosalmiron2055]

I begin my comment with a big hugg to you guys and big kiss to Rick junior ; he has grown so much since my last visit to your site !😘 Your alternator belt should have a BELT VIBRATION DAMPENER , it has a pulley with a built in spring to absorb not only the belt vibration but the diesel engine vibration transmitted to the belt , the DAMPENER will smoot the ride of the belt and take the tension load off the alternator bearings ,who's by friction are creating temperature and premature fatigue ! Like cars ,have also serpentine belt vibration DAMPENER ! Now you are been able to incorporate an Window A/C that will cool the galley and sleeping quarters ! Also if you have outside Led light to keep the deck illuminated or high power beam it will keep you safe and let other vessels see where yours are ! Funny I used to have a sports car with Cessna aircraft landing lights as a high beam , that I used a lot coming back from Las Vegas because the high speed drunk drivers and accidents ! Mary your cuisine has built a strong family , I M sure it has to do with ammore, olio di Oliva e allo, ragazza , Te ingrazzio benne e baccio a tutti ! Auguri di felicita !

[@mrromantimothy]

here's my suggestion you need that 12 volt alternator on that motor to keep it redundant and standing alone not dependent on the 48 volt step down or any other system but it's own.

[@brianrousseau661]

Balmar going to check them out about time for a new alternator on my boat also,, Thanks friend,,watch you tonight after work ....sail on..

[@TheJeffrey575]

Captain Rick you need to add a belt tension gauge to your tool kit to prevent over tightening your belts causing shorter belt life and bearing damage to accessories like your alternators.

[@iwander2561]

Where do you find a belt tension guage?

[@lyfandeth]

@@iwander2561 At an old time auto supply or on ebay. They are still being made, but since most cars have had self tensioning belts for 20 years...it takes some hunting.

[@greggbutler9344]

Beta marine state only tension belt by hand, has sticker on its engines to say that , and won’t specify a specific tension.

[@lyfandeth]

@@greggbutler9344 Sounds like they have the wrong person answering the phone. There's always an optimum tension and "till it looks right" is only good when you are playing horseshoes. That's like Westerbeke, who paint everything red when it is assembled. Despite every hose and belt saying that paint will help dry out and crack those parts.

[@jacksonboone8396]

What a precious baby.

[@CSMtheMariner]

This is awesome! Balmar is always ahead of the curve - can’t wait to see how this works out !

[@paulreynolds2898]

Rick Hi, I am so pleased you have a new engine, especially as it was built in my country, it is the business bro,. You are in tech heaven. You have a wonderful family and are very settled in San Andreas, to travel now is optional, up to you and Maddy, what you decide is your choice, stay or go. I think you will enjoy the challenge to go, however a challenge it will be, I will follow your site, for all the best reasons and what you decide to do. can't really say much more,

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Thanks for your great comments Paul! :)

[@obviouslytwo4u]

The slack in the belt should be tested and observed when revving above idle. Tick over for a diesel tends to make things shake a little bit

[@BullySportfishing]

Great video! One of the most informative I’ve seen. Thank you!

[@geneallen5758]

Similar to your installation, I use a large case Balmar 12v 160A alternator. Then I switched to lithium batteries which could take everything the alternator could give. Alas, the alternator overheated due to using hot engine room air for its cooling, and the engine overheated when at max cruise power due to the extra load. Solution was a cooling fan to blow cool bilge air around the alternator and a half-power switch to reduce the alternator output by 1/2 when motoring (see Balmar manual) and full output when just charging at anchor. My engine is 32hp and I estimate the alternator uses 5-8 HP. Hope you have better luck.

[@HavocStylesJoe]

I love that I can hear Tiki in the background. ❤you all and I will make sure to send Balmar a nice email.

[@carlubambi5541]

Just so you know that you are no longer allowed to work on your electrical system .Once you hit 36V you must be a licenced electrician to work on the systems in Canada ! Stay at the 24 v system .The issue is voltage and current after voltage is above 24v and current is above so many amps or kw power .There is a maximum current allowed and then you must be a licenced electrician to work on them .Issues started with solar power and power generation .Too many fires and injuries from mis wires and battery failures .So the ESA electrical safety authority gave itself powers to regulate all electrical work .Just remember use the right fuses and breaker and wire size !All will be fine .And remember lead acid batteries produce explosive hydrogen gas when charging .Lithium batteries have their own issues ! Keep safe !

[@TheDWZemke]

Lol when I went through grade school I had to take a class on System and Controls. You covered the majority of the entire class. Nice job. Granted you did note have t h e audience review all the manuals with hundreds of hours. Appreciate your effort!

[@Scalihoo]

I first thought this video would be of nominal interest , but my attention peaked while viewing..went from 48-54 volts one could say :)

[@stevenholton438]

Lots of people and channels to share this feel good news with. Beautiful daughter btw!

[@michaeltillman1147]

WoW! Instant APU! Making The Special Lady into a real powerhouse. 😎

[@ntal5859]

First time watcher of your channel nice clear information... You got a new subscriber.

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Thanks mate, welcome aboard!

[@TheMrGixxer]

Impressive alternator!! Great choice

[@808bigisland]

Aloha, I would have gone with a quiet 12v Honda generator and solar charger and 50-80kwh of batteries. Giving you 110-220v, 12v and 24v. Now you run a too big engine and have no redundancy. Not properly engineered. My 50 year old tunaboat runs 24v alternator off its Cummins into two batteries. A Honda generator and a few batteries add a lot of comfort and are very quiet. Electric cooking and warm instant water and charged gadgets on a boat is nice to have.

[@mikestone234]

Woof! Those Balmar 48v alternators, are over 2k (?!?!) holy crap batman!

[@robertlaird6746]

Wow, that looks like a game changer for power. I like it very much!

[@bermyFairn]

Ya, got a balmar as well. Ditched the old generator. I plan to split the engine room exhaust hose to suck the hot air away and help keep it cool. from the alternator. Those things get really hot,

[@renoflames]

Back up to the Back up to the Back up.. Way to go,, I run a 8 kw system on a 5hp gas motor using off set torque. 3450 rpm input to a stepdown gear box to 540 rpm output to an input 540 PTO step up to the 3450 generator which max output is 8kw and a 6.33 gear reduction. 5BHP x 6.33 Ratio = 31. 6 BHP, It takes 16 BHP to run a 8kw Max Load. I bult a high speed winch. Working well for 25 years. Noisy but it works.

[@dholtman5977]

Holy crap that’s cool! Ive been waiting for this episode. Good job Rick!

[@artpatronforever]

Adding spring loaded belt backside idler pulleys on the slack side of the belt will automatically maintain correct belt tension.

[@bobeastburn2266]

Get some belt dressing to help with the belts from slipping. Also helps from having to have high side loads on the bearings. Most all auto-parts carry it.

[@toneyhays6970]

Good video. You guys will need the AC when you get to the south pacific. Make sure to get a few spare belts though. Take care.

[@lyfandeth]

That engine fires up beautifully! I wish they all did.

[@tamar5261]

My 35 year old Perkins starts like this, it's got around 5k hours on it. Like to see what that beta is like at that age. But I agree it's a lovely engine. When mine finally blows up it's a beta I'm getting 😊

[@alexstarfield568]

I discoverd balmar thanks to you they apear very good

[@johndeverteuil136]

I wish I knew about these new alternators prior to installing my generator. The tech is nuts for sailboats now a days, high output alternators, lithium, solar, and 12v air conditioners. I need to refit my catamaran with new alternators and 12v air conditioners.

[@Jammer.1]

That is a massive improvment ! You will ba able to run the ac 24/7 if you need !

[@Grantly]

I had a Beta 35 engine in my boat. Absolutely great engine! Easy to get parts for. Kubota based.

[@bobleclair5665]

We are in a time of great advancement in electronics and LEDs , I’m wiring for USB, a lot of lights and tools are USB rechargeable,

[@OmniAtlantic]

Great design 👍 Rick.

[@christopherleveck6835]

I'm not a boating guy.....yet. But I am a pilot. On some aircraft we can deploy an emergency generator into the slipstream with a propeller blade that will make power if we lose the engines. Do they make something similar for sailboats? It seems like days when you have a ton of wind might not always be as sunny for solar panels... Or low wind days if you are using wind turbines to make power..... Anyway, it's not the weirdest thought I have on the subject. Seems like you could make power in an emergency by using a sea anchor as a yoyo when anchored.

[@98grand5point9]

Awesome product and worth the trouble and expense. That will cut wear on the engine immensely.

[@fatdadscoolstuff]

Wow thats a huge power boost!!! If the generating station on the Island goes out they can just plug into The Lady lol..next step? Nuclear reactor!! I could'nt help thinking about Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation when he finally gets all the lights working on the house lol

[@rogeronslow1498]

I hope your electrical switches are designed to break 48Vdc. It may sound trivial to you but 48Vdc is difficult to break as it just arcs across the switch contacts when opened and a fire can result. That's the problem with anything above 24Vdc. Decent circuit breakers with a suitably high fault current rating and dc breaking capability is also required. It's not as trivial as 24Vdc and that's why it was never used widely.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

The smaller crank pulley will spin the alternator faster. Not much danger of overspending the alternator with an low rpm diesel engine but something to be aware of.

[@olafschermann1592]

I am also a 48V friend. Having electric motors you need 48V to get some hp output without needing 400Amps with arm thick cables. Going to 96V would make it more dangerous, a Voltage i wouldn’t like to touch. Next step would it to convince manufacturers to create 48V fridges and washing machines.

[@mikegoodman447]

I'd replace those allen mount bolts 4:29 with standard grade 8 stuff. Be sure to grease that tensioner bolt threads and tighten it just a bit after final install, they can come loose and un-thread. Be a nice to be able to disable one or the other electronically to free wheel when not needed.. Might come in handy in an emergency> Extra useable HP. I've seen some diesels disable the alternator on start up to free up cranking. No need running two alternators when batteries are at 95% capacity.

[@TheYeti308]

Thank You Cap .

[@curtbarile]

Install a Idler pulley at the bolt hole midway at the top of the belt to stop the flex.

[@cana125dh7322]

Always enjoy your adventures and tech videos. 48v is a game changer. Glad to see a new intro, however the music is far to edgy for these old bones. God Bless.

[@reynadelrey]

👍👍 📌 MAGNIFICENT SAILBOAT WITH AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POWER❣️📣 😀 “Cpt. Rick YOUR’RE A GENIUS & Maddy’s EXTREMELY SMART TOO” ❤️❤️ LOVE THE KNOWLEDGE YOU SHARE ON THIS CHANNEL🏆

[@sluggou812beotch]

😳😳😳😳😳😳crazy good amounts of POWER😁

[@jimmarshall5453]

I love the fact it doesn't make the squeal the other starter did. Again, what's going on with your throat?

[@KD2HJP]

Wow. This is spectacular

[@OVER-bENGINEERED]

I have two 48V boats! Really enjoyed this and I am interested in Balmar’s product. John Deere also has a 48V water cooled alternator for one of their reel cutter mowers for golf courses.

[@jdrissel]

I would not touch a John Deere part unless you are sure it does not have their serialization tech in it. you don't want to be on the water when software locks out your alternator....

[@OVER-bENGINEERED]

@@jdrissel it was on the 2500E reel mower, no computers on their mower. I see them pop up on fleabay once in a while for $200 or so.

[@MikeBanks2003]

I would rig an automatic spring loaded belt tensioner pulley pressing on the un-loaded back of the belt on the take--up side of each alternator, not the driving side. I would run the entire output of both alternators into the Lithium house bank. You may need to use a common connection device including RF suppression and a smoothing capacitor to do so. I would do as you probably are doing and charge the engine start battery using a DC to DC charger of about 30 to 50 amps output, entirely independent of the engine alternators. Keep a spare, DC to DC charger if one is a bit apprehensive, they are not all that expensive, a couple of hundred dollars or so. These modify the charge current as required and keep the engine starting battery fully charged All one needs do then is to protect the alternator windings and diodes, using voltage sensitive relays or some other isolating device to disconnect the alternators from the battery bank when the engine is not running. As an extra precaution, one could enclose a pair of HEAVY DUTY DIODES in any DC inputs from any other charging sources such as a portable generator or solar.

[@mrromantimothy]

it's much easier and sensible to just leave the 12 volt alternator to charge the start battery and power the ignition that way if it should ever fail you have the lithium Bank for a step down DC to DC 12 volt backup

[@Marker-er3ro]

6,000 watts! Two of these replace a 12kw genset. I know it’s not for every situation, but a lot of folks are thinking about this.

[@zzzxxzzz3248]

Don't let Tiki chew on the voltage regulator if you mount it on the outside !

[@thomascooley2749]

8:10 was gonna say to much tension can be worse on bearings and the further you get from crank the more leverage maybe an idler is the solution

[@crapisnice]

COMBUSTION ENGINES ARE NOT NEEDED IN SAILBOATS AND FOR SUDDEN PROPULSION THERE ARE PNEUMATIC TURBINES THAT ARE RELIABLE WITH ALMOST NO MAINTENANCE AND CAN BE CHARGED WITH A COMPRESSOR ATTACHED TO VERTICAL AXIS VAWT WIND TURBINE

[@charlieodom9107]

You need something like a 9" engine pulley to make those alternators charge! A 7" engine pulley would engage the alternators at around 1000 engine rpm, but wouldn't charge at idle, which may be okay to you, I don't know. With a 7" pulley, you would need 2200 engine rpm to get rated output. With a 9" pulley, you would need 1700 engine rpm for rated output. That is a pretty steep curve for those alternators. I would have expected more output at a lower Alternator RPM, and a flatter output curve, like the 60a version has.

[@noiamgunner]

Thanks captain you’re a good teacher

[@Ronbc000]

Bravo, Rick 👍

[@texaswader]

Looks like you're covered Brother Rick!

[@richardgooding498]

I have been seeing catamaran swim platform being extended for the wash on the transom that actually slows the boat down. I think if you could extend the swim platform. You wouldn't have the back wash on the deck. Just a thought. Great job you all. 👍👍🍺🍺

[@TONYEBOLANEWS]

Love the intro !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Rubyranch393]

I live off grid in Tucson and built a custom 28k system I can't imagine what all that costs

[@donaldchasedgc4935]

Rick, if I understand you correctly, you are planning to replace the 12 volt alternator with another 48 volt alternator. I would recommend that you add the second 48 volt alternator and keep the 12 volt alternator, 12 volt starter and 12 volt batteries as their own isolated system. The reason I'm recommending you do this is that if you run the motors starting system off the 48 volt system and the 48 volt system goes down, you're not going be able to start and run you're engine. I'm basing this on my 40 plus years of experience working with electrical/electronics/mechanical systems. I've seen the results of combining systems to save money and the problems that can come up totally shutting the whole system down. You can add a crossover switch and voltage reducer to use the 48 volt side as a backup in the event the 12 alternator or battery go down. Since you can't predict which system will fail first, it's best to keep the engine charging and starting system separated. It may be many years down the road, but one of these system will go down. You don't want to loose the engine starting system along with the 48 volt system. That could leave you stranded and out of reach of any kind of help. Just food for thought.

[@torstenhansen4308]

I would agree with that advice, Donald. For our deep dive refit, we chose to keep the stock 12 V alternator to feed the starter battery while the 24 V lithium house bank will be charged by two 24 V Balmars. As they did for Captain Rick, Beta Marine did a bang up job putting it all together with the necessary mounts, belts and pulleys. I chose to use one Wakespeed 500 regulator but am now having second thoughts about redundancy and wondering if we should spring for one for each alternator. Do you have any words of wisdom on that note?

[@daversj]

The engine starter operates on 12v so he has to keep his starter battery obviously. If the dc/dc 48v to 12v system fails it’s pretty easy to make 12v happen when you have a 48v battery bank. A set of jumper cables tapped off the bank will get the diesel started. You could even run a permanent tapped set of wires with a switch for such an occasion. But I understand your point, redundancies and separate systems are always a good thing.

[@mrromantimothy]

I'm an Auto electrician but I saw and said the same thing that 12 volt alternator looks like it's doing its job in there, why interrupt that or take it out.?

[@Tore_Lund]

90A at 54V= 4860W= 6.52 HP. Power input from engine at that output is 18 HP, so efficiency is 36%! That is not good. Would rather get a PM alternator, they can be wound for various voltages when ordering. And those of you concerned about heat, yes that is 12KW heat source at that load!

[@tomross3384]

My experience from using the alternator on a diesel engine to monitor engine speed is that any change to the load on the alternator will cause slip of the belt. We were using engine RPM to turn on or off an alternate fuel for the diesel engine. We found that simply changing the head lights from low beam to high beam would cause a significant slippage of the belt on the alternator pully and turn off the alternate fuel because the RMP, sensed off of the alternator had dropped below the set RPM for over five seconds. Originally the specially designed AND/OR switch was using a hall effect sensor to generate a frequency directly off of a spinning component of the motor. This meant that the selected RPM of the AND /OR switch was not effected by belt slippage as a result of alternator current loads. Displaying engine RPM from off the frequency generated by the alternator has this same inherent problem in that belt slippage due to alternator load has a marked impact on the actual RPM displayed.

[@ntal5859]

Tighten your belt you fool!

[@tomross3384]

@@ntal5859Well, that is true, but when you are in heavy traffic, that becomes a little difficult. All I could do was switch off the alternative fuel so that I was only using diesel and not adding the alternative cheaper fuel into the mix. A loose belt should always be considered when using the frequency output of the alternator as a signal source such as for motor RPM. In this case where the Motor RPM was an important criteria in the decision making process, using the frequency output of the Alternator was a bad choice for such an important function. That was the main point of my comment.

[@svdelite6394]

Balmar seems to be very busy these days. For almost two weeks I am waiting for a quotation already. And there is nothing special request for my system.

[@svtrilogywestsail3278]

i kept my original alternator and put on a brush box and external regulator.

[@user-qy9rg3nt2l]

Nice upgrade.

[@DutchKC9UOD]

As a Electrical Engineer never could figure out why 48vdc wasn’t standard fork trucks use 48 air planes use 48 and all military trucks use 24vdc

[@thetruthserum2816]

Hmm, now to ditch the stock alternator, put in one of these puppies, then put in a 48 to 12V convertor for the chassis power + Supercapacitors and ditch the starter batteries...