# Alternator generator topic **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2015, 7:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837 "2015-05-01T07:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/21 "2015-05-02T18:26:04Z")
This reminds me of a 4th grade science project that I had. I used a couple of electric motors (removed from battery operated toys) to prove that a generator was a motor and a motor was a generator. I connected the first motor shaft to the second motor shaft by way of a round plastic sleeve. I connected the first motor’s terminals to a battery and the second motor’s terminals to a flashlight bulb. When I turned on the first motor…the bulb connected to the second motor terminals lit up. Most of the class could not believe their eyes. I came in second place but my son used the same experiment in his class science project and came in first. He didn’t have to contend with Susan and her flying blond hair from her home built static generator though. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/22 "2015-05-02T18:37:51Z")
Chrysler introduced the alternator on its 1960 models. About this same time, the car radios adopted transistor technology replacing vacuum tubes. The generators of the time had quite a load. When the car was idling, the ammeter on most generator equipped cars would show a discharge. I have often thought that vacuum powered wipers were used to reduce the load on the electrical system. As I remember Chrysler products of the 1940s and 50s had electric wipers and higher output generators than cars from other companies. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/23 "2015-05-02T20:51:19Z")
Calling an alternator a generator is perfectly ok. Alternator is just a little more specific. An equally specific term for a dc machine would be “dynamo”. Alternators, dynamos, and magnetos are all generators. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/24 "2015-05-05T05:07:28Z")
Personally, I like “electricity making thingamajigger”. {😃 ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/25 "2015-05-05T06:00:38Z")
How about a name that doesn’t require 31 letters and 12 syllables? Something simple with only three syllables like “Динамо” ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/26 "2015-05-05T20:20:25Z")
In Dutch, and a number of other languages, anything that generates electricity is called a “dynamo”. From the little one on your bike to the largest ones in a power station. English often suffers from having too many words for the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/27 "2015-05-06T03:43:33Z")
But Germans sure love to make long compound nouns like “Electricitymacherdingamajiger”. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/28 "2015-05-06T04:29:58Z")
That’s because Germans are more precise. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/29 "2015-05-07T04:39:34Z")
Both Dutch and German have many compound words which in English would be several words. Welsh has the same word structure. When tubeless tires came out in the 50s, the Dutch word for them initially was: “binnenbandlozebuitenband”, translated freely as “innertubeless outer tube”. The ever practical Dutch, 80% of whom speak English, soon just called the “tubeless tires”. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/30 "2015-05-07T05:50:40Z")
Germans also capitalize all nouns, in English, only proper nouns are capitalized. This leads some English speakers to assume that “Doppelkupplungsgetriebe” is a manufacturer of transmissions for German cars when it’s really just a compound noun consisting of three words, dual-clutch-transmission. How to correctly pronounce “für” in the song title “für Elise”. Pretend you are FDR saying the word “fear”, “we have nothing to feah but feah itself”. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/31 "2015-05-07T19:34:26Z")
@B.L.E. hit on a good use for alternators. Regen devices and starters. That has been proposed and work has been done in that area. I think there have been some “mild” hybrids built like that. There was a flywheel-starter-generator project running in a major part supplier several years ago. The flywheel was the alternator AND the starter AND took in re-gen energy under braking for FWD cars. Pretty complicated set of electronics and control algorithms from what I heard. Did not get into production but I never heard what the problems were. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/32 "2015-05-07T22:18:14Z")
Not quite “feah”: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/DE-Für\_Elise.ogg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/DE-F%C3%BCr_Elise.ogg) ---
**Author:** ![meanjoe75fan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meanjoe75fan/32/552_2.png) [@meanjoe75fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meanjoe75fan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/33 "2015-05-08T00:39:54Z")
"Germans also capitalize all nouns, in English, only proper nouns are capitalized." If you read older English literature (mid19th century or earlier) you still see capitalized nouns on occasion. Seems like they faded out ~70 yrs or so before the “umlaut-like-doohickies” faded out in words like “coordinate” and "preeminent." Even today, in contracts, a capitalized noun like “Agreement” or “User” is used to imply the noun has an agreed-upon definition established ealier in the contract. Finally, in poetry, capitalization seems at the discretion of the author. I presume this is “poetic license”; however, I’m probably not the best authority here: I barely have my poetic learner’s permit, myself. ---
**Author:** ![MarkM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@MarkM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MarkM)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 11:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/34 "2015-05-08T11:35:55Z")
GM made some very mild hybrids that didn’t have much more than an oversized starter and a slightly bigger than average battery. The starter/alternator saved a pittance in fuel at a considerable expense. They didn’t sell well and have been discontinued. In all current hybrids the motors also function as generators (or alternators) to allow for regenerative braking. The Toyota-style hybrids have a big motor/generator and a small one. Sometimes the big one is acting as a motor and the small one a generator. Getting it all to work so smoothly was a considerable accomplishment for Toyota. ---
**Author:** ![kmccune](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kmccune/32/1237_2.png) [@kmccune](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kmccune)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/35 "2015-05-08T14:06:22Z")
Bing,the generator is usally around the flywheel magnets,the starter -generator isnt very common,like on the old Gravelys now.Didnt the 2CV use a starter generator built around the Flywheel? That so called “Hybrid system” GMC used,seemed to be a joke or a marketing ploy.I believe it didnt need a seperate starter either ---
**Author:** ![MarkM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@MarkM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MarkM)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/36 "2015-05-10T12:26:20Z")
GM just wanted some more hybrids in their lineup without having to pay to engineer and make proper ones. There isn’t anything wrong with getting a little bit of regenerative braking by beefing up the starter and battery a bit. The problem was that GM wanted thousands for a feature that gave negligible benefit. I was thrilled that so few fell for it. ---
**Author:** ![kmccune](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kmccune/32/1237_2.png) [@kmccune](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kmccune)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/37 "2015-05-10T15:26:14Z")
One asset,though it could be used as a generator at the campsite@Mark,good point ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837/38 "2015-05-10T17:49:21Z")
I believe that with the ECU controlling the voltage regulation, “smart regulators” may become commonplace. Shut the alternator completely off and run total loss electrics during hard accelerations, trickle charge during cruise, and have the alternator fully on during deceleration when you are braking anyway. A lot of impractical old ideas suddenly become practical when enabling technology is developed. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alternator-generator-topic/89837.md?page=1)