How does an alternator work?

Winding a coil of wire around an iron core can make a magnet. If a magnet is passed near a wire, an induced current will flow in that wire. If many magnets are rapidly passed over a coil of wire, much more induced current will be produced. If many magnets are passed over several coils of wire, even more current will be produced. Although Alternators vary by manufacturer, there are two elements common to all alternators; the stationary stator and the rotating rotor. The stator consists of three sets of individual windings wound around a laminated circular iron stator frame. Each individual winding is made up of seven coils, which in turn are made up of several individual loops all connected in series. Each coil and each loop are connected so as to increase the total voltage output. Each group of windings has only two leads, one for current to flow in, and the other for current to flow out. Although it may vary by manufacturer, most leads are wired in a Y-configuration, in which the ...  more

Wiring and ElectricalThis is one of the most lucid descriptions of how an alternator works that I have read. From one of the resident electricity wranglers on the AeroElectric Connection Matronics List, Brian "Brain" Lloyd. If you go back to an elementary science class, someone once told you that if you wave a magnet around a wire, that wire will produce an electric current. They also probably told you that if you pass a current through a wire it will produce a magnetic field around the wire. This was the amazing discovery of Michael Faraday and upon which all electrical and radio theory is based. Some alternators or generators do indeed use a permanent magnet whirling around inside a coil of wire to produce power but the output is directly proportional to how fast you spin it. If it makes more output than you need you must find a way to get rid of the excess.  more