generator alternator
Many thanks for your prompt reply!
it was very detailed and it cornfirmed what i had in mind: the rotor is the one being supplied by the battery via the slip rings, generating the electromagnetic field, as it it spins, it induces the emf in the stator, consisting of 3 loops, three phases, from where the emf is fed to a bridge of diodes which convert the AC into DC. Therefore the ALT switch controls the supply of the field current from the battery to the field coil - the rotor - through the VR, while the BATT switch controls the supply of battery power to a dedicated bus.
IS THE ALTERNATOR POWERED FROM THE DC BATT BUS? Cos by looking at the C172 electrical system schematic, it looks like power from the battery is fed to a battery contactor - it does not show any relay/switch between the contactor and the battery: so i guess that from the contactor is made available to the MASTER switch consisting of a BATT half and of an ALT half. I believe that the BATT half controls the supply to the distribution system and also to the ALT half even though it is not shown on the schematic, so that when you flip the BATT switch to ON, it will connect it to the bus network and it will allow the juice to be provived through the ALT switch when set to ON to the VR.
Is this a correct statement?
Also how is powered taken from the stator?
And finally how is the battery kept charged cos the schematic is not really clear about that, I guess the battery must be constantly recharged since it supplies the field coil current apart from powering hot wired items.
Many Thanks
Baobab