Electrical Question

[zenoahphobic]

Just touching on what Rodbolt said, and I suggested way back, connected together VOLTAGE must be the same, its very hard to explain electronics in a simple text message, that's why electronics text books are usually thick and contain lots of diagrams, add to that the fact that terminology varies between people and everything gets slightly bent out of shape, remember the switch/sensor debate?

It's that.
Switch/sensor was just an academic debate.
And it's very much influenced by the nature of the individual's relationship with this invisible electricity stuff. This is also an area where allied professions invent things and words, that sometimes don't even exist, in order to make sense of their particular field and to be able to convey that particular field to make sense to others that they may have to deal with.
For example an auto technician, power station worker, electronic technician and physicist may not be even able to talk to and understand each other. There would be many that would criticise referring to voltage as a measure of pressure, or indeed current creates heat. But it is convenient.

[boscoe99]

Pilots and air traffic con*****ers are usually speaking to each other in English. First time someone not familiar with the vernacular hears them talk he will have no idea what is being said.

First time I sat in on a meeting with some aerospace stress engineers I thought they were speaking in other than English.

[boscoe99]

There would be many that would criticise referring to voltage as a measure of pressure, or indeed current creates heat. But it is convenient.

Who would be the one(s) that would do that?

Now current may or may not create heat. It depends.

[pstephens46]

I wanted to measure the charging voltage. Measurement will not be perfect with a battery attached to the circuit. Motor will not run without a battery according to Rodbolt. Conundrum.

[boscoe99]

I wanted to measure the charging voltage. Measurement will not be perfect with a battery attached to the circuit. Motor will not run without a battery according to Rodbolt. Conundrum.

Charging voltage is measured with a battery connected. A fully charged battery.

Fully charged resting battery voltage is nominally 12.7 volts. Voltage will drop while the motor is being cranked. Once the motor is running you should see the voltage rise to somewhere in the 14 volts range. It should slowly rise over time to more or less 14.6 volts. At which point the voltage will stabilize.

I had digital volt meters in my last boat. One for each battery. It made it ever so easy to see what was going on with both the starting battery and house battery.

There is no such thing as too many gauges.

[zenoahphobic]

Who would be the one(s) that would do that?

Now current may or may not create heat. It depends.

My four teachers for one!
The tap analogy was the first thing at school that I was hit for with a duster by my first science teacher.
The issue with current I and others may have is, determining how much heat 1 amp produces for instance? Current does not exist on it's own.

[zenoahphobic]

I wanted to measure the charging voltage. Measurement will not be perfect with a battery attached to the circuit. Motor will not run without a battery according to Rodbolt. Conundrum.

Sometimes charging voltage reading from a generating source on its own can be totally confusing. The particular battery chosen has the last word.
A fresh battery has the ability to hold the charging voltage lower than one that is aging. This fresh battery excess voltage tends to "disappear ", but an older one will rise in voltage creating a greater danger from gassing. Both absorb the same amount of energy but if the upper charging voltage is not limited, it will take a long time before the battery's internal resistance limits the current to an acceptable "safe" level. However before that happens things could have gone boom or burn, the battery would be long gone cactis anyway.

[pstephens46]

3 year old batteries. Two

Ran boat 20 minutes in driveway. Batt switch set to 1. Checked voltage, running. Batt 1 13.7 volts. Checked batt 2 (aux charge) 14.2.

Turned off motor and let sit for 15mins. Checked voltage not running. Batt 1 12.77 volts, batt 2 12.9.

who knows?

[zenoahphobic]

3 year old batteries. Two

Ran boat 20 minutes in driveway. Batt switch set to 1. Checked voltage, running. Batt 1 13.7 volts. Checked batt 2 (aux charge) 14.2.

Turned off motor and let sit for 15mins. Checked voltage not running. Batt 1 12.77 volts, batt 2 12.9.

who knows?

I would not worry about it too much. Because the batteries are three years old and would have had different lives, and if your setup is like the diagram, "the stupidly simple regulator" I can see that the differences in the diodes (SCRs) could do that. Even though "the stupidly simple regulator" has circuitry hidden in that square, I can't see that it has any regulatory ability when there is no shunting circuit to earth provided..

[pstephens46]

I would not worry about it too much. Because the batteries are three years old and would have had different lives, and if your setup is like the diagram, "the stupidly simple regulator" I can see that the differences in the diodes (SCRs) could do that. Even though "the stupidly simple regulator" has circuitry hidden in that square, I can't see that it has any regulatory ability when there is no shunting circuit to earth provided..

Nothing mission critical. Just something odd to be explored. Especially with the isolated circuit involved. Could be shit wiring. I’ll do the voltage drop testing again on Sunday. Gonna give it a hard 50 mile run tomorrow. No family involved. Drive like I want to. Which is rare.