Thursday, November 2, 2017

Causes of a Car Battery Overcharging

    Car batteries are the source of energy for all of the electrical components in a car, from the radio to the spark plugs, when the engine is off. Each electrical device pulls the current they need from the battery, which stores energy created by the alternator. While the engine is running, the alternator charges the car's battery and powers all of the electronic devices as needed. When a car battery is overcharged, it can damage not only the battery but also the electronic components of the car. This is often the result of a problem with the car's electrical system, composed of the alternator and the voltage regulator.

    The alternator of a car uses magnetism in order to generate electricity for the car. The car's engine turns a pulley in the alternator, and the pulley turns a rotor around a coil of wire that has an iron core. The process of spinning the rotor around the coil of wire creates a magnetic field in the rotor. The magnetic field in the rotor, spinning around the coil of wire, creates an electric current in the wire.

    The current created turns into a direct current via a set of diodes; that current is then sent to the battery. In order to prevent the battery from running down or overcharging, a voltage regulator maintains the correct level of current for the battery. Voltage regulators change the amount of direct current that is sent to the battery in one of two ways: A grounded voltage regulator manages the amount of direct current by regulating the amount of negative ground that is sent to the rotor. Alternatively, a grounded field voltage regulator controls the amount of current sent to the battery by regulating the amount of positive ground that is sent to the rotor.

    A voltage regulator that is not functioning correctly can result in an overcharged battery. The more energy the engine produces, the more energy goes toward the battery. If the engine is running at a high speed, the alternator will be running faster as well and producing excessive amounts of energy. If the voltage regulator is unable to handle the load or has a malfunction, the battery will overcharge.

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