No more starter?

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quote:

Originally posted by pitzel:
Its not hard to convert DC current (from a battery) into the appropriate waveforms required to spin up an AC induction motor or synchronous motor/generator (as is essentially found in contemporary auto alternators).

No, it's not. See 120V inverters which convert 12V DC into 120V AC for an example. Even 1000 watt ones aren't that expensive anymore--about $100 at Costco.
 
I thought the model T had a belt driven generator with an attached voltage regulator. I seem to remember having to polarize them depending on whether the vehicle was positive ground or negative.

But I only played with a few of them.

A starter is just so simple, to have to add a freq-drive, and the logic to control it seems like a waste when the current starters are so reliable and inexpensive.

Imagine if your flywheel has a stator mounted in it, and you burn up a coil. Now to fix your alternator/starter you have to separate the engine and transmission.

This is the way many motorcycle engines are, except that the flywheel is easily accessible for repairs.
 
I had an '04 Civic Hybrid that started off the DC motor, instead of the starter. It had a starter, but as long as there was power in the battery pack, it would use the DC motor to spin the engine to life. It was cool to turn the key and not hear the normal cranking sound. All that would happen is the motor would suddenly be at ldle. It took some getting used to.
In the whole year that I owned it, I never heard the regular starter crank because there was always power in the battery packs.
 
quote:

Originally posted by pitzel:
The 'starter a thing of the past' comment might have been due to the trend of modern power electronics of being able to run an alternator as both a motor (for engine starting), as well as a generator.

Ain't a new idea. One of my distant relatives had a Wheel Horse garden tractor with a Kohler engine that had a starter-generator. You can find all kinds of references to these on Google. From what I remember, it worked fairly well. It was connected to the exposed flywheel with a v-belt and spun the engine smartly when energized.
 
quote:

Originally posted by CBR.worm:
A starter is just so simple, to have to add a freq-drive, and the logic to control it seems like a waste when the current starters are so reliable and inexpensive.

Its all about cutting cost and weight and materials these days. Not to mention improving reliability. An integrated unit run by power electronics, in the long run, will likely prove to be less expensive to purchase, maintain, and operate.

Every pound of weight that can be removed from a car, over the entire worldwide fleet, can add up to some serious savings in terms of fuel. The electric power steering pumps, for instance, are good for 1-2 mpg in the cars that have them -- sometimes a 2% reduction in fuel consumption. It all counts -- better efficiency = better economic growth = better living standards.
 
GANG,

Our 1919 Cadillac Model 57 Touring Car, had a Dyna-Start System, located in the V, of the V8 engine. It was Generator that also was a Starter; Dual-Function. Also the Cadillac would easily start on the "Spark", when warm, after being run up to operating temperature.

It was developed by Dr. Charles Kettering, himself of Dayton Electric Labratories, (DELCO). Cadillac, won the DeWars Trophy for Innovation around the mid teens, 1915.

That's when Cadillac was CADILLAC and GM was GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION.
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quote:

Originally posted by Eddie:
I had an old VW that on rare ocausion would start when the key was turned to run. I figured that the point gap had to be very close to opening and the piston at near tdc. I think it happened maybe 10-15 times in the 50,000 miles I owned it. My friends VW did the same thing. So an engine does NOT need to be turning at X rpm to start.

You've got to be right about the rpm thing. Back in the day when cars had arrangements for emergency starting by a hand crank, how many rpm could have been generated by hand turning?

I was a young boy then, but I remember thinking they were making a bad mistake when all the manufacturers eliminated the hole for the hand crank to be inserted.
 
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