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Unread 06-10-2005, 00:18
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Jeff K. Jeff K. is offline
Hmm..now what?
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Re: Making a welder from an alternator and engine

You could use an alternator as an electric motor, but it wouldn't be too efficient or all that great of a motor. It was designed to be used more as a generator rather than a motor. Really, both of them are reversible. A motor could be a generator and a generator can be a motor.

Most autoshops have alternators, but they can get quite pricey. This one antique auto shop near my home had a chromed alternator for $100, but I'm not sure on how many amps it would generate. You could try Ebay, I saw some alternators that could generate around 160 amps, but they're also quite pricey. Some at $160, it's like $1/amp.

Good luck, and I think I saw that article on Hackaday. haha.

Last edited by Jeff K. : 06-10-2005 at 00:23.