Posted by David Sherman on Sunday, November 17, 2002 at 10:52AM :
In Reply to: The Important Difference posted by Tug Boat Lonnie on Sunday, November 17, 2002 at 9:20AM :
Perhaps, but what is really ever going to go "bad" with a generator except for the brushes wearing out, which you can easily replace? Theoretically, alternators should last longer because the brushes run on slip-rings instead of a commutator so they should spark less and wear less. In reality, I don't think brush wear is much different, but the alternator adds diodes and probably a transistorized voltage regulator which are both much easier to fry due to voltage spikes, wiring problems, jumping-starting backwards, etc. I do agree that an alternator will charge at idling RPM whereas a generator usually won't.
Also, in case of a nearby nuclear explosion, the gamma rays and fast neutrons will scramble the little silicon crystals in anything solid-state, but short of actually melting the copper, they won't hurt an old-fashioned generator with a mechanical regulator. That WDX might be the only vehicle in town that still runs after the bomb hits.