Modular Alternators dont charge battery?

[Guy]

As the title says, do modular engines charge batteries? Mine don't seem to. Everything runs off the electricity being generated, so the batteries won't empty while engine is ON, but no matter what I do, the battery charge won't increase by using 1x1 modular alternators. Game is vanilla.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Alternators are currently as useful as the charger. Case for the garbage disposal unit.

At the same RPS, 4.6 on a small 1x1 2cyl, an alternator will put out 0.000021 battery charge per second, while a small generator will put out 0.000086, while also stressing the drivetrain 25% less.

Just use a small generator for now.

Ticket:
mcro.org/issues/view_issue/29855

[whitew01f]

This makes me think, a lot of headache would go away, if they replaced all 3 parts (starter, alternator, pump) with a pulley that clutches on a belt- going to a torque connection. Then let us decide what part connects there (motor, gen, impeller).

[Guy]

Originally posted by GrumpyOldMan:

Alternators are currently as useful as the charger. Case for the garbage disposal unit.

At the same RPS, 4.6 on a small 1x1 2cyl, an alternator will put out 0.000021 battery charge per second, while a small generator will put out 0.000086, while also stressing the drivetrain 25% less.

Just use a small generator for now.

Ticket:
mcro.org/issues/view_issue/29855

Thanks, seems you are correct.

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Originally posted by GrumpyOldMan:

Alternators are currently as useful as the charger. Case for the garbage disposal unit.

Hey, they diode has a few use cases.
When you have a lot of engines and you have systems that you want to keep on, you can put them behind a diode to stop them from sputtering.

You can also have separate electrical systems behind one generator thanks to it. The problem is that its output, like those of the solar panels, is ridiculously low. A desired use case for it would be electric engines, but to ensure a single small one gets enough juice the entire hull of the craft would have to be made out of them, more or less. Compared to real life diodes with the humongous size it takes up, it's about a per mille efficient, if that.

Realistically speaking, with the power output of a single small engine, i could probably keep it permanently running with an 12V 400W solar panel. This would roughly be 4m * 3m. In Stormworks solar panels are about 1% as efficient as solar panels in reality are, but thankfully things like heaters are 100,000,000% efficient by comparison (not even an exaggeration), so you can run one of those with a few.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Originally posted by Ra-Ra-Rasputin:

Hey, they diode has a few use cases.
When you have a lot of engines and you have systems that you want to keep on, you can put them behind a diode to stop them from sputtering.

I'd gladly use the charger to keep critical systems at 1.0 electrical charge, as of now it's unclear on what components the charger can supply with a steady 1.0 charge, since it fails to supply a small camera, especially if the input battery charge drops below 0.8 the charger stops putting out full charge. Not sure if intended or if it has changed since I last messed with it, having a relay connect to the generator circuit takes care of any electrical issues, making the charger obsolete.

I can recall the discussion in the charger thread, if anyone's interested in it, here it is:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/573090/discussions/0/3862353324238879218/

Another addition to the game that got released, put on the shelf to be never touched/improved again.

Additions like the charger make you question how the developers come to the conclusion on what transfer rates this thing should have. Maybe they're playing the game vastly different.