HOT New Alternator......

[Maine Sail]

UPDATED: The Balmar At-165 has been replaced by the new Balmar XT-170. It runs cooler and performs even better than the AT-165

For those who demand high output charging, for getting as much back into your bank with the least amount of engine run time, and have a battery bank that can take the current Balmar has finally begun shipping their new AT series alternators.

I have been watching this technology from Nippondenso for a long while and hoping it would eventually trickle down into a marine duty alternator. Balmar has finally done it.

These alternators use a totally different winding process called "hairpin wound"... It was developed by Nippondenso and has finally trickled down to the marine level in a marine mount such as the Yanmar mounting footprint below.

Hairpin windings pack more copper into a smaller space, result in better low RPM performance & high output in a small form factor. They really shine on the low RPM marine diesels.

The AT -165A alternator will deliver 100 - 120A (depending upon your engines pulley ratio) at just 1000 engine RPM or idle or 120A at a 2.5:1 pulley ratio at idle!!!!!!

It can also run "hot" at 115A - 130A +/- (engine room temp dependent) near continuously.. That said, and I will say it once more, there is no such thing as a constant duty small frame alternator so some level of alt temp protection or current limiting is still necessary for a proper installation.

Here it is compared to our own Compass Marine Inc. brand of custom built alternators. The AMP-IT HD125-ER is the old Ample Power alternator really tweaked/improved in terms of internal components. Both of these are designed to fit a Yanmar. The CMI-HD125-ER is 125A rated and the Balmar is 165A rated (cold ratings). The AT-165 is actually a bit smaller and with a lot more output capability, especially at low RPM...

This one, with a full serpentine kit, alt and battery temp sensors and MC-614 regulator is going into one of our customers boats. He will be doing the physical install himself and I will likely just set it up and program the regulator. I am just too busy to get to this before he launches.

Very cool stuff for those with large banks or LiFePO4, AGM or AGM/TPPL batteries.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

Is it ignition proof to SAE J1171??

 

[Maine Sail]

Is it ignition proof to SAE J1171??

Yes of course.... The AMP-IT HD125-ER is too.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

The reason for the question is sometimes us lowly gassers are forgotten.

Not so much on the pictured Balmar but I was expecting a screen shroud on the Delco. Is the 10DN internally protected? What is the difference between it and the 10Si?

 

[FastOlson]

Looking at the two alternators side by side....
the center of the belt force appears to be a tad further out on the shaft on the flat-belt version, over the V-belt version.
Is there any concern that this might wear out the bearing sooner?

Just wonderin'......


Loren

 

[Maine Sail]

The reason for the question is sometimes us lowly gassers are forgotten.

Not so much on the pictured Balmar but I was expecting a screen shroud on the Delco. Is the 10DN internally protected? What is the difference between it and the 10Si?

A "screen" does not necessarily make an alternator ignition protected. This protection occurs around the brushes and can't be seen from the outside. The brushes are usually sealed in a plastic or aluminum case/casting to prevent spark...

The 10DN and 10SI share similar dimensions but the 10DN case was originally set up as an externally regulated alternator. The term Delco 10DN is a bit of a misnomer as these cases are custom cast to the outside dimensions of the 10DN but are not a actual Delco 10DN case. This is because the bearings are larger, the windings are larger, the specs are tighter etc. etc....

This will give you an idea of some of the differences between an "automotive alt" and a true purpose built high output alternator such as the CMI-HD125-ER:

Special features:

*Hand wound stators of 14GA wire means better cooling and better heat dissipation.

*Precision machined rotor and slip rings for greater contact at all RPM.

*Tight tolerance stator/rotor gap for better performance. This feature is not found in standard alternators. This aids the low RPM performance..

*Precision milled stators utilizing a special dacron/mylar insulator. The industry norm is paper..

*Rotor is precision balanced to .025 ounce inches. Industry norm is .050 - .090. This means SMOOTH operation and less harmonics...

*Motorola 400V 75A press fit diodes. Industry standards are no-name Chinese diodes typically 50V and 20-30A rated. The diodes in the CMI-HD125-ER carry a performance rating to 340F.

*Internal wire leads are ultra high temperature acrylic coated fiberglass insulation sleeves or silicone 200C wire not cheap rubber or low temp PVC sleeving.

*Brushes are high copper content composite not run of the mill carbon brushes. This yields better conductivity and considerably longer brush life.

*Isolated ground and the neg terminal is 100% isolated from the case. Automotive alts complete the circuit through the case, and pass through multiple dissimilar lower conductivity metals plus the rusty engine block before getting back to a battery cable. This is a significant upgrade over cheaper auto style case ground alternators.

*Both the positive and negative studs are 5/16" not teeny tiny 1/4" or #10 studs.

*Positive & negative studs are physically bolted directly to the rectifier heat sink for the best possible connection. Industry standard is a press-fit.

*Ignition protection to USCG / 33CFR 183.410

*Better low RPM performance due to how it is wound.

*A 125A cold rated alternator can run at 85-100A with a proper set up and based on engine room temp... A 125A car alt won't even come close to this without frying itself...

 

[Maine Sail]

Looking at the two alternators side by side....
the center of the belt force appears to be a tad further out on the shaft on the flat-belt version, over the V-belt version.
Is there any concern that this might wear out the bearing sooner?

Just wonderin'......


Loren

No worries. I've yet to have any heavy duty alternator with bearing failure. Also a serpentine belt requires less tension to drive the load than a v-belt would. This is why Balmar only wants to sell the AT series with either dual "V" or serpentine kits.. Top quality bearings are used and they are over-sized compared to an automotive alt..

 

[Gunni]

Are they available in anything other than Westerbeke Red? I have a coordinated Yanmar engine room to maintain ya know...

 

[Stu Jackson]

My impression was that the new one was on the right. But, a little RED will never hurt ya, unless you're a chardonnay kinda guy.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

A "screen" does not necessarily make an alternator ignition protected. This protection occurs around the brushes and can't be seen from the outside. The brushes are usually sealed in a plastic or aluminum case/casting to prevent spark...

Yes, I am aware of ignition protection requirements but there are a variety of ways this is achieved, a shield being one of them. Here's a pic of my Delco 10Si with the shield and the compliance number stamped in the center.

 

[wufibugs]

Couple of questions from the gallery. Have 3 AGMs [1 start 2 house] and 2GM20F. These come stock with 35 amp alt. Refrigeration, autopilot, and almost constant music [got kids whose tether I keep cutting without success], maybe radar if I build an arch, but no a/c or solar. Thought I might try to find a 65 amp as a compromise between higher output and drag on that little 2 banger. Does this technology reduce engine drag? I understand that load and amount of time sailing vs. motoring have to be factored, but would my boat justify 165a?

 

[ifmdalvey]

What sort of price does it come in at?

 

[Maine Sail]

Couple of questions from the gallery. Have 3 AGMs [1 start 2 house] and 2GM20F. These come stock with 35 amp alt. Refrigeration, autopilot, and almost constant music [got kids whose tether I keep cutting without success], maybe radar if I build an arch, but no a/c or solar. Thought I might try to find a 65 amp as a compromise between higher output and drag on that little 2 banger. Does this technology reduce engine drag? I understand that load and amount of time sailing vs. motoring have to be factored, but would my boat justify 165a?

For that type of bank a standard high output alternator would be more than enough. These alts are great for large banks that require lots of current and are not your everyday HO alt... This is really not an alternator you'd put on a 2GM as it could theoretically pull 6HP....

 

[Maine Sail]

What sort of price does it come in at?

They are best purchased in "kit" form which come with the MC-614 regulator, serpentine pulley kit, alternator and the alt and battery temp sensors for about $2200.00.. They are more expensive but very high performance, if you need it, and can use it.....

 

[PDReynolds]

Great information. How does one go about ordering one for a Yanmar 4JH4E, I believe with C) 3.15” ID saddle (Hitachi-style) mount? Does the kit include everything I will need for my engine?. What do I need to specify if I order from West Marine or Defender or other?

 

[Maine Sail]

Great information. How does one go about ordering one for a Yanmar 4JH4E, I believe with C) 3.15” ID saddle (Hitachi-style) mount? Does the kit include everything I will need for my engine?. What do I need to specify if I order from West Marine or Defender or other?

Because these are new the best bet is to call Dale, Rick, Rich or Tom at Balmar and ask which kit is best for your engine. I suspect it will be the same kit I am doing but the pulleys may be slightly different on the 4JH4E. Be aware that with the 4JH4E those factory Yanmar tachs can not be re-calibrated. A new high output alt may not have the same AC pulse that the Hitachi does so you'll need a tach deviation card to be made.. Changing the pully size can be done to dial the new alt to match the tach so you may also want to talk to Balmar about that.

Once you have the kit # you need from Balmar call any Balmar distributor or dealer and they can give you a price.

 

[Bob Mack]

Have successfully recalibrated the stock Yanmar tach on my 3JH4e (2007 vintage). It is the Yanmar BXB panel with warning lights. It is a VDO tachometer unit with LCD hour meter. If it is the same tachometer it can be racalibrated. VDO has very good recalibration directions. You need a laser tachometer of course, and the LCD panel is very difficult if not impossible to read.