Are You Smarter than a 'Smart' Charging System? | Scope It Out
By Dave Hobbs. No matter how complex ‘smart’ charging systems appear at first glance, it still comes down to a battery, an alternator and some modules monitoring and controlling voltage regulation. We’re sure you’ve got the smarts to handle that.
Nearly every time I look at an alternator it conjures up fond memories of growing up in a family-owned auto electric shop. In the 1980s, Chrysler pioneered voltage regulation with an engine control computer on its first EFI systems.
Chrysler still uses a similar method of voltage regulation today. Quite a few years later, Ford followed with a powertrain control module (PCM) connection to the alternator. Not to be outdone, GM and others joined the ranks of OEMs using some form of strategy to tie engine management and voltage regulation together.
Although the image of a full field test with a pocket screwdriver making sparks in the D hole of a Delcotron is outdated, simple tests for outsmarting today’s socalled smart charging systems are out there for the tech who’s willing to learn what makes these latest systems tick.
To keep this smart charging system visit manageable, we’ll focus on GM passenger cars and light-duty trucks. Before we venture too far out into the deep water on the latest charging systems, let’s do a bit of review. Not a bad idea considering that many techs reading this have never seen the inside of an alternator, as the art of rebuilding has becomes a thing of the past for most shops.
The primary missions for any alternator are to maintain a charge on the battery and keep up with the vehicle’s electrical accessory demand. To accomplish these tasks, a rotating electromagnetic field called a rotor induces an electrical charge into three windings that are 120° out-of-phase. These windings (the stator) create alternating current that in turn is rectified into direct current by a set of diodes in the back of the alternator. Pretty basic stuff, right?
Gm Powertrain Control Module Theory - Bookshelf
Literary Theory
This work explores the role of the literary in theory, with wide-ranging analysis of key concepts and disciplinary practices.Modern control engineering
Optimal control theory, an introduction
Geared toward upper-level undergraduates, this text introduces three aspects of optimal control theory: dynamic programming, Pontryagin's minimum principle, and ...Literary Theory, An Introduction
It’s not just a brilliant polemical essay; it’s also a remarkable feat of condensation, explication, and synthesis.” —Sunday Times (London) “A concise ...Beginning theory, an introduction to literary and cultural theory
In this second edition of Beginning Theory, the variety of approaches, theorists, and technical language is lucidly and expertly unraveled and explained, and ...Day-by-day Walkthroughs Directory
Controller Area Network CAN diagnostics explaination info on ...
Information on the Controller Ares Network (CAN-Bus) diagnostics protocol for vehicle diagnostics ... powertrain control modules, antilock brakes and stability control ...
Embedded Controller Systems Engineer Jobs in Detroit MI ...
methodology and control theory - Experience in Matlab / Simulink programming and ... Good overall knowledge of Powertrain control systems, Experience in standard ...
Grand Am Passlock Security System Repair
Remove the Body Control Module by sliding it to your right. It takes ... Control Module will then send a signal to the Powertrain Control Module telling ...
ECOtality North America: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra HICE ...
Integration with the existing GM platform includes replacement of the original GM Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to provide the flexibility required ...
GM Throttle by Wire-Electronic Throttle Control with Dave ...
Spend an hour and a half with AVI instructor Dave Hobbs and get to know GM electronic throttle control (ETC) systems a little better.