I’m trying to find a source for high speed carbon brushes.
Specifically 4mmx6mmx18mm (.157in.x.236inx.708in or 5/32 x 15/64 x 45/64 in.) The wire needs to extend about 1.9" (48.41mm, 1-29/32in)
These are for an alternator, so if you have a favorite alternator/starter shop you’d like to recommend I’d be interested to call them. The part is not generally available through automotive outlets because it’s “non-servicable”…
Thanks for looking!
Interesting … there are still alternators which use carbon brushes?
Unless you’re goofing me for the phrase carbon when they’re actually probably some hybrid graphite material, I am not aware of any alternators in extensive use today which do NOT use brushes…
I learned something! I thought they used some other way of getting the juice to the field windings, but it appears that brushes are it.
Unlike a DC generator, however, the slip rings are solid and don’t contain gaps.
FWIW they ARE out there:
I’m not aware of their use being widespread.
How they work (at least one way they work) is pretty interesting:
For the reading challenged among us, it essentially consists of 2 alternators, a small one called the exciter which gets its field from the stater, hence the wiring is on the case, and its output is used to excite the main alternator, whose field is on the rotor, hence the juice is output on the case.
I might have the terminology wrong. I’m always getting them mixed up… 