Kevin and Mark,

I have also given the ATV/motorcle PM alternator a lot of thought.  The best solution would be to redesign Tracy's redrive with enough space for a ATV flywheel to be mounted to the mazda flexplate but this isn't practical.  So that takes us back to the accessory side of the engine, which is what Mark (and I) looked at earlier.  I'll probably work on this more after I finish the miniMax and get back on my RV-4 project (actually, I'm remodeling a bathroom at the moment, inclding building a new vanity).  The lure of electric power without much weight is great; 7 - 8 amps would double our day VFR range if we lost the alternator and had to depend on a 17 amp battery.

Ken Powell

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Kevin,
I'm the person that posted the info on the Race Mate Alternator-Water Pump combo. I don't know any more about it that what you can read on the sparse web site. I really posted it to help stir the creative juices. I had played around with the idea of using an ATV inductor coil set to serve as an emergency backup. I had considered mounting it under the crank pulley. I later changed my mind and went with dual alternators. Much simpler, less costly to fix or replace, puts out more amps, and it provided a second belt for the water pump. That's a combination that's pretty hard to beat.

FWIW, I saw a Jabiru a while back and it had a similar inductor coil setup to power the ignition, and possibly lights (I didn't ask). If you want to go down this path, you might take a look at the Jabiru for some ideas.

Mark S.

Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 08:35:18 -0500
To: Fly Rotary
From: Mark Steitle
Subject: Alternator - Water Pump Combo

Here is a picture of the Race Mate alternator - water pump by Barrett Engineering in San Diego, CA. I got the picture off ebay. Judging by the picture on their web site, it appears to be a permanent magnet alternator. I think this one fits small block Fords. They have a web site (www.racemate.com), with very limited info.

Mark S.