Dale Smith wrote:

Can one start a rotary by hand proping?  If properly done, it's not dangerous on
a recip, and you sure save dragging a lot of weight around for the rest of the
flight.

Even a variable pitch prop remains directly coupled, so once you have airborne
momentum, you have an air re-start capability, and like it or not ... without
power, windmilling is more of a problem than not being able to "turn the engine
over".

Any problem feeding hand torque back through the PRSU?  Does it "catch"
abruptly?  Too much compression, too quickly?  Or "piece of cake"?

Just curious,

Here I go again. Has anyone ever considered using the alternator as a brushless motor
to start an engine ? It would seem that a 70 amp. alternator could get you into the
1hp. range. It would require some high current switching with some pulley mods. but I
have been thinking about it for a single rotor engine.

Also, can anyone tell me the starter power (voltsXamps) required to crank a 13B with
the plugs removed ? I'd like to run some single rotor intake tuning experiments
driving the engine, plugs out, with an electric motor and I need a cut at the torque
required at the e-shaft.

Fred O.

Generator and DC motors are more or less the same but I don't think
an alternator will work as a motor when confronted with DC.

Paul Lamar

An alternator will not run as a motor. As stated it is not a generator.
In the alternator the alternating current produced is rectified by the
diodes before getting out at the terminal as a direct current voltage.
It is actually a 3 phases alternator, that is why 6 diodes are used.
The process cannot be reversed by applying a voltage at the terminal.
The fact is that the battery 12 volts is always applied to that terminal
and nothing happens because of the diodes that blocks a reverse current
flow.

Rino

 
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