Maybe I missed seeing it in this post, but doesn't an alternator only charge the amount it is needed to charge? I may be confused or am misunderstanding, but isn't the amount of the output of an alternator only what the battery is requiring at the time the alternator is putting it out? So, wouldn't a 60 amp alternator need to be supplying 60 amps only if battery was "taxed" 60 amps. If all the equipment on a vehicle is "turned on", the alternator puts out what it needs to keep the battery charged just like it doesn't if none of the equipment is on. A limiter of sorts - right? So, how could it really ever put out the full amount it is capable of putting out unless the battery was fully discharged or the system was basically being over taxed. Most of the time a battery is down, you usually put a charger on it, so the alternator really never puts out it's full capability and in at least the case of my truck, the starter is not hooked to the alternator, but the battery. So, finally, how could the Amp Meter really be taxed any more than the battery needs or wants even if the amperage goes through the amp meter?
