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How Car Electric System works?

When the automobile industry was in its infancy, electrical system of the automobile was limited to the ignition equipment only. But by the late 1920s, the electric starter replaced the hand crank, electric headlights made acetylene lamps obsolete and the sound of the electric horn drowned out the toot of the hand operated air horn. Electrification was rapid and complete, and, by 1930, six-volt systems in cars were standard everywhere. The electrical system of a car consists of a storage battery, generator, starting (cranking) motor, lighting system, ignition system, and various accessories and controls. Today, a car uses an extensive electrical system just to produce, store, and distribute all the electricity it requires to allow it to run smoothly and offer all the comforts to the driver and its occupants

Car Battery

The first major component in the car electrical system is the car battery. The battery is used to store power for starting and for running auxiliary devices such as clocks, radios and alarms when the engine is off. Another major component is the starter motor, which is used to start the engine. The third component is a charging device powered by the engine, known as the car alternator. This device powers the electrical system and charges the battery, but only when the car is running. With these basic components, the car maintains its supply of electricity. The voltage regulator keeps the voltage at the correct level and the power level stabilized; while the fuse box ensures that any minor electrical faults do not develop into major problems such as damaged components, or even worse, an electrical fire.

Many different auxiliary electrical devices are used in modern cars, such as: radios, cellular phones, rear window defrosters and electric door locks, as well as a vast array of motors powering everything from the sunroof on down.

The battery is usually the first part of the system to develop a problem. Most batteries last between 3 to 7 years depending on brand and design. Batteries can be working perfectly one minute and dead the next.

Car Headlights

The car headlight is a special type of high-powered light responsible for illuminating a broad swath of area directly in front of a car. Although car headlights come in a variety of sizes, shapes and types, their basic design and operation are pretty much the same. They all use electricity, supplied by the car battery, to light the inner filaments and tubes that make up the heart of a car headlight. The headlights are operated and controlled manually from inside the car itself. A headlight switch, which is normally located on the dashboard or turn signal switch, relays an electrical signal from the car battery directly to the headlights themselves. When the headlight switch is activated, an electrical connection is opened and electricity flows freely form the car battery to the headlights.

Car Horns

A car horn is a very simple electromechanical device that uses the principle of electromagnetism to create sound to alert other vehicles and bystanders of the car's presence.

A typical car horn consists of a flexible metal diaphragm usually made of spring steel, a coil of wire that forms an electromagnet, a switch and a housing that functions somewhat like a megaphone. Horns are constructed with a flexible electrical contact that is attached to - or actuated by - the flexible diaphragm.

In actual operation, one presses the horn button and at that moment the electrical contact allows current flow to the relay, which in turn furnishes high current to the horn's electromagnet. That, in turn, attracts the diaphragm, which flexes to its mechanical limit. This disengages the contact, which stops current flow to the electromagnet. The diaphragm is released to travel back past neutral position closing the switch again, and thereby pulling the diaphragm back, setting up an even oscillation.