[rotorwrench]

I had customers that would check their alternator output this way on the helicopters. The alternator is a 70-amp 24-volt unit with a 70-amp ampere meter. There is nothing in the aircraft that will pull near half of 70 amps so they couldn't tell if it was working by the amp meter unless the cut of the battery switch.

They finally started putting a low voltage warning light in the panel that fed off the alternator control unit. At least this way a person can tell if the system is working. A volt meter would have likely been a better choice than an amp meter for gauging alternator output.