Hi hiler.
Yep its still 3 phase. The problem with normal star is being addressed in that other post.
But just a thought or 2 on the subject. I'll present a more indepth disusion at a latter date.
Lets take a simple alt for example. Say 3 coils 4 magnets. Each coil is producing voltage.
However when coil #1 is at its peak voltage swing #2 and # 3 are not. They can't because they are 120 degrees ahead or behind.
Star basicly wires all 3 coils in sires. If you remove one coil you can see this very plainly. There is a star or comon point where the 3 phase have a comon conection.
Nothing else is conected to this point. Ac out put is conected to the other ends of the coils. There is ac potential between these 3 conections. However it is not the peak voltage of the coils added in sires because coil #1 voltage may be at 10v at the same time coil #2 and 3 are at 8 volt or so. they have not reach there peak yet.
So the problem is you'll never be able to harvest all 3 coils peak voltage because there wired in sires with another coil 2 volts shy.
This is not the most eficient use of coils or magnet or the blade for that matter.
When the 3 phase are treated as seperate power sources and not degraded by being wired in sires with a out of phase helper then there power is at maximum for all coils.
No power waisted in missmatch. But yet all phases contribute. If this arangement is pursuide much more eficient alts will result.
Ed has allready discuvered this I have too. People need to get there head around this and quit waisting power.
I'll try to explain it in more detail latter with better examples and details.
I've done a few expiriments and it is a fact as Ed and I have stated.
PS one example. We were in an older biulding 7 years ago. The store was wire with 3 phase ac utility power.
This power is refered to as 208 volts 3 phase. Ofcourse there is also your standard 120 volts ac present.
There were 3 heavy insulated wires comming into the building plus a large ground or nutral.
At the ac breaker panel you could measure between nutral and any of the 3 hots and get a reading of 124 volts. Now in single phase you would see 248 volts between the 2 hots for 220. But not so in the 3 phase power. Measure between any 2 hots and you get 208v Thats why they call it 208v. Its not because the voltage is less it because one hot line is not totaly in phase with the other. its out of phase enough so that line 2 is trailing in peack voltage at the time your trying to use it. When 2 does reach it peak #1 is no trailing or out of phase with #2 and the same relation ship with #3..
With 3 phase the #1, #2 and #3 peaks will never be at the same time.
OK off my soap box. LOL.
JK TAS Jerry