"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
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[...]
I suspect that I misread the sign language from the guy who was
helping with the jump start, and I turned on the alterator before he
unplugged the external power.

Does this damage the alternator in any way?

I have jump-started countless automobiles without ever disconnecting the
alternator from the battery, never with any damage to the alternator. I
don't know the specifics for the Piper external power connector, but I
suspect it's wired directly to the battery. If that's the case, I don't see
how external power could damage the alternator any more than the battery
itself could.

I don't know why your alternator was being regulated at maximum output (or
something that sounds exactly like that), but from your description it
sounds like it was a transient condition. Perhaps related to having turned
the alternator on before the external power was disconnected, perhaps only
related to the dead battery, or perhaps related to something else (I'd put
my money on the dead battery).

Did the alternator work fine for the rest of the flight? Have you had a
chance to talk to your mechanic yet? If everything's okay now, seems
unlikely that it suffered any damage.

Pete