Voltage Reg and Charging Problem?

[docc]

Original regulator on your V11, swooshdave? How many miles?

[swooshdave]

Original regulator on your V11, swooshdave? How many miles?

At 19k I assume so.

[swooshdave]

Yes my current regulator is the EuroMoto one. Sorry I’m not too specific..

I don’t know the model of the Electrosport, it’s the plug n’ play style. It would have a draw that would take the odyssey down past its optimal voltage in a week (like .1 volts a day). I asked Electrosport about it and they offered a small discount on a new one....

 

I heard back from Electrosport:

 

It's most likely the ESR515. The good news is that it's a plug and play for the Guzzi. The bad news is that its a traditional shunt (thyristor) just like the stock one. So it will fail again at some point due to the heat. Perhaps they use better components but basically they get hot not because they are dumping the energy from the alternator but because the thyristors require a lot of current to even work.

 

 

On a thyristor based R/R the most heat isn't from the shortcircuit, it's from the switching... A thyristor is basically a diode with a separate leg, acting as a switch... But the switch has a delay... The thyristor relies on the current flowing through it, to keep it open... https://www.superhawkforum.com/forums/knowledge-base-40/mosfet-regulator-rectifiers-why-how-25117/#post297844

 

Electrosport says to get a MOSFET regulator to use a ESR550 but you will need to mod the wiring and you will lose the charge light (I assume you can hack something to get the charge light to work again).

 

https://www.electrosport.com/products/esr550-regulator-rectifier-suzuki

 

The good news is the ESR550 is only $109 and once installed should last the life of the bike... or you, whichever is longer. I suspect you guys want me to get that one and document the re-wiring (ie. be the guinea pig)?

[czakky]

How else is Docc gonna make it to 200k?

[docc]

I hope you mean 200k kilometers . . . that "could be" in striking distance!

 

Currently, (>hehcurrent-ly" . . . ), my R/R #3 is holding its own (give or take some battery light flicker at idle when the battery is full up) at over 8 years and 37,000 miles.  I have a $150 EnDuraLast EDL-450 direct replacement spare on hand when the time comes.

 

I'm also on battery #4 in eighteen years and 109,000 miles/ 175.000 km. This kind of service seems totally acceptable to me.

Better than some Hondas I've owned. 

[Scud]

 

 

 

Electrosport says to get a MOSFET regulator to use a ESR550 but you will need to mod the wiring and you will lose the charge light (I assume you can hack something to get the charge light to work again).

 

https://www.electrosport.com/products/esr550-regulator-rectifier-suzuki

 

The good news is the ESR550 is only $109 and once installed should last the life of the bike... or you, whichever is longer. I suspect you guys want me to get that one and document the re-wiring (ie. be the guinea pig)?

 

 

 

Incorrect assumption. I want you to get that one, try it out, then come to my house and install one for me. 

 

I don't care about the charge light. A gauge would be better. I liked having the Speedhut volt-meter that I added to my LeMans (along with oil pressure gauge).

[swooshdave]

 

Electrosport says to get a MOSFET regulator to use a ESR550 but you will need to mod the wiring and you will lose the charge light (I assume you can hack something to get the charge light to work again).

 

https://www.electrosport.com/products/esr550-regulator-rectifier-suzuki

 

The good news is the ESR550 is only $109 and once installed should last the life of the bike... or you, whichever is longer. I suspect you guys want me to get that one and document the re-wiring (ie. be the guinea pig)?

 

 

Incorrect assumption. I want you to get that one, try it out, then come to my house and install one for me.

 

I don't care about the charge light. A gauge would be better. I liked having the Speedhut volt-meter that I added to my LeMans (along with oil pressure gauge).

You pay the airfare and I’ll come down.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kiwi_Roy]

The original Ducati Energia is a series regulator, it opens the circuit instead. IMHO these are a good regulator let down by the flaky Voltage reference from the headlight circuit. More than once I got my bike home by hot wiring from the battery to the male pin (black wire) of the regulator. I think it would be more reliable with a different relay connecting the black wire to the battery, I thought about connecting it to the ECU relay which has a fairly light load, the reference draws about 15 milliamps from memory. The 4 or 5 Amps through the headlight relay creates an erratic Voltage drop although the regulator holds the headlight Voltage constant at the expense of battery regulation.

 

I couldn't get Electrosport to tell me anything about their regulator, I suspected it was a shunt type. The Voltage reference is permanently connected to the battery making it more reliable, it only draws about 0.3 milliamps but it will flatten the battery over time. I would pull the fuse over winter but then I forgot to put it back again and consequently the battery went flat, luckily I was close to a friends house and I was able to give the battery a quick charge.

 

There is only one thing that will cause the 30 Amp fuse (plastic) to melt, a loose fuse holder, mine actually welded in but I was able to squeeze the contacts together. I replaced the fuse because It had been arcing and it seemed fine.

 

As for the bullet connectors, I think the ones on the stator are larger than our normal ones, it's better to cut them off and use butt splices. I had to replace the yellow wires on my stator, one wire broke at the coil connection, the copper was too corroded to re-solder.

[swooshdave]

The original Ducati Energia is a series regulator, it opens the circuit instead. IMHO these are a good regulator let down by the flaky Voltage reference from the headlight circuit. More than once I got my bike home by hot wiring from the battery to the male pin (black wire) of the regulator. I think it would be more reliable with a different relay connecting the black wire to the battery, I thought about connecting it to the ECU relay which has a fairly light load, the reference draws about 15 milliamps from memory. The 4 or 5 Amps through the headlight relay creates an erratic Voltage drop although the regulator holds the headlight Voltage constant at the expense of battery regulation.

 

I couldn't get Electrosport to tell me anything about their regulator, I suspected it was a shunt type. The Voltage reference is permanently connected to the battery making it more reliable, it only draws about 0.3 milliamps but it will flatten the battery over time. I would pull the fuse over winter but then I forgot to put it back again and consequently the battery went flat, luckily I was close to a friends house and I was able to give the battery a quick charge.

 

There is only one thing that will cause the 30 Amp fuse (plastic) to melt, a loose fuse holder, mine actually welded in but I was able to squeeze the contacts together. I replaced the fuse because It had been arcing and it seemed fine.

 

As for the bullet connectors, I think the ones on the stator are larger than our normal ones, it's better to cut them off and use butt splices. I had to replace the yellow wires on my stator, one wire broke at the coil connection, the copper was too corroded to re-solder.

 

I didn't have any problems getting info from Electrosport. He was very forthcoming with the regulator types. I wish their website was more clear.

 

As I said before the plug and play model is Shunt (SCR) and but they also have MOSFET ones too (DYI wiring).

 

If the original regulator is series do they fail or are they just outputting (in my case) the wrong voltage because of the reference voltage? Does the reference voltage to series regulators draw any amperage when off? Would a relay help here?

 

More "light" reading: https://www.triumphrat.net/speed-triple-forum/104504-charging-system-diagnostics-rectifier-regulator-upgrade.html

[Lucky Phil]

The original Ducati Energia is a series regulator, it opens the circuit instead. IMHO these are a good regulator let down by the flaky Voltage reference from the headlight circuit. More than once I got my bike home by hot wiring from the battery to the male pin (black wire) of the regulator. I think it would be more reliable with a different relay connecting the black wire to the battery, I thought about connecting it to the ECU relay which has a fairly light load, the reference draws about 15 milliamps from memory. The 4 or 5 Amps through the headlight relay creates an erratic Voltage drop although the regulator holds the headlight Voltage constant at the expense of battery regulation.

 

I couldn't get Electrosport to tell me anything about their regulator, I suspected it was a shunt type. The Voltage reference is permanently connected to the battery making it more reliable, it only draws about 0.3 milliamps but it will flatten the battery over time. I would pull the fuse over winter but then I forgot to put it back again and consequently the battery went flat, luckily I was close to a friends house and I was able to give the battery a quick charge.

 

There is only one thing that will cause the 30 Amp fuse (plastic) to melt, a loose fuse holder, mine actually welded in but I was able to squeeze the contacts together. I replaced the fuse because It had been arcing and it seemed fine.

 

As for the bullet connectors, I think the ones on the stator are larger than our normal ones, it's better to cut them off and use butt splices. I had to replace the yellow wires on my stator, one wire broke at the coil connection, the copper was too corroded to re-solder.

I wired my headlight circuit seperately via a pair of mini relays so now the regulator reference voltage stays constant and the handlebar switches dont carry the headlight current.

 

Ciao

[docc]

 

The original Ducati Energia is a series regulator, it opens the circuit instead. IMHO these are a good regulator let down by the flaky Voltage reference from the headlight circuit. More than once I got my bike home by hot wiring from the battery to the male pin (black wire) of the regulator. I think it would be more reliable with a different relay connecting the black wire to the battery, I thought about connecting it to the ECU relay which has a fairly light load, the reference draws about 15 milliamps from memory. The 4 or 5 Amps through the headlight relay creates an erratic Voltage drop although the regulator holds the headlight Voltage constant at the expense of battery regulation.

 

I couldn't get Electrosport to tell me anything about their regulator, I suspected it was a shunt type. The Voltage reference is permanently connected to the battery making it more reliable, it only draws about 0.3 milliamps but it will flatten the battery over time. I would pull the fuse over winter but then I forgot to put it back again and consequently the battery went flat, luckily I was close to a friends house and I was able to give the battery a quick charge.

 

There is only one thing that will cause the 30 Amp fuse (plastic) to melt, a loose fuse holder, mine actually welded in but I was able to squeeze the contacts together. I replaced the fuse because It had been arcing and it seemed fine.

 

As for the bullet connectors, I think the ones on the stator are larger than our normal ones, it's better to cut them off and use butt splices. I had to replace the yellow wires on my stator, one wire broke at the coil connection, the copper was too corroded to re-solder.

I wired my headlight circuit seperately via a pair of mini relays so now the regulator reference voltage stays constant and the handlebar switches dont carry the headlight current.

 

Ciao

 

+1 

[swooshdave]

I wired my headlight circuit seperately via a pair of mini relays so now the regulator reference voltage stays constant and the handlebar switches dont carry the headlight current.

 

 

 

Ciao

 

 

Is there a diagram of where best to put the relay? I'm searching now through the archives and have found some. Do you know which one you used?

[docc]

I put my (2) relays in the headlight bucket.  More challenging, perhaps, to pull a hot from the battery all the way to the bucket (tank-off project, routing , and making good contact to positive). I pulled grounds back across the steering head to the frame mounts for the (early V11) frame mounted fuel pump. Pretty sure those mount points remain on the later frames.

 

Relays in the bucket showing where one of my connections eventually jiggled loose:

 

Grounds x 2 (Headlight relays, lo and hi, plus ground strap frame-to-timing chest where my regulator is grounded. [far left. mid-image]:

[swooshdave]

So you started with the relays in the bucket and then moved them under the tank?

[docc]

So you started with the relays in the bucket and then moved them under the tank?

Negative. My two headlight relays (lo and hi) are still in the bucket. The two (Bosch) relays you see in the image are my right and left horn relays. The horns (FIAMM Freeway Blasters) also get hot (fused positive) from the [battery] and ground back to those frame points.