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DCGeneratorsandsolidstatecontroller
therefore
I.OldDCdynamosandhowtheywork
MostcommonDCdynamosforuseonmotorcyclesareeitherof
a)thethreebrushtype,orof
b)theelectromechanicallycontrolledtype.
Acommontypeofsuchdynamos,whichfromtheoutsidealllookessentiallythesame,isshownbelowinFig1

a)thethreebrushtype
Thethreebrushtypedynamo,normallyhasanelectromechanicalcutoutswitch,butlacksanyseparateexternal
voltageregulationmeans.Voltageregulationisinherenttoitsconstructionandinfactdependsontheamountof
distortionofthemagneticfieldunderdifferentelectricloads(seeFigure2).However,thismannerofregulationis
limitedinitsabilitytokeepthevoltageandcurrentinlinewiththeactualrequirements.

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Examplesofelectricalcircuitsofdifferenttwopoleandfourpoledynamosofthistypeareshownbelowin
Figure3:

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InthesecircuitsLeisthefieldwinding,SgafuseandMgthecutoutsolenoidswitch.Thebrusharrangement
showninFigure4(twopolearrangement)issuitableforeasychangeofdirectionofrotationofthedynamo.

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b)theelectromechanicallycontrolledtype
Theelectromechanicallycontrolledtype,orvibratingregulatortype,permitsthedynamotomaintainthesameor
constantvoltagethroughoutthehigherspeedsand,ifalsoequippedwithcurrentregulatingcontacts,limitsvoltage
andcurrenttoamaximumallowablevalue.Sucharegulatorproducesnearlyperfectbatterycharging
characteristics.However,becauseofthevibratingcontactstheseregulatorsarepronetowearandcanberepaired
onlybyaspecialisthavingsufficientknowledgeofthespecifictypeofregulator.Furthermore,oftenthedynamo
foundatanautojumbleiswithoutitsregulatororthewrongtypeismountedandreplacementprovesverydifficult
tofindnowadaysevenifonehappenstoknowwhattypeofregulatorhadbeenusedoriginally.
AnexampleofoneofthegreatvarietyofsuchregulatorsanditselectricalcircuitisshowninFigure5

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III.AdditionalconsiderationswhenrestoringaDCDynamoforamotorbike
Iftheoriginallymountedgeneratorisoftheelectromechanicallycontrolledtypeandworkswelloriscomplete
andstillrestorable,thereisnormallynoneedforaconversionoftheregulator,especiallythemotorcycle's
originalitycanthusbepreserved.
However,forthosewhohavenochoicebecauseessentialpartsaremissingorarebeyondrepairor,ifitisthought
necessarytoimprovethereliabilityofthepoweroutput(inparticularofathreebrushtypeofgenerator),itis
suggestedthatuseshouldbemadeofthesolidstateregulatorpresentedinthisarticle.
InsomeEuropeancountrieselectriclightingismandatoryevenforveryoldmotorcyclesiftheyareusedonthe
publicroadsandinsuchacaseconversiontoelectriclightingandanelectricpowergeneratorbecomes
unavoidable.Theoldestgenerators,soldseparatelyatthetimeasanaccessoryandthereforepreferredforsucha
conversion,arenearlyalwaysofthe6Voltsthreebrushtype.Theylooknice,aresmallandinstallationis
normallynottoodifficult,buttheelectricoutputisverylow.However,whenusingtheregulatorpresentedinthis
articlesuchageneratorcanbeadaptedtobecomea12Voltsgeneratortherebyeffectivelydoublingitspower
output!Itisalsoeasytochangethedirectionofrotationoftheadaptedgeneratorbyjustinterchangingthe
connectionsofthefiledwindings.
Becausethefieldwindingsarecontrolleddirectlybytheregulatorthethirdbrush,thepositionofwhichwith
respecttothepositivebrush(seefigures3and4)normallydeterminesthesenseofrotation,isnotneeded
anymore.

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III.The"homemade"regulator
Theregulatorcircuitshownonthelastpageofthisarticle,wasdevelopedfromastateoftheartregulatorfor
modernalternatorsandgivesasolutiontomostoftheabovestatedproblems.Itcanbeusedincombinationwith
almostanyD.C.dynamoandcaneasilybeadjustedtoparticularneedswithouttamperingwiththedynamoitself.
Totalcostsareonlyabout15DMinGermany.TheproposedregulatorcomprisesadiodeD2whichreplacesthe
electromechanicalcutoutswitch.Theregulatorcanbebuildsmallenoughtobeinsertedinplaceoftheoriginal
cutoutswitchorelectromechanicalregulator.Whenusedincombinationwithathreebrushdynamothedynamo
canbecontrolledinthesamemannerasanormallyregulateddynamobycontrollingthefieldvoltagedirectly.In
thatcasethethirdbrushshouldbedispensedwithaltogetherandsuchconversionalsohastheadvantagethat
powerlossesaretoagreatextentreduced.

IV.Functioningoftheregulator
Thecircuitactsasaswitch,supplyingeitherfullornovoltagetothefieldwindingofthedynamo.Whenthe
dynamovoltageisbelow13volts,ZenerdiodeDzdoesnotconduct,T1isoffandT2ison,thusthedynamo
voltageisfullyappliedtothefieldwindingsoitsuppliesincreasingvoltagetotheregulatorcircuitand,through
resistorR5anddiodeD2,tothebattery.Whenthecircuitvoltageexceeds13volts,Dzstartstoconductandthe
voltageacrossresistorP1risestoapoint,dependingonthesettingofP1,whereT1startstoconductandT2stops
conducting,therebyswitchingoffthecurrenttothefieldwindingwithasubsequentdecreaseofthedynamo
outputvoltage
Duringregulationthesesequencesfollowinafastmodesuchthatthedynamovoltageiskeptregulatedatthe
desiredvoltagesetbyP1.
ThecomponentsR4,R5andT3formacurrentlimitingcircuit.ThevalueofR5isselectedtolimitthemaximum
outputcurrentinordertoavoidoverloadofthedynamo.ThevalueofresistorR5ischosensuchthat,atthe
maximumallowablecurrentloadofthedynamo,thevoltageacrossthisresistorissothatT3startsconducting
wherebythevoltageacrossP1increases,evenwithoutdiodeDzconducting,andtheoutputvoltageofthedynamo
isconsequentlydecreased.

V.Howtoconverta6Voltsdynamoto12Volts
Themaximumallowablepoweroutputofad.c.dynamoismainlydependentuponthemaximumallowable
temperatureofthewindings,whichisessentiallydependentuponthecurrent(I)inaccordancewiththefunction
Q=I.R(QistheamountofheatgenerationinWattsandRistheresistanceofthefieldcoil).
Consequently,forafixedmaximumcurrentratingandwithintheratedspeedlimit,thepoweroutput(P)ofa
dynamoisessentiallydirectlyproportionaltotheoutputvoltage(V)inaccordancewiththefunctionP=V.I.
Takingintoaccounttheseprinciplesandthefactthata6Voltsdynamoeasilygives40Voltswhenitisnot
regulated,theregulatordescribedcanalsobeusedtoconverta6voltdynamotogive12volts,andthusdoubleits
poweroutput,withoutfurthermodificationstothedynamoitself!
ItishoweveradvisedtoinsertinserieswiththefieldcoilaresistorR2ofthesameresistanceasthefieldcoil
resistancetolimitthefieldcurrenttothe6voltsvalueandsolimittheloadoftransistorT2andreducetheriskof
overheatingofthefieldwindingsatlowdynamospeedswhen,asfollowsfromtheaboveexplanation,fullvoltage
(thusupto13Volts)issuppliedtothefieldwindings.
WithsomedynamosdifficultieshavebeenencounteredwhenusedwithadiodeD2insteadofacutout.An
electromagneticcutoutallowsthetensionofthedynamotorisebeforetheconnectiontothebatteryismadeand
thereforeitiseasierforthedynamoto"startup"inparticularwhentheremainingmagnetisminthefieldpiecesis
small.Ifyouhavedifficultieswitha"blackbox"forconverting6Voltsdynamoto12Voltsorpoweris
unsufficient,tryoutwhetheranelectromagneticalcutoutswitchworksbetterandalsocheckifthefieldwindings
getenoughpower.Normallyabadadaptationoftheblackboxcontrollertothedynamoconcernedisthecauseof
thetrouble.
Ifrequired,6voltsregulationmaybemaintainedbyusinga6voltsZenerdiodeinsteadofa13voltsZenerdiode
andbyadjustingthetrimpotP1togivebatteryloadingvoltageof7volts.
Itisalwayspossibletomaintaintheoriginalcutoutrelay,whichshouldthenbeinstalledinsteadofthediodeD2.
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VI.Detailsofthecircuitanditsadjustment
DiodeD2isa50volts,6amps,ordependentuponthedynamooutput(forolddynamosgenerallyintherangeof
3060Watts),evenhigherratedtypewithlowinternalresistancetolimitthevoltagedropoverthediodeatthe
maximumcurrentrating.
Ifmaximumcurrentshouldbelimitedto3amps(upto5amps),theresistorR5shouldbechosentobeabout0.15
ohms(downto0.08ohms).Ifnotavailablesucharesistorcanbemadefromahighloadwirewoundresistor,
cuttingoffawirelengthinproportiontotheknownresistanceofthewirewoundresistortoobtain0.15ohmsand
wrappingthiswireonaresistorofsay,atleast100ohms,asasupportforthewireandforeasymountinginthe
circuit.
ThevalueofresistorR2isselectedtobeequalorslightlylowerthanthefieldcoilresistance(tobemeasuredwith
anOhmmeter)forthereasonsmentionedinpointIVabove.
TemperaturecompensationcanbeobtainedbymountingoneortwodiodesinserieswiththezenerdiodeDz.
InsteadoftheTransistorT2alsoadarlingtonpaircanbeused,suchasBD645.However,inpractisethesefurther
adaptationsprovedunnecessaryandarementionedonlyasalternativesforthosewholiketoexperiment.
Adjustmentofthevoltageshouldbecarriedoutwithafullychargedbatteryofthetypetobeusedonthe
motorbike.Themaximumvoltage,normallybetween14and14.5Volts,shouldbeadjustedsothatthereisstilla
smallchargingcurrent,theintensityofwhichdependsonthesizeofthebattery(usuallybetween0.1Ampsfor
smalland0.5Ampsforbiggerbatteries).
Useahighqualitytrimpot(cermetorequivalent)forP1and,aftersettingittotherequiredbatteryvoltage,seal
thesettingscrewwithablobofpaint.
Adjustedinthismannertheriskofoverloadingthebatteryiseffectivelypreventedanditisensuredthatthe
maximumcapacityofthebatteryisalwaysavailable.
T2shouldbemountedonasmallheatsink.
Agreatadvantageoftheregulatoristhat,incontrasttothethreebrushtypeofregulation,itsfunctioningis
independentofthebatteryandcanthusalsobeusedincasethebatteryisdisconnectedwithoutariskofblowing
thebulbs.

12Voltsregulatorcircuit

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backtoHDmodels"F"and"J"
HostingbyWebRing.

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