Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Doh!

On investigation I notice the dynamo turns the wrong way! Presumeably I can change the direction of rotation. Anyone know how?

Charlie

You just need to change the connections to the brushes. You should get a lucas dynamo manual or a description of the tests you can do on them. i‘m sure there is one either here on the forum or just google it.

I notice that if I connect an external power supply to the field coils and turn the dynamo by hand it generates a current. Time to fiddle with the connections!

When run as a motor, the dynamo must turn in the same direction as it is driven in when acting as a dynamo. The easiest way to reverse the direction of rotation is to swop over the field coil connections.

Charles
All the info you need is at the top of the first page of the 'electrics' section on the forum here:

http://forum.arielownersmcc.com/viewt ... ?f=8&t=189

Cheers
Alan

Huge thanks to all, I changed the field leads round. When fitted to a bike it did not show a huge reading in my moving coil multimeter but lit a 21W bulb brighter than it ought to.

I have an old style JG 12V converter which needs the dynamo to be rewired. I am considering a newer regulator as they use the existing wiring, as per 6V.

Any recommendations?

Charlie

Is this a CS35D, Charlie?

Roger, it is an E3L.

Charles
If you are using a bridge wire between the F and D terminals and putting your multimeter between that wire and the body of the dynamo you should be getting easily 10 volts on the meter when you rev the engine a bit (no need to go mad on the revving) ...changing the multimeter leads over will show if the dynamo is producing pos or neg earth. I'm assuming your multi meter is operating correctly?

Basing the output on a bulb doesn't really tell you much...if its a 6 volt bulb it may be bright but your output may still be under par.

You really need to be sure that the dynamo is putting out good voltage before deciding on a regulator but I would recommend the DVR2 regulator
https://dynamoregulators.com/dvr2.php

You need to decide on what polarity you want before you buy but a DVR2 can give you 6V or 12V.

The problem with running a 6V dynamo on a 12V system is that, instead of the 6v dynamo being able to balance charge on a 6V system at say 30 mph you need to be doing 40mph average to keep a 12v system fully charged. Do you really need a 12v system?

As I said before...work your way through the procedures set out in the first post in the electrical section.

Cheers
alan

Hi,
For what it's worth..............

I had no end of problems until I finaly discovered that the problem was within the old regulator case. I had soldered the DVR2 wires to the terminals from which I'd disconnected the old mechanism, not taking into account that these had been riveted to the furrules into which the wiring harness engages (FADE on the outside).

There was in fact an intermittent connection that was causing all of my problems.

I went round and round in circles for ages until suddenly

It works atreat now and doesn't care if its a haolgen or LED headlight (which hardly draws any current).

Keith