[T3] Voltage Regulator

Tue Nov 9 15:48:26 PST 2010

If my alternator kit actually arrives, then I might be inclined to not completely distrust TheDDB.

As it has not yet arrived, I would caution others on this list to *not* give TheDDB *any* money until they have established a track record of shipping product.

So far Greg seems to be more honest than Martin -- he communicates, at least.  However, the proof will be in the pudding (or, in this case, in the alternator) ... 

On Nov 10, 2010, at 5:19 AM, Mike Fisher wrote:

> Theddb.com in Portland, OR is back in business under new management
> selling a complete alternator conversion for Type 3's.  The glowing
> battery light is common and usually can be Ignored.  My JVC unit works
> fine in my 69 FI/AT with a generator.
> 
> On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Tim Keohane <rheorojo at wildblue.net> wrote:
>> Did some more fussing on this. I hope I didn't trash my battery. It's a 500
>> CCA 625 Amp/hour battery. I have been charging my batteries when needed
>> thinking my charger "senses" the state of charge and reduces the input as
>> necessary. So I assumed @ 2 amps the battery never received more than 2
>> amps, and that was reduced as the battery neared capacity. I may have
>> screwed up more batteries than I helped.
>> I drove the car at night several times this past week. I've observed that
>> the idiot light is faintly glowing. I had to dim my dash lights to be
>> certain. It makes no discernible difference between high and low beams. (
>> 110 x 2 or 55 x 2 ). I do notice the lights brighten when rpm's are
>> increased. Again high/low seems the same. Electrically the V R connections
>> shouldn't make any difference, but physically if the V R has an issue,
>> swapping the terminal connections at the V R ( fuse and battery circuits )
>> would produce a noticeable change. I'll try that next. I'm also earth
>> strapping the components so I'm not chasing a bad/faulty ground.
>> I've seen some conversions to alternators. Are there any comments regarding
>> this. It seems that if I had 50 amps charging capacity I could eliminate
>> this problem.
>> I'm researching lower wattage bulbs, and have yet to power up the radio/cd
>> player. Standard alpine unit, but does need 12 volts.
>> Thanks Tim
>> On 1 Nov 2010 at 21:45, Tim Keohane wrote:
>> 
>>> I charged the battery @ 10 amps for 24 hours, then 2 amps for 3 days.
>>> 4 hours after removing the charger these are the results:
>>> Battery charge          13.5 volts
>> 
>> That was actually quite hard on the battery. You put more than 240
>> amp-hours into a 45 amp-hour battery. The result has to be lots of
>> hydrolyzed water and probably some battery plate damage. (Plate
>> damage occurs when hydrolization occurs inside the sintered plates,
>> causing them to flake off bits of plate material.)
>> 
>>> @ 2500 RPM  No Load
>>> Battery                                 14.5 volts
>>> Gen.                            14.5 volts  10.5 Amps
>>> Battery circuit                 1.6 Amps
>>> Fuse Panel circuit        8.5 Amps
>> 
>> This seems pretty normal. I'm surprised that the V at the generator
>> isn't a bit higher than the V at the battery, but the low voltage
>> drop was probably due to the low current. Still, from the numbers
>> below, I would have expected ~0.4 V difference.
>> 
>> Note that the current out of the generator = the sum of the currents
>> out of the VR. As it should be.
>> 
>>> @ 2500 Low Beams ( 2x 55 watts)
>>> Battery                         14.5 volts
>>> Gen.                            15.2  volts   20.5-21.5 amps
>>> Battery circuit                1.5 - 2.5 amps
>>> Fuse panel circuit         19.3 amps
>> 
>> Again, this is pretty normal. At the same voltage the battery is
>> taking about the same current, while the excess is going to the 2
>> headlights via the fuse panel, and the currents in and out of the VR
>> sum the same.
>> 
>>> The generator light only comes on when I turn the key to start. Once
>>> started it goes out, and does not indicate when the generator is
>>> insufficient to maintain the battery @ 12.5 volts or higher. I can
>>> visualize the generator light remaining out if it V R is receiving
>>> ample current regardless of the circuit out except when the battery
>>> goes down during use. I would also think more amperage would flow to
>>> the battery to maintain it.
>> 
>> I'm guessing that you're expecting more out of your idiot light than
>> it can actually deliver. It's exactly the same as any other
>> automotive charging system idiot light and they are not a perfect
>> system.  They only tell you when there is a difference between the
>> generator output voltage and the battery voltage. When they both go
>> down together the light does not light.
>> 
>>> My first impression is everything here seems within parameters, but
>>> the battery dies then the car without an indication. When a fresh
>>> battery is installed the car starts and runs without a hic-up.  I have
>>> not checked the strength of the battery. I guess I'll have to replace
>>> the bulbs with something requiring a little less.
>> 
>> I think you're on the right track. The electrical system on our cars
>> cannot support those lights for extended drives. If you drove with
>> those headlights for no more than a half hour at a time, followed by
>> several hours of no headlights, they would probably be fine. You just
>> need to give the charging system and battery a chance to recover.
>> Note that nothing much happens at idle; the generator needs decent
>> rpms to put out its rated current. 2500 rpm was a good choice for
>> your tests.
>> 
>> --
>> *******************************
>> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
>> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
>> *******************************
>> Tim & Paula Keohane
>> Purveyors of:
>> Wild Alaska Salmon & Halibut
>> AKC/FDSB/CKC Irish Setters
>> rheorojo at wildblue.net
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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