Series D 6 to 12 Volt conversion
- Thread starter macvette
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Simple Answer
Whip the dynamo off and give it to someone like Paul Goff, Dave Lindsay who will exchange the field winding for an uprated one, and then fit a solid state regulator inside your original reg housing.
Simple and effective
Neil
Whip the dynamo off and give it to someone like Paul Goff, Dave Lindsay who will exchange the field winding for an uprated one, and then fit a solid state regulator inside your original reg housing.
Simple and effective
Neil
My understanding is that with a standard 6volt lucas dynamo, all you need to do is uprate the bulbs and battery to 12volt and use a 12volt regulator.
It was explained to me that the wiring in the 6volt dynamo is of heavier guage to take the amperage,whereas the 12volt wiring is smaller as the current being drawn is lower for the same wattage ie:-30watts @6volt=5amps.30watts @ 12volt=2.5amps.I had a dynamo rewired to 12volts and it performs no better than one I converted with a 12volt regulator.(cost £125 6years ago).But the dynamo must be sound to start with.More ideas will follow from others..John
It was explained to me that the wiring in the 6volt dynamo is of heavier guage to take the amperage,whereas the 12volt wiring is smaller as the current being drawn is lower for the same wattage ie:-30watts @6volt=5amps.30watts @ 12volt=2.5amps.I had a dynamo rewired to 12volts and it performs no better than one I converted with a 12volt regulator.(cost £125 6years ago).But the dynamo must be sound to start with.More ideas will follow from others..John
12 volt conversion
Change the bulbs, buy a 12 volt regulator, and go. I expect the curse of Taff the Horn to descend on me, but 6 volt horns seem to work OK on 12 volts too. Apparently (according to "recognised experts - which excluded me....) there is no practical difference between "a 6 volt wind" and a "12 volt wind". There are people who will be happy "to rewind your dynamo to suit 12 volts" but if you asked them to rewind it "to suit 6 volts" they'd do exactly the same. It may however be worthwhile having it rewound anyway, because dynamos don't last forever.
Change the bulbs, buy a 12 volt regulator, and go. I expect the curse of Taff the Horn to descend on me, but 6 volt horns seem to work OK on 12 volts too. Apparently (according to "recognised experts - which excluded me....) there is no practical difference between "a 6 volt wind" and a "12 volt wind". There are people who will be happy "to rewind your dynamo to suit 12 volts" but if you asked them to rewind it "to suit 6 volts" they'd do exactly the same. It may however be worthwhile having it rewound anyway, because dynamos don't last forever.
6 volt to 12 volts.
Can "anyone" tell you? Hell, everyone can tell you: for any ten members there are ten (or more) firmly held opinions......
Sean Hawker (CMES) sells one that I've used for several years (on another bike). Many people swear by Podtronics. AOL do one which I've used. Dave Lindsley probably sells one, but it might be one of those already listed above. Actually the standard Lucas electromechanical one is reliable for what it is, and certainly a great deal more reliable than the Miller atrocity. KTB tells how to convert a Miller dynamo - which isn't a badly made unit - to take a Lucas regulator. I have a soft spot for them: I like the fact that the terminals are marked F A D E.
Can "anyone" tell you? Hell, everyone can tell you: for any ten members there are ten (or more) firmly held opinions......
Sean Hawker (CMES) sells one that I've used for several years (on another bike). Many people swear by Podtronics. AOL do one which I've used. Dave Lindsley probably sells one, but it might be one of those already listed above. Actually the standard Lucas electromechanical one is reliable for what it is, and certainly a great deal more reliable than the Miller atrocity. KTB tells how to convert a Miller dynamo - which isn't a badly made unit - to take a Lucas regulator. I have a soft spot for them: I like the fact that the terminals are marked F A D E.
That`s funny, to me is says DEAF.
AO Services in Watton , Norfolk supply a neat little solid state regulator which can be housed in the original Miller base and cover. They are available in universal form for either 6 or 12 v. systems but you need to state which polarity you require. If using a Miller dynamo it needs to be set up as if it were to be connected to a Lucas regulator-as per KTB. AO Services have a website-your browser should find it for you.
The unit AO sells, if its the V-reg listed on their site, will not fit in a Miller case - several of the 6-12 converter manufacturers over the years have made ones that would fit in a Miller box, then stopped, so its probably safe to conclude the Miller box just doesn't offer enough cooling area for a 6-12 converter regulator. Plain old solid state regulators, 6 or 12V, can be made to fit in a Miller box. The VR is a bit odd too because while it is not technically a 6-12 converter, the maker says it can be used in its 12V mode on a 6V dynamo with no modification to the dynamo.
Podtronics has a good screed on their site explaining the differences between the different methods of getting 12V out of a Miller or Lucas.
After playing with several conversions myself over the years, I am about to revert to 6 volts! I'd rather have a system that develops power at the lowest revs possible than one than promises much higher output, but at revs my machine rarely sees!
Podtronics has a good screed on their site explaining the differences between the different methods of getting 12V out of a Miller or Lucas.
After playing with several conversions myself over the years, I am about to revert to 6 volts! I'd rather have a system that develops power at the lowest revs possible than one than promises much higher output, but at revs my machine rarely sees!
12 volt conversion.
Hello, My outfit has a Chinamo, and Gardener 12v set up, it has work well for at least 10 years. This unit will not fit in the miller box, but is easy to hide under the battery platform. Low RPM output is not a problem, perhaps because being an outfit it is lower geared, so the motor is turning faster for a given road speed.
The solo has a miller dynamo with a 6V electronic regulator supplied by the late lamented Ken Bell. This unit fits in the miller box, and has given sterling service for around 20 years. Once again low RPM output is not a problem. He also did a 12v unit, I do not know if anyone still supplies these units, they are built to aircraft standards and work spot on.
My feeling is that unless you do a lot of night riding, or have coil ignition 6V is fine. Use a low wattage halogen head light bulb, and all will be well.
John.
Hello, My outfit has a Chinamo, and Gardener 12v set up, it has work well for at least 10 years. This unit will not fit in the miller box, but is easy to hide under the battery platform. Low RPM output is not a problem, perhaps because being an outfit it is lower geared, so the motor is turning faster for a given road speed.
The solo has a miller dynamo with a 6V electronic regulator supplied by the late lamented Ken Bell. This unit fits in the miller box, and has given sterling service for around 20 years. Once again low RPM output is not a problem. He also did a 12v unit, I do not know if anyone still supplies these units, they are built to aircraft standards and work spot on.
My feeling is that unless you do a lot of night riding, or have coil ignition 6V is fine. Use a low wattage halogen head light bulb, and all will be well.
John.