ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT There are a whole range of things that typically go wrong with the charging system. Some of these are simple wiring issues that can easily be rectified by the owner, whilst other issues may require the services of a specialist repairer. Either way, the key to tracking down the fault quickly is to have at least a basic understanding of how the battery, voltage regulator and dynamo work together to power the bikes electrics. And getting that understanding is exactly the aim of this project.

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION: Like pretty much every other component of a classic motorbike, the dynamo charging system is a pretty simple setup that does the job without too much fuss. Well, most of the time anyway! Its from an era before everything was computer controlled, so its back to solenoids, coils and bimetallic strips if you want to get your head around how it all works to keep your battery topped up and your headlights glowing. Firstly, lets start by looking at a basic schematic diagram of th e system. You can see from the diagram that there are only four main components to the charging system if we ignore all of the switches, bulbs and other accessories for the time being. These are the battery, the ammeter, the dynamo and the voltage regulator. The dynamo is a simple direct current (DC) generator which is driven by the engine. The faster the engine revs, the more output voltage is produced by the dynamo. At tick-over speeds, the dynamos output is likely to be only a fraction of a volt, but it rises quickly as engine speed increases and can reach 15 or more volts flat out. One dynamo maintenance guide I was reading (available to download here) even suggests that a dynamo can output as much as 25 volts when there is no load!

But my bikes electrical system is only 6 volts I hear you say! So why would we want a dynamo that outputs so many extra volts? The reason is that the rotational speed of the dynamo and its voltage output are linked in the same way that the DC motor spins faster when you increase the voltage supply. The increase in output is not linear as it will take a certain minimum rotational speed before anything will happen, and above a certain threshold the output will begin to level off. The dynamo speed is obviously not constant as it is related to engine speed which itself is constantly varying depending upon road speed and gear selected. In order to gain enough dynamo output at modest engine speeds it is also necessary to have an output which is really far too high at faster engine speeds. This is why the standard Lucas system can charge the original 6 volt battery voltage with ease, but can also be used to charge a 12 volt battery instead; great if we wish to convert to use brighter and more readily available 12v bulbs (for more on this topic, see the Converting to 12 volts article). Feeding these widely varying voltages into the fixed voltage setup of the bike could cause real problems with blown bulbs and boiled batteries. Luckily though, had the solution the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) unit, or just regulator for short. When we say automatic, dont be thinking of flashy digital
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electronic devices though. This is automatic in the very mechanical (or rather electro-mechanical) sense!

The voltage regulator unit:

The voltage regulator, as it names suggests, regulates the fluctuating voltages supplied by the dynamo into something more usable by the motorbikes electrical system. In the most basic terms it consists of two electrical contacts (switches) which are opened and closed (turned off and on) by a pair of solenoid coils. These electro-mechanical switches work in the same way as a relay; current passes through the coils creates a magnetic field which, when it is strong enough, pulls the lever of the switch towards it, thus completing the circuit and turning it on. The automatic bit comes in to play because the regulator is constantly comparing the voltage of the battery with the voltage being produced by the dynamo and opening and closing these two switches accordingly. The first switch is the cut-out. When the dynamo is giving less volts than the battery, the regulator disconnects it from the system so that it cannot draw any current. A DC dynamo is basically a simple electric motor working in reverse, therefore if you connect it to a suitable power supply it will try to spin just like a motor (see my article Testing a Lucas dynamo for more info on this). The large current drawn would quickly sap battery power if the dynamo was left connected, so the cut-out isolates it from the rest of the electrical system. When the engine attains sufficient revs that the dynamo output voltage exceeds the battery voltage, the cut-out switch closes to re-engage the dynamo into the charging circuit to help recharge the battery. However, when the voltage coming from the dynamo gets too high, the second switch closes diverting some of the output through a resistance thereby reducing the magnetic field inside the
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dynamo. The voltage output is also therefore reduced and regulation of the output is achieved. This is a simplified overview of how the regulator unit functions, but is enough to know for the current purposes. However if you would like to read a more technical description of exactly how the Lucas voltage regulator device works, have a look at the article How a voltage regulator works.

The battery versus the dynamo:

There are two sources of power in the motorcycles electrical system the battery and the dynamo. The battery provides power when the bike is stationary and thus the engine not revving fast enough to generate enough output from the dynamo. The dynamo provides power when the bike is riding along to both power any lights that are in use and also to replenish the stored charge in the battery. It should be noted that the system is rather finely balanced with the dynamo producing just enough power at normal road speeds to operate the headlamps and keep the battery topped up. This fine balance can easily be upset if, for example, you install a 60 Watt headlamp bulb. In such circumstances the dynamo may not be able to provide enough power to light the bulb by itself meaning that the battery will also need to help out even at moderate road speeds. In this way the battery is slowly drained and never replenished, eventually becoming completely discharged. On the other hand, you can tip the balance slightly in the batterys favor by reducing the power drain from lighting. Modern LED bulbs draw significantly less current than conventional incandescent (filament) bulbs, as discussed in the Installing LED lighting post. Reducing the electrical power load on the bike means that the dynamo has to work less hard to keep the battery topped up. This is
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especially important if youre regulator isnt performing at peak capacity anymore, or if you do lots of low speed stop-start riding around town.

A tug-of-war analogy:
Time for an analogy perhaps! Think of the charging system as a tug-of-war competition. On the one side we have the battery and on the other side the dynamo and regulator team. The rope is a bit hard to see as its concealed inside the wires, but the ammeter gives us an indication as to which way it is moving. When the battery is strong and the dynamo/regulator weak then the battery wins the privilege of powering the lights and other electrical accessories. When the dynamo is strong and the battery weak then the dynamo/regulator team come out on top. The strength of both sides is constantly varying; the battery strength is relative to its state of charge and the dynamo strength relative to engine speed. Like any competition we would prefer it to be fair with each side winning about half the time. That way the battery doesnt wear itself out and the dynamo isnt overloaded.

Scenario:1: Charging the battery; To help see how this all comes together in practice, lets consider three different scenarios in which the Lucas electrical system might be operating. The
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first scenario is the one that most classic motorbikes will be operating in for the majority of the time the bike is riding along quite happily during the day so we dont need any headlights on. The engine is at moderate revs as the bike cruises along, the dynamo is spinning quickly and a reasonably high output voltage (probably more than the 6/12v battery voltage) is being fed into the regulator unit. The regulator is then bringing this output voltage down to something more in-line with the bikes electrical system. This is where the tug of war I mentioned earlier comes in to play. Both the battery and the regulator/dynamo are both pulling (or pushing if you prefer) current towards the ammeter. With the lights switched off there is nowhere else for the current to flow, so it all comes down to how strong the battery is and how hard to dynamo is working. If the battery is fully-charged then its voltage will be equal to the voltage being fed to the ammeter by the regulator, so we have a draw and the current doesnt go anywhere. The battery doesnt get absorb any further charge, but neither does it discharge. Therefore the ammeter sits in the middle of its range indicating zero current flow either way. If the battery is weak (i.e. partially discharged), then the battery voltage will be less than the regulated dynamo voltage. The dynamo can therefore push current through the ammeter and into the battery, giving a positive reading (needle moves to the right) on the ammeter. The more discharged the battery is, the weaker its voltage and so the more current can be pushed in for a given regulated dynamo voltage.

As the battery gets recharged, so its voltage output rises and hence the amount of current that the dynamo and regulator can push into the battery declines. When the battery is fully charged, the battery and regulated dynamo output voltages are approximately even. And so we reach the steady-state equilibrium position again when no charge is flowing into or out of the battery and the ammeter needle returns to the central zero position.

Scenario: 2: Powering up the lights: Lets imagine that whilst we are out riding it starts to get dark, so we pull over to the side of the road and switch on the headlights. In this second scenario with the engine just ticking over, the dynamo isnt real ly spinning fast enough to produce any significant voltage output. The regulator can only reduce over-volts; it cant boost under-volts. And so the dynamo and regulator arent really doing very much, which means that the power for the headlights can only come from one place the battery. The ammeter needle swings to the left indicating that current is flowing out of the battery which is therefore discharging. The amount of current flowing will depend upon the load created by the light bulbs; it will be much greater if you have installed some blinding 60 Watts compared to if you have the stock 25-35
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Watt bulbs. But thats all fine for now as the battery has plenty in reserve so long as we dont sit here with the lights on at the side of the road for too long!

Scenario: 3: Charging or discharging? And so with our headlights burning brightly we pull away again to head for home, which brings us to the third and final scenario I want to consider. So were riding along at a nice cruising speed, the engine is at moderate revs and the dynamo is spinning happily sending plenty of volts up to the regulator. The regulator is taking this dynamo output voltage, reducing it down where necessary, and feeding this up to the ammeter connections. Now this is where it gets a bit more interesting as we now have three different current paths for the battery, regulator and headlights. Power can only flow from the regulator and it can only flow to the headlight bulbs. But the path to the battery is bi-directional so current can flow either way. It
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all comes back to that tug-of-war between the battery and dynamo/regulator voltages. If the regulated dynamo voltage is much stronger than that from the battery, the dynamo will power the headlights and any left-over voltage might be used to trickle charge the battery too. But if the battery voltage is strongest (for example when we slow for a junction), then the battery powers the headlights and the dynamo gets brief rest.

It would be nice to think that in normal riding conditions the battery and dynamo/regulator combination are both working together to power the headlights and thus sharing the load. But in truth, the voltage regulator unit is only a pair of relay switches which can be either on (outputting voltage) or off (disconnected from the circuit and doing nothing). The battery and dynamo might take it in turns to power the lights as ones voltage momentarily exceeds the other, but they dont ever really work together at the same time. Thats why I quite like the tug -of-war analogy as it seems to fit the constant power struggle that designed for us!

DYNAMO

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Dynamo is a word that used to simply mean an electric generator, but today a dynamo refers to a generator which produces direct current (DC) using a commutator, an electrical switch that generates electricity from the force of a rotating rod. Like any other generator, the purpose of a dynamo is to produce electricity from mechanical power. The source of the mechanical power could be a dam, windmill, or a coal or oil-burning power plant, with the latter being most common. Dynamos were quickly replaced by other electrical generators because of the advantages of alternating current (AC), inefficiencies of the commutator, and solid state methods for converting AC into DC power. A dynamo is one of the simplest and earliest electrical generators, and the first used to generate power for industry. The famous inventor Thomas Edison believed that the future of electricity would be based on DC, driven by the dynamo, but it turned out that his eccentric rival, Nikola Tesla, was correct, and that electricity would be based on AC rather than DC, effectively dooming the dynamo to demonstrations in High School science classes.

The dynamo is fundamentally based on Faraday's law of induction, which states, "The induced electromagnetic force or EMF in any closed circuit is equal to
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the time rate of change of the magnetic flux linking the circuit." Basically, this means a current in a closed circuit can be induced when mechanical force is applied against the magnetic field linking the circuit, as in a generator, or vice versa, as in an engine. The first dynamo which was based on Faraday's law was built in 1832 by the French instrument maker, Hippolyte Pixii. The dynamo led the first steps into the use of electricity in industry. Larger and larger dynamos were built, linked together in a series. The dynamo was not only the first commercially useful electrical generator, but also one of the first motors, which was discovered by accident. Today, the dynamo is mainly remembered as a simple device on which more complex, later electrical devices were based, such as the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and the rotary converter. Dynamo Battery on wise GEEK:

The radioactive elements are fairly rare, distributed as they are across a semiconductor, and would be very well insulated. Unlike alkaline batteries, these wouldn't corrode. Scientists are still working out the kinks in nuclear batteries before they can be widely implemented.

They are increasingly popular, particularly for use in consumer electronics, because of their relatively long lifespan, high charge rate, and affordability. These batteries are often considered an alternative to lithium ion batteries. While lithium ion batteries may have longer life-spans, their high cost and relatively high maintenance needs make NiMH a wiser choice for many types of consumer electronics.

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Introduction to testing a dynamo:

The aim is to guide you through a series of tests that can be performed with the dynamo still installed on the bike to check that it is working correctly and giving an appropriate voltage output, or to help to pinpoint potential problems if not. Note that the voltages described are applicable to the standard 6 volt dynamos and to those which have been reconfigured to give 12v output using a modern electronic regulator. The voltages from dynamos which have been upgraded with 12v coils will of course be proportionally higher. Also, my bike has been re-wired so dont go by the colors of the wiring shown as these will almost certainly be different to your bike.

Disconnecting the dynamo:

The easiest way to test a whether a Lucas dynamo is working correctly with it still fitted to the bike is to disconnect the output wires and check what voltage it is producing. Youll need a relatively accurate multimeter for this test set on a range of up to 15 or 20 volts DC; dynamos are direct current devices, not alternating current (AC) like an alternator. The original Matchless service manuals suggest using an analogue meter (i.e. one with a moving needle) as this will allow you to see whether the voltage output rises smoothly as the engine revs increase. However, I guess most people will probably have a digital multimeter these days and these are perfectly fine too. Whichever type you have, just make sure you connect the tests leads correctly as described below.

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The first thing you need to do is to disconnect the two wires which come out of the back of the dynamo and which connect it to the regulator unit, as shown in the photos. There should be a screw between the two wires on the back of the dynamo which holds in place a small plastic plate which secures the two wires youll need to remove this (it is missing from my dynamo in the photos) and also pull back the rubber cover if fitted. The two wires can then just be gently pulled out. They should just be bent over small brass ferules and so might be tight if theyve not been removed for a while.

Connecting the dynamo terminals together:

Once the two output wires to the regulator are removed, you then need to connect the two dynamo terminals together using a short length of wire. Some thickish multicore copper wire is best such as the sort used for household wiring. Get a short length (about 6 long) and bare about 1/2 of wire each end, but dont twist the bare ends.

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Next bend the bared ends of the wires back on themselves and maybe spray them out slightly. You should now have a suitable link wire which can be inserted between the two dynamo terminals; the bent-over bared ends of the wire should be enough to make a good connection and hold it in place without using the brass ferules. Now you need to double check whether your bike is wired positive or negative earth. If youre not sure, then the easiest way is to have a look at the battery and see which terminal is connected to the frame of the bike. If the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the frame of the bike then its wired positive earth. If the negative terminal is connected to the bike frame, then its negative earth. Simple as that!

Connecting the multimeter:

You now need to connect the two test leads of your multimeter between the Lucas dynamo and the bike frame to measure the voltage difference between the dynamo and earth. Now heres the bit you need to get right: if youre bike is wired positive earth, and then connect the positive (red) test lead of the multimeter to a suitable earth point on the bike. Conversely, if your bike is wired negative earth,
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then connect the negative (black) test lead of the multimeter to a suitable earth point on the engine, gearbox or frame. The bike is positive earth and so the photo below shows the negative lead of the multimeter inserted into the dynamo terminals. The earth point can be anywhere on some bare metal, but somewhere on the engine is probably best to ensure a good earth. I found that I could wedge the end of the test lead down the side of one of the engine casing nuts and this was enough to hold it in place long enough for the test.

The other test lead (i.e. the negative test lead if the bike is positive earth or the positive test lead if the bike is negative earth) needs to be connected to the dynamo. It doesnt matter into which of the two dynamo terminals you connect it as you have already connected the two together with the short length of wire. You should just be able to put the test lead into the terminal alongside the length of wire and that should be enough to hold it and give a good connection. Turn the multimeter on and set it to the voltage measuring range for 0 to 10v, or perhaps 0 to 20v on some models. Check that the meter reading is 0.00v (or
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thereabouts) with the bike engine not running; if not, you might need to zero the meter first, although most modern meters do this automatically. Also make sure that you have it set to measure DC (direct current) voltages and not AC (alternating current) as a dynamo produces a constant voltage. Starting the engine; Now you need to start the bike. Note that it is very important that with the temporary connections we have made across the dynamo, that we DO NOT rev the engine too highly as this could damage the dynamo. Also we dont really want to run the engine for longer than we have to for the same reason. Get the engine running and let it settle down to a normal tick over (idle) speed. Checking the voltage output from the dynamo: With the engine running at idle, the multimeter should be reading a couple of volts output from the dynamo. Gradually increase the engine speed to a fast tickover and watch the multimeter. The voltage output should rise steadily with increasing revs, but DO NOT rev the engine so much that the output exceeds 10 volts as this could cause damage to the dynamo. When you release the throttle and the engine settles back to tick-over, the voltage should also fall back down to just a couple of volts. Make a note of the range of voltages that youre getting from the dynamo at the different engine speeds. Also note the polarity of the voltages (i.e. whether the meter is displaying the negative (-) sign in front of the numbers).

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What voltage readings should I get?

When the engine is idling at tick-over, you should hopefully see a reading of around 1 or 2 volts, depending of course just how quickly you have the tick-over set. As you increase the engine speed up to a fast tick-over (say around 1000rpm), the voltage output should rise smoothly to somewhere above around 7 to 8 volts. The output needs to exceed the battery voltage (i.e. 6 volts) in order for it to charge. There should be no need to race the engine in order to get this sort of output and remember that exceeding 10 volts or so may damage the dynamo. The charging system is designed to work (i.e. put charge into the battery) when youre driving along at a steady 25-30mph, so it will need to be putting out at least 7 volts at the engine speed required to ride at this speed in top gear. There should be no need to race the engine to get a reasonable voltage output; otherwise the battery has no chance of being charged under normal riding conditions. If youre not getting this sort of reading, then move on to Step 7 below to check the possible reasons. Also, note that the voltage output should be positive (i.e. no negative sign in front of the reading on a digital multimeter). Even though the Lucas dynamos were designed to work with 6v electrical systems, their actual maximum voltage output is much higher 14 volts or more would be normal. It is therefore possible to convert the charging system to 12 volt operation (and thereby charge a 12v battery) without having to modify the dynamo at all. This is described further in my article Converting to 12 volts. All that is required is to replace the original electro-mechanical voltage regulator with a modern electronic version. However it is not desirable to test the dynamo at these voltages with it connected as it is at the moment as it has no load on it and the two terminals are shorted together. Checking that it outputs up to 7 or 8 volts at a fast
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tick-over is good enough for now, irrespective of whether your bike is running at 6 or 12 volts

Diagnosing your dynamos voltage readings: So you didnt get voltage readings similar to those described in Step 6 then? The voltage outputs measured using a multimeter as described above can be used to indicate potential faults in many, but not necessarily all, cases as follows: No voltage output: Ok, so theres no voltage reading at all on the multimeter? First youll need to check that the test leads are making a good connection. Try giving them a wiggle whilst the engine is running and see if the meter reading changes at all. Also try a different earthing point in case the one you have isnt good; any bare metal part of the engine should be fine. Lastly, check that the multimeter is set to read DC voltage (not AC, current or resistance etc) and is set to an appropriate
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range (0-10v or 0-20v say). Try measuring the voltage across the battery to check you get a sensible reading to be sure the multimeter is working. If youve done all these checks and theres still nothing, then sadly your dynamo is most likely well and truly dead. The service manual suggests that the cause of no voltage output is probably the brushes, but it might be worth completing the resistance checks described below to see if you can narrow down where the problem lies. It might also be worth trying to repolarise the dynamo, as is discussed later in this article. Low voltage output of approximately 0.5v If you get a low voltage reading of about half a volt then the service manual suggests that the problem is probably with the field winding. The resistance checks described below may help to confirm this diagnosis, but either way the dynamo will probably need to be removed from the bike for servicing. Low voltage output of between about 1.5 to 2.0v If you get a slightly higher (but still low) maximum voltage reading of between about 1.5 and 2.0 volts then the service manual suggests that the armature winding may be at fault. Again, the resistance checks described below may help to confirm where the problem lies, then the dynamo will probably need to be removed for servicing. Negative voltage output The first thing to check is that you have the test leads around the correct way as described in section 3 of this article. The leads need to go different ways around depending upon whether your bike is positive or negative earth. If the leads are correct, then it looks like the dynamo is incorrectly polarized and so is giving a
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negative (rather than positive) voltage output, just like my bike is doing in one of the photos above.

Measuring the field winding resistance

Further checks can be conducted on a Lucas dynamo to confirm its correct operation (or narrow down the source of a charging problem) by measuring the electrical resistance of its internal wiring. To do this we first need to remove the multimeter test leads and also the temporary wire we inserted between the two output terminals of the dynamo. Youll also need to make sure the multimeter you have is fairly accurate and zeroed before use as the resistances we need to measure should hopefully be very small. Change your multimeter on to resistance measuring mode and select the lowest range (on my multimeter this was 0-200 Ohms). The best way to check its zeroed is to connect the two test leads directly together and see what resistance is measured. If this isnt zero check you have it on the correct setting, then make a note of the reading so you can subtract it from the dynamo resistances you measure later. The offset might only be a fraction of an Ohm, but the resistances youll be measuring are also rather small so even the smallest non-zero reading at this stage could be quite significant.

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Connect one test lead (it doesnt matter which one for resistance measurements) to a suitable earth point, again somewhere on a bare metal part of the engine is probably best. Then poke the other test lead into the Field (F) terminal on the dynamo and measure the resistance. The two terminals should be labeled with F and D so you know which is which. If not, the Field terminal should be the one of the left (see where the test lead is poked in the photo on the right) and the Dynamo terminal the one on the right You should hopefully get a reading of around 3.0 Ohms the manufacturers original service manual specifies 2.8 to 3.2 Ohms depending upon the exact model of the Lucas dynamo in question. If there is less or zero resistance, then you might well have a short in the field winding. If there is a very high resistance (i.e. no continuity) then there is probably a break in the field winding. My bike gave a reading of 3.4 Ohms as you can see in the photo, but the zero reading on my multimeter was 0 .3 Ohms so the actual resistance was around 3.1 Ohms. I was more than happy with that!

Measuring the dynamo winding resistance:

Next, take the test lead out of the Field (F) terminal and instead poke it into the Dynamo (D) terminal on the back of the d ynamo. The earth lead can remain in the same place.
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According to various sources Ive come across on the internet, the dynamo winding resistance should be around 0.6 Ohms. However, my bike gave a reading of 17.2 Ohms (17.5 Ohms on the meter minus the 0.3 Ohms zero offset) and the dynamo appears to be working fine. On the other hand, my dynamo did completely fail about a year after I originally conducted these tests and wrote this article, so the higher resistance could have been a sign of problems developing. I guess if the resistance is anything significantly more than these sorts of readings then you might conclude that there are some bad connections somewhere within the dynamo. On the other hand, no resistance (i.e. continuity) might indicate a short somewhere in the dynamo winding. I cant be any more precise at the moment Im afraid, but I will update the guide if I find any new information. Similarly if you can provide further information, please leave me a message using the comment form at the bottom of this page.

Load testing the dynamo:

Using a multimeter to test the dynamo output voltage and winding resistances is useful as it gives you hard numbers to compare with known good readings. However, the multimeter does not impose any load on the dynamo and so such tests will not tell you how the dynamo will perform under-load (i.e. with
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headlights on etc). Some faults may only occur under load with the dynamo appearing fine when nothing is connected. Other times you might get a good voltage output, but not enough current output to charge the battery and run the lights. Therefore a useful secondary test method is to check the dynamos output using a bulb as both a load and also as an indication of what power is being produced. This low-tech approach wont give you any actual readings, but you should be able to gauge whether the dynamo is outputting sufficient current and voltage for normal operation. A spare headlamp bulb of between about 25 to 35 Watts is probably best as this is close to the rated 45 Watt power output of the dynamo (note bigger 60 Watt dynamos might need a bigger, say 50 to 60 Watt, bulb). The bulb should be 12 volt even if your bike is still set up for the standard 6v operation as the actual voltage produced is much higher. You might end up blowing the bulb in the test (as the dynamo output youll be testing is unregulated) so use a spare / old bulb rather than the one sat in your headlamp! The bulb needs to be connected to the dynamo in exactly the same way as the multimeter was connected back in section 3 of this article for the first voltage measurement test. Start by re-fitting the jumper wire between the two dynamo terminals to join the Field and Dynamo coils together, then use a length of wire to connect this combined output to the bulb. A further length of wire can be used to connect the other terminal on the bulb to a suitable earth point on the bike, or you can simply touch the bulb base onto the engine to give the ground connection. Either way, is careful you dont short-circuit the dynamo output to the earth point.

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Start the engine and at tick-over there probably wont be much to see. But as you raise the engine revs (not too high though!) the bulb should start to light up and become very bright. Remember that the dynamo voltage here is unregulated so the voltage is (or at least should be!) higher than the normal operating voltage of the bike; a 6v dynamo produces well over 10 volts at moderate revs, and over 12v at faster speeds. So it is easy to blow your bulb with too many volts if you rev the engine too fast. If the dynamo is working as it should, then the bulb should glow brightly without needing to race the engine. Obviously the exact brightness will depend upon the wattage and voltage rating of the test bulb youre using. If it stays dim or doesnt light up at all then this indicates that there is perhaps a problem with the voltage output under load. If the dynamo passes both the multimeter and bulb tests as described then chances are that its good and any problems probably lie elsewhere in the charging system, such as with the regulator (see Replacing the regulator unit) or battery (see Motorcycle battery voltages or Selecting a new battery). Either way you can be reasonably sure its not the dynamo that is at fault.

Re-polarizing (or flashing) a dynamo

The classic Lucas dynamos discussed in this article do not have a strong permanent magnet inside them. Instead, a magnetic field is induced in the Field coil inside the dynamo by passing current through it, thereby generating a stronger induced current to flow out of the Dynamo coil. In order to initialize power generation when the engine is first started, a small amount of residual magnetism needs to be left in the core of the dynamo from the last time it ran.

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However if the bike hasnt run for a long time, or the dynamo has been knocked, damaged or incorrectly connected, then this residual magnetic field might have disappeared and so the dynamo wont spring back into life. This can easily be rectified byre-polarizing or flashing the dynamo which basically re -establishes this residual magnetic field. This can correct the zero or negative output voltages that you may have come across when performing the multimeter measurements described at the start of this guide. The full process is described in my article Re-polarizing a Lucas dynamo which is well worth a read as it could help bring your dynamo back to life without needing to remove it from the bike. Output from a reconditioned dynamo: Just a quick update to the preceding article concerning my own Lucas E3NL dynamo. My magneto stopped producing a spark recently so I took the opportunity to get my dynamo reconditioned at the same time as its output seemed to have become somewhat intermittent. I got both parts back on the bike last week and went on my first test ride yesterday.

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I connected up a voltmeter to the two dynamo terminals after installation on the bike (as described earlier in this article) to check the output and found that I was getting a good voltage output at much lower revs than before. It wa s only necessary to take the bike to a fast tick over (the sort of speed you might run the bike with the choke on when warming up) in order to get an output of 7 or 8 volts.

On the road, the ammeter moved to the right (up to about 4 Amps) at reasonable revs until the battery was fully charged, then the needle sat happily in the middle. With headlights on (35W headlamp plus 5W rear bulb) the dynamo was able to balance the power drain when cruising along. In top gear, the needle was in the middle above speeds of about 55kph (35mph), although my bike is lower geared than standard which probably helps. Any faster and Im even getting a slight charge into the battery in addition to powering the lights! So this proves that even a short (45 Watt) 6v Lucas dynamo can happily run a bike at 12v, even at night with headlamps on. The dynamo does need to be in good condition though and a good high-capacity (8Ah+) battery is essential. The larger (60 Watt) Lucas dynamos should therefore have no problem doing the same.

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Overview of regulator operation:

The voltage regulator is a digital device in that its two primary internal circuits may each be either ON or OFF. There is no sort of variable output from the device, although as we shall see, it does have a couple of simple but clever features that allow it to adapt its output within certain limits to the operating conditions. For this overview, Im going to start by repeating the description I originally gave in the page, thus: The voltage regulator, as it names suggests, regulates the fluctuating voltages supplied by the dynamo into something more usable by the motorbikes electrical system. In the most basic terms it consists of two electrical contacts (switches) which are opened and closed (turned off and on) by two sets of solenoid coils. These electro-mechanical switches work in the same way as a relay; current passes through the coils creates a magnetic field which, when it is strong enough, pulls the lever of the switch towards it, thus completing (or breaking) the circuit and turning it on (or off). The automatic bit comes in to play because the regulator knows (by means of how the contacts and springs have been adjusted) at which voltages to open and close the contacts, thus automatically maintaining the desired output voltage range.

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The first of these two switches is the cut-out. When the dynamo is giving less volts than the battery, the regulator disconnects it from the system so that it cannot draw any current. A DC dynamo is basically a simple electric motor working in reverse, therefore if you connect it to a suitable power supply it will try to spin just like a motor .The large current drawn would quickly sap battery power if the dynamo was left connected when it was not generating, so the cut-out isolates it from the rest of the electrical system. When the engine attains sufficient speed that the dynamo output voltage exceeds the preset charging voltage, the cut-out switch closes to connect the dynamo into the charging circuit in order to recharge the battery and power any lights that are on. However, when the voltage coming from the dynamo gets too high, the regulating switch opens connecting a resistance into the field winding circuit. This reduces the magnetic field strength in the dynamo which reduces its output voltage, thus regulating the charging voltage supplied to the battery.

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ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

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ADVANTAGES: Low cost Readily available (both lights and batteries)

DISADVANTAGES: Cost of batteries, unless they are rechargeable. This stops it being "low-cost" due to the amount of batteries used over time. Generally low power.

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CONCLUSIONS

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Conclusions: Hopefully the above project has provided a good overview of the dynamo charging system fitted too many classic motorcycles and how this operates in various scenarios.

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