3-phase question

[Tornado]

View attachment 122763View attachment 122764

NON solid state voltage regulator.

Ha! I was just about to chime in with details of the voltage regulation on my old 1954 Velocette...a good sized black box sitting above the dynamo containing one or two large coils and mechanical switching contact points to keep ouput to around 6v.
Even my 1988 Rover Classic Mini uses this mechanical tech....The Classic Mini dash panel mechanical voltage regulator (or stabilizer) is a small, often black box behind the gauges that converts the car's ~12-14V to a steady 10V for the fuel, temperature, and oil pressure gauges, preventing erratic readings.

 

[Elfix]

Well, as informative and fun as this all is, I made the swap believing (perhaps wrongly) that I would end up with a more stable and reliable charging system. Zeener diodes do work fine.

To date it’s performed without issues and can easily run the LED headlamp and grip heaters at the same time, although it’s not been subjected to a lot of stop and go riding so it’s low rpm output hasn’t really been put to the test.

 

[YING]

Question,
Is MOSFET a brand name or a type of regulator/rectifier?
Thanks,Mike

 

[kommando]

Question,
Is MOSFET a brand name or a type of regulator/rectifier?
Thanks,Mike

Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor

 

[concours]

Question,
Is MOSFET a brand name or a type of regulator/rectifier?
Thanks,Mike

As described below, it's an acronym for a technology design type.

BEWARE of the sea of fake garbage available.

 

[marshg246]

They are widely used in electronics today in the form of 8-lead integrated circuits and are used as switches with four inputs, three outputs, and a control.

A voltage applied to all four inputs will be seen on all three outputs when the control is "on" and generally the inputs are wired together and the outputs are wired together. By rapidly switching the control on and off you can effectively change the output voltage.

The real values are that there is almost no leakage current when off and they switch very fast.

In most electronics, they are used as protection. Most electronics today has many different power rails (5v, 3.3v, 1v, etc.) and a MOSFET (or multiple in parallel) is off, until a control chip turns them on and if a problem is discovered, they are turned off to prevent damage or fire. Once switched on or off, they stay that way until a new contol happens. In fact, you can turn one on or off on the benchtop connected to nothing using the voltage from an ohmmeter!

In a motorcycle rectifier/regulator, they can be used as a part of the rectifier and/or part of the regulator. I don't have the Tri-Spark schematic, but based on the waveform of the output, I think it uses them as a rectifier and regulator combined. They produce slightly more output power than the older types and almost no battery drain when the bike is off - MUCH less than any other system I've tested.

 

[hhh]

MOSFETS are much more like tubes (valves) than bipolar transistors. They have insanely high input impedance at the gate and insanely low on resistance. They are often used in high power audio amplifiers. Oddly enough, many boutique amplifier designers still prefer bipolars (or tubes) even though on paper, they're much lower performance.

 

[YING]

They are widely used in electronics today in the form of 8-lead integrated circuits and are used as switches with four inputs, three outputs, and a control.

A voltage applied to all four inputs will be seen on all three outputs when the control is "on" and generally the inputs are wired together and the outputs are wired together. By rapidly switching the control on and off you can effectively change the output voltage.

The real values are that there is almost no leakage current when off and they switch very fast.

In most electronics, they are used as protection. Most electronics today has many different power rails (5v, 3.3v, 1v, etc.) and a MOSFET (or multiple in parallel) is off, until a control chip turns them on and if a problem is discovered, they are turned off to prevent damage or fire. Once switched on or off, they stay that way until a new contol happens. In fact, you can turn one on or off on the benchtop connected to nothing using the voltage from an ohmmeter!

In a motorcycle rectifier/regulator, they can be used as a part of the rectifier and/or part of the regulator. I don't have the Tri-Spark schematic, but based on the waveform of the output, I think it uses them as a rectifier and regulator combined. They produce slightly more output power than the older types and almost no battery drain when the bike is off - MUCH less than any other system I've tested.

Greg,
From the information that I have read here,having the MOSFET components in the regulator/rectifier we use are a good choice?
Thanks,Mike

 

[marshg246]

Greg,
From the information that I have read here,having the MOSFET components in the regulator/rectifier we use are a good choice?
Thanks,Mike

I use Tri-Spark MOSFET rectifier/regulator exclusively but there are Japanese MOSFET devices that other use that are good I'm sure. In any case, the provide better/more power and run cooler than the old SCR types.

Grant Tiller has a lot on the subject here: https://granttiller.com/regulator-rectifiers-alternators#Short-Type-MOSFET-Regulator-Rectifier

 

[JimNH]

I use Tri-Spark MOSFET rectifier/regulator exclusively but there are Japanese MOSFET devices that other use that are good I'm sure. In any case, the provide better/more power and run cooler than the old SCR types.

Grant Tiller has a lot on the subject here: https://granttiller.com/regulator-rectifiers-alternators#Short-Type-MOSFET-Regulator-Rectifier

Grant Tiller's information sent me down the road towards a Shindengen open type regulator after finding my stator heat damaged with no indication of interference. The only issue is that they're a very large unit compared to a Podtronics and the like so ended up attached to the down tubes. Anyone interested can read further about them on the link that Greg has posted.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Grant Tiller's information sent me down the road towards a Shindengen open type regulator after finding my stator heat damaged with no indication of interference. The only issue is that they're a very large unit compared to a Podtronics and the like so ended up attached to the down tubes. Anyone interested can read further about them on the link that Greg has posted.

I went that way too, but I think if I was doing it now I’d use a Tri-Spark MOSFET jobby.

 

[batrider]

I went with the craze and used the Shindengen series reg for a few years when they first came out. I made a bracket for it that came up from the left passenger peg / muffler mounting. I started by tracing the existing bracket at the bottom and extended it up next to the sidecover to mount the reg. I decided it was just too huge. I now have a Trispark MOSFET unit hidden behind the battery box (bracket was from the "Norton Companion" doov site which seems gone now).

 

[YING]

I went with the craze and used the Shindengen series reg for a few years when they first came out. I made a bracket for it that came up from the left passenger peg / muffler mounting. I started by tracing the existing bracket at the bottom and extended it up next to the sidecover to mount the reg. I decided it was just too huge. I now have a Trispark MOSFET unit hidden behind the battery box (bracket was from the "Norton Companion" doov site which seems gone now).

Bat,
I have a Shindengen unit sitting on my shelf that I have not installed due to the size. I made a bracket that fits behind the battery but it interferes with the tube on the oil tank that was cut off many years ago so it stays on the shelf . I could go with a MarkIII tank that doesn’t have the tube but my Tri-Spark MOSFET has never given me any problems.
I was just trying to make my 3-phase system as trouble free as possible but I may be overthinking this.
Mike

 

[marshg246]

Bat,

... but my Tri-Spark MOSFET has never given me any problems.
I was just trying to make my 3-phase system as trouble free as possible but I may be overthinking this.

I think you've already accomplished that!

Keep in mine that Tri-Spark primarily makes products for Vintage British bikes, and I see no reason to think Shindengen products are better for them - keep in mind that they make/made regulators in many types not using MOSFETS so just saying Shindengen says very little - the model is needed to lookup what type and if compatible.