Darmah Questions-Electrical

[peaky]

Ok guys, help me here. You-all know more than me, thats clear.

First, I've been told that the generator light on my 78 Darmah stays on when its in effect charging the battery, but once the battery is at full charge, it goes off. Is this accurate? On for charging, off for done?

Second, I've been told that the bike doesn't produce "surplus" charge for charging the battery until around 3000 RPM. Accurate?

I was explaining to a dude why the light was on (cause the bike had just been started) and he started questioning my explanation and now I'm questioning what I thought I knew!

Thanks!

[machten]

See the stream below..

http://www.bevelheaven.com/~BB/phpBB2/v ... php?t=1065

There is a good description of what your voltage reg is doing. With my 78 Darmah the revs and when the light goes out on seems to depend also on your battery charge level and what you're running at the time. If you have your headlights on, the revs may be higher and the light will be on for longer.

Once my starting charge is replenished, my Darmah idles with the headlight on and the Gen light off, but not by much. If I also have an indicator on, the Gen light flashes with the indicator.

regards,

machten

[hprice]

Without wishing to be pedantic or confuse, and I could easily be wrong, I thought the light came on if the system voltage is 'out-of-range', so it warns if there is either too little or too mush charge. My SD has detonated two batteries, which was terminanl to both the ignition packs and the regulator. The first time due to a lack of electrolyte and the second due to lack of regulator. Duh.

[machten]

Neither pedantic nor wrong!

In normal operation, the Gen light will have current flowing across it and be on if either the battery potential is too low (in which case it is being charged) or too high (in which case the battery is overcharged and you need to check out why or you'll cook it).

[hprice]

Thanks for confirmation, methinks mine's been on mark-9 (as in gas).