I thought there was a Rectifier on the Hawk but looking at the Manual all it shows is a "Voltage Regulator" (which doesn't seem to work very well) bazaar...........................
Need to get the Voltmeter out and explore. Most Stators are 3 phase AC (that's why there are three wires coming out) I know for a fact that both my Honda and Suzuki bikes are 3 phase AC coming out.
I find if very hard to believe the is not a Rectifier before the Voltage Regulator.....hmmmm
Can I hook you're Helmet light up to AC?
-Also from the explaination below we must have a "Lighting coil"
-No wonder this problem persists..............I'm still going to use 20-1490
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a Typical Yamaha Charging System (for the lack of a Ski-Doo version)
(Reader's Digest Version)
OVERVIEW
The Yamaha Vision (as most motorcycles) has an internal (inside the crankcase) permanent magnet rotor, 3-phase coil stator, and an external "Regulator-Rectifier" (RR) box. That is the whole system. The Vision generator is rated at 20 amps and should produce 14.5 (+/- 0.5) volts unloaded and about 14v loaded when RPM at 3000+. That's what the book says..... Practically speaking your bike should produce a solid 14v at idle.
HOW IT WORKS
A stationary Stator (Fig 1) is mounted to the crankcase cover and sits inside the flywheel Rotor (Fig 1). The Rotor has 2 magnets that (engine running) rotate around the Stator. These magnet produce a "North-South" pole flux (current) in the stator coils. This current is called "A.C." current since it flucuates +/- voltage in a "Sine Wave". The stator is wired so that there are actually 3 circuits producing A.C. current. Each circuit A.C. wave is 1/3 out of phase with the previous winding.
It is important to understand these things:
The stator A.C. output voltage varies with engine RPM. The more RPM the more voltage. So, the stator output must be "Regulated" to provide 12-15 volts into the bike system. The raw A.C. output from each circuit is about 50volts ac at medium RPM.
The A.C. output is convert to D.C. by "clipping" the bottom (negative) portion of the A.C. wave off. The A.C. current has been "rectified" so that only the positive portion remains.
The "Regulated" and "Rectified" output is shown above. It is 12-14 volts positive DC. Notice that the bottom chart is simply showing that the "rectified" output is somewhat "dirty". Since the negative output is simply chopped off the AC, the positive DC output is more like a slightly fluctuating "sawtooth" wave. This is good enough for automotive purposes but would wreak havoc on delicate computer circuit.
Lastly, understand that the AC current is provide between any combination of 2 of the 3 white wires coming out of the stator. The AC phase is "floating" above the bikes -12 frame ground. That means that NO white wire is connected to ground. You measure the AC ouput of the stator between white wires only.
RECTIFIER / REGULATOR ("RR")
3 Stator windings & 6 diode Rectifier Bridge
The Regulator-Recifier rectifies the A.C. current by using 6 diodes (2 per phase). The more complex part of the RR is how it regulates the higher DC current down to provide a steady state 12-14v. There are several variations of the process but in simplest terms a circuit monitors the output voltage and "shunts" (partially diverts) the excess portion to ground. Consider these things:
The RR has a lot of current constantly flowing through it (diodes, etc..). AND, the excess voltage is being divert directly to ground. So, the RR gets very hot in the process. The construction is totally about disappating this heats. Notice the heat fins. Less noticeable is that the RR circuits inside are encased in Epoxy and esentially glued into the heat sink metal body.
The RR circuitry can regulate the output voltage several ways. How the Vision RR works is not exactly know but here are some common designs and guesses.
The RR actually regulates the AC output based on the DC output. It shunts (grounds out) enough of the AC output to keep the DC under 14volts.
The RR may regulate all 3 phases -or- maybe just 1 or 2. For example: That means that 2 phases are producing full voltage while the 3rd is decreased to level off the DC ouput. Obviously, this puts a bigger burden on the regulator and that 1 phase. A better design regulates all three AC phases equally.
Where the RR measures the battery system voltage can be different.
The simple setup is that the RR has 2 wires (Red=+12v and Black=ground). The +12 wire is connect direct to the battery. This connection obviously carries a lot of constant current which can (over time) build up some noticeable resistances (voltage drop) due to bad connections.
Another common circuit is shown above. This is used on MOST Visions (but not all). Notice that a seperate +12 volt wire is input into the RR. This normally is attached to the ignition (key on +12) and some other points of the bike to monitor voltage. The advantage is that this connection carries less current and is more a accurate picture of the charging output. This results in a normally higher RR output to the battery.
Some Bikes (not Vision, but often dirt/track) use a "Lighting Coil". This is included for discussion purposes so you understand the slight difference. A Lighting Coil is often a separate winding on the stator to produce AC current for accessories (typically lights). The "Lighting Coil" output may be regulated (or not) and may not be rectified either. Lights don't need DC (whereas things like relays and displays do). A simple regulated Lighting Coil oputput circuit would look like this:
WIRING (See Electrical Diagram)
3 WHITE WIRES
Connect from rectifier via a "NOTORIOUS CONNECTOR" to stator under crankcase cover (left side of bike). Order is not important. But the connector (pictured with RR top of page) is notorious for getting corroded/dirty and melting from voltage-drop resistance
.
1 RED WIRE
Connects from Recitifier to +12 volt hot all the time from battery. This is the main output wire from RR to battery.
1 BLACK WIRE
Connect from Recitifier to frame ground
1 BROWN WIRE
This is the "Extra" wire found on some RR circuits.
This wire is connected to +12 at the ignition when the key is on. It provides the reference voltage to the RR. The advantage is that this is low current circuit and provides a more accurate reference than the main battery wire (RED) above.
Disconnecting this wire will have unpredictable results. The most likely scenario is that the RR will view the reference voltage low (zero) and the RR output will be a constant 14.5 volts at all times. Another words, the RR will constantly charge the battery regardless of battery level.
This wire is not shown or used on some models. In fact, is not shown on my 1983 "RK" diagram but was clearly used on my bike.
1 YELLOW WIRE
This wire is not on any diagram and is not used. Wire ends at the plug an goes no-where.
Have been told that it was (on some models, Vision and others?) to be source of power for lights on Euro or Canadian bikes. The lights would only come on while bike was running.
