storm42
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- Joined
- Jul 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,220
I bought a non running Ducati Darmah earlier this year and have been having a play with it recently. I got it running as soon as I got it home but the charge light wasn't going out until about 4500 revs were dialled in, I was a bit busy then so it had to wait.
I was checking it out a couple of weeks ago and found that the alternator was going to ground, it shouldn't. I had a quick look round and a replacement didn't fall into my lap so I thought I would have a go at re-winding it. The wire on it was a mess and unfortunately I didn't take a picture, but once I ripped all the wire off I started taking pictures.
This is as I started the cleanup.
The edges of where the wire goes were a bit sharp, so I went round them with file.
I then wrapped the poles in cloth tape and started winding them up, 16 turns on each, first clockwise and the anti clockwise and repeat.
Fitted back in the outer cover after giving it a coat of electrical varnish.
Initial run up was a bit disappointing as the gen light was still staying on until about 2500 rpm. I put a meter across the battery and that was going to 13,5V at a about 2000rpm but carried on to over 17V as the revs went up, the reg/rect was buggered.
A couple of days later a new reg/rect turned up and properly limited the high revs voltage to 14.2V and just over 13V at just under 2000rpm, happy days. If I ignored the gen light not going out until about 2200rpm.
The light problem turned out to be old wires. the signal wire for the light controller picks up from a fuse and goes round Italy and then through the ignition switch before it presents its voltage to the controller. Without the engine on, the battery measured at 12.4V and the signal wire measured 11.1V.
I binned that wire and took a signal straight from the reg/rect output, through a relay and then to the controller. Bingo, light out at tick-over, it does come back on if I put the lights on but goes out at about 1100rpm, so the jobs a gudun.
It took a couple of evenings but the actual wind only took just over an hour. the wire, varnish and tape came to about £15. I have since found alternators for sale around the £130 ish mark but I hadn't done this before and was curious, lets see how long it lasts.
I was checking it out a couple of weeks ago and found that the alternator was going to ground, it shouldn't. I had a quick look round and a replacement didn't fall into my lap so I thought I would have a go at re-winding it. The wire on it was a mess and unfortunately I didn't take a picture, but once I ripped all the wire off I started taking pictures.
This is as I started the cleanup.
The edges of where the wire goes were a bit sharp, so I went round them with file.
I then wrapped the poles in cloth tape and started winding them up, 16 turns on each, first clockwise and the anti clockwise and repeat.
Fitted back in the outer cover after giving it a coat of electrical varnish.
Initial run up was a bit disappointing as the gen light was still staying on until about 2500 rpm. I put a meter across the battery and that was going to 13,5V at a about 2000rpm but carried on to over 17V as the revs went up, the reg/rect was buggered.
A couple of days later a new reg/rect turned up and properly limited the high revs voltage to 14.2V and just over 13V at just under 2000rpm, happy days. If I ignored the gen light not going out until about 2200rpm.
The light problem turned out to be old wires. the signal wire for the light controller picks up from a fuse and goes round Italy and then through the ignition switch before it presents its voltage to the controller. Without the engine on, the battery measured at 12.4V and the signal wire measured 11.1V.
I binned that wire and took a signal straight from the reg/rect output, through a relay and then to the controller. Bingo, light out at tick-over, it does come back on if I put the lights on but goes out at about 1100rpm, so the jobs a gudun.
It took a couple of evenings but the actual wind only took just over an hour. the wire, varnish and tape came to about £15. I have since found alternators for sale around the £130 ish mark but I hadn't done this before and was curious, lets see how long it lasts.
