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Old 15-08-17, 10:51 AM   #30
R1ffR4ff
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: JAMOADR(1999 Curvy) 36,000 miles
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Default Re: What is this and how do I make one...

Quote:
Originally Posted by andy650 View Post
How can you be vigilant with a RR? It either works properly or it doesn't, and you cant do anything to service it.
You are correct in that as a solid state unit they are unserviceable however the connectors leading to them are.

Electronic devices are not,"Pass/Fail" devices.They can partially fail just like electromechanical and mechanical devices.

In the case of the Regulator/Rectifiers components inside can degrade overtime leading to on the Regulator side an increase in Voltage at the battery to a point where it ruins the battery.
On the Rectifier side any one of the Diamond formation diodes can partially fail and cause AC current through to the battery.This again will destroy a DC battery.
The most common cause of these failures is lack of maintenance of the Electrical connectors,especially the larger one that carries the three Yellow HT wires.
There is a lot of current passed through this connector and if the pins and sockets start to corrode the resistance at that point will increase.This will normally lead to other parts of the charging system trying to compensate and work harder to a point where they are taken out-of-spec.The increased resistance also has been known to melt the large connector and then the Stator HT wires short and the high current from the Stator feeds back on itself and burns out the coils.

There's plenty of pictures and posts on the net when this has happened and it's not nice and potentially lethal in the case of an Automotive fire.




Whatever unit you use please make sure that the Large connector pins and sockets are free of corrosion and electrically and physically secure.I use ACF50
http://www.acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm

on ALL my electrical connections and for good measure if you ride a lot in the rain you can also double secure using Dielectric grease around the connector.

https://tinyurl.com/y9m3l4xk

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Last edited by R1ffR4ff; 15-08-17 at 10:57 AM.
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