6V to 12V

[anthony kosecki]

Bit of a dummy question. Having read the help and tech queries, am I right in saying that in order to convert to 12V electrics all I have to do is fit a new 6V/12V regulator and that the 6V dynamo will cope? Is it really that simple? I have a 55 g3ls.
Tony

[dave16mct]

Yes but don't forget the battery,bulbs and horn. Plus you will have to ride twice as fast to keep the battery charged. Why not keep it at 6volts and fit LED bulbs which are incredibly bright.
Dave.

[spookefoote1956]

Go for a dvr2 regulator and LED bulbs

[mikeydpippin]

Copied from The magneto guys if it helps at all




The fact is, a standard ‘6v' dynamo is only 6v because the regulator is set up to work at 6v. The same dynamo is perfectly capable of generating higher voltages so fitting a 12v regulator will give a 12v system. This is a simple view and there are other factors to consider. The voltage output of the dynamo is dependent, amongst other things, on its speed of rotation so it will need to be turning faster to charge a 12v battery than it would for a 6v battery. What this means in practice is that 30mph in top gear might be enough to generate 6v but you may need to be doing nearer 40mph to get 12v. This may be fine if out on the open roads but could become a problem if doing a lot of town work. On some machines it may be possible to get round this by altering the dynamo drive ratio so that the dynamo runs faster at a given road speed.

[SPRIDDLER]

Having self-sufficient magneto ignition rather than a coil ignition system relying on a battery/dynamo is a bonus as with a mag you'll always get home, day or night.

[Duncan]

Having self-sufficient magneto ignition rather than a coil ignition system relying on a battery/dynamo is a bonus as with a mag you'll always get home, day or night.

….. unless your magneto fails, but at least you will be able to sit on the side of the road basking in the pale yellow glow of your tungsten headlight

[Groily]

Copied from The magneto guys if it helps at all

The fact is, a standard ‘6v' dynamo is only 6v because the regulator is set up to work at 6v. The same dynamo is perfectly capable of generating higher voltages so fitting a 12v regulator will give a 12v system. This is a simple view and there are other factors to consider. The voltage output of the dynamo is dependent, amongst other things, on its speed of rotation so it will need to be turning faster to charge a 12v battery than it would for a 6v battery. What this means in practice is that 30mph in top gear might be enough to generate 6v but you may need to be doing nearer 40mph to get 12v. This may be fine if out on the open roads but could become a problem if doing a lot of town work. On some machines it may be possible to get round this by altering the dynamo drive ratio so that the dynamo runs faster at a given road speed.

I agree 100% for long E3L dynamos. I run three myself with modern regulators, all on twins - which rev a little more than yer average single.
But I think many people have found the shorter and lower output E3N or even weaker AR struggles.

There are 3 schools of thought really:

Priory Magnetos reckons any 12v conversion is best done by using rewound armature and field, to maintain original cut-in speed. Which isn't hard on long dynamos, as the parts are available to do this, but not an option on shorter ones. Some people have said that if going this way 'current regulation' becomes more of an issue, as maximum permissible current through the thinner windings is halved (to 5A tops on an E3L, between 3 and 4A on smaller instruments). Most regulators of the electronic sort don't include current regulation as a separate feature. One such that does is the DVR4 unit, but its lowest current limit setting is 8A and these units, like JG regulators, also require the field to be wired F to D (per Miller and Bosch), not F to Earth per Lucas. I have used DVR2s quite happily with the 12v parts myself.

The Magneto Guys are quoted by mikey above. Not sure if they are referring to any dynamo, or some dynamos but in any case the caveats are mentioned!

The middle view is that it's fine for Long dynamos but 'Marginal' with shorter ones. That is also the view, I believe, of the makers ' of the DVR series of regulators.

[56G80S]

Duncan, the SR1 mag is mag - nificent compared with the die - namo.

Johnny B

[anthony kosecki]

Many thanks for the replies - much appreciated. Will probably stick with what I've got and use LEDs. Is there a preferred/recommended supplier of these?
Tony

[ajscomboman]

For a regulator than can be swapped between 6V and 12V at anytime DVR2 from dynamoregulators.com and for the LED's dynamoregulatorconversions.com

" differnt companies with very similar names.