Voltage Regulators

Roadster Rich

Roadster Rich

Senior Member
Any suggestions on the best item to use for a stock 6 volt generator for voltage regulation? I have seen Tom W's that goes on the third brush and some others that replace the unit mounted on the generator. The old Barn used to have a list of suppliers that sold parts, but I can't find that the new Barn has that.
 
I use the Fun Projects regulator with good results. The 6 volt verson will have a maximum charge rate of 15 amps. They perform like modern day regulators and have been trouble free for me.
 
I use Tom W's with good results.. Not hard to install and it replaces the third brush.. I tried 2 others that are contained within the cutout and they lasted for a matter of seconds and the suppliers/manufacturer refused assistance, they are junk...
 
If somebody could oblige me I would appreciate a simple explanation of how these work. I would guess that they are dumping excess field winding current to ground to maintain the voltage relative to the battery? On this basis the ones that connect to the third brush make sense, however, I can't figure out how fun projects' works.

Suppliers I know of are:

Fun Projects http://www.funprojects.com/products/10505r.cfm
Tom Wesenberg tjw2831@hotmail.com
James Peterson jpetersonbend@yahoo.com

 
The ones from Fun Projects are the original "duplicate" of Ford's cutouts and fully backed by the maker John Regan, a avid antique automobile owner and electronics engineer. Some vendors sell a copy that they can't support and agree they are probably junk. John has repaired his at a modest cost even when the problem was caused by owner error.

For obvious reasons, John Regan's (Fun Projects) regulator design is proprietary. I will say that it contains a "fail safe" circuit that protects the generator should the battery lead become disconnected. And, it's auto resettable. If you follow the instructions and have a good generator to begin with, the VR will provide years of trouble free service for both. Plus, your battery will probably last longer too.
 
My friend has had a Fun Projects regulator on his T for years with excellent results and I installed one on my 37 two years ago and have been very pleased.
 
Patrick L. said:
I use Tom W's with good results.. Not hard to install and it replaces the third brush.. I tried 2 others that are contained within the cutout and they lasted for a matter of seconds and the suppliers/manufacturer refused assistance, they are junk...
Click to expand...
Patrick L , I've got nothing against Toms regulator. I have been involved with model A's for many years. I am aware of only one can style regulator. If you are refering to the Fun Projects regulator, I don't believe what you claim. It is very simple to adjust the third brush and install. Even if a person really messed up John would stand behind or repair the unit.
 
I have the Funprojects voltage regulator mounted on my generator in place of the original cutout and it's been working great for at least 8 years.
Rog
 
30Tudor said:
If somebody could oblige me I would appreciate a simple explanation of how these work. I would guess that they are dumping excess field winding current to ground to maintain the voltage relative to the battery? On this basis the ones that connect to the third brush make sense, however, I can't figure out how fun projects' works.

Suppliers I know of are:

Fun Projects http://www.funprojects.com/products/10505r.cfm
Tom Wesenberg tjw2831@hotmail.com
James Peterson jpetersonbend@yahoo.com
Click to expand...

Thought maybe one of the makers would jump in on this but since they have not I will take a shot. The regulators by Tom and James function the same as a modern regulator on a alternator. They monitor the output voltage and excite the generator with the current necessary to maintain a constant voltage as opposed to the third brush which sets a fixed output. When used with the original cutout they function with no loss and can output the full generator capability. Choice seems to be your preference in mountings.

The Fun Products regulator takes advantage of the fact that shorting the generator output to ground takes the output to 0. It monitors the voltage and effectively shorts the generator output to ground as much as required to maintain the voltage. I do not know what the power loss is but at least the amount caused by a diode cutout. It's major advantage is it requires no internal modification of the generator.
 
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