Voltage Regulators with Higher Output (EarthX Battery)

[tps8903]

I must have gotten lucky. My battery shows 13.2V during runup and 14.5-14.6 in cruise. Stock VR that came with my Aerovee kit.

I have pretty minimal electric loads. I turn off the secondary ignition out of the pattern.

I thought about this after I ordered the other one. I'm wondering if the load is dragging the voltage down. I guess tomorrow I'll have to find out. I'll unload and turn off the lights and electric Ignition and see what it does. I think it's low regardless, I usually start with 12.8V and then It stabilizes at 13.2V in cruise.

[Bryan Cotton]

I usually just run my strobes in cruise. Nav lights if it's close to dark. Whelen Orion 600s, not much draw.

I run my wig-wags in the pattern. Consumes 0.65 a.

Radio and transponder are on. Low draw except transmit.

I have a mechanical master switch. Saves an amp and some weight.

My fuel tank camera and light draw nearly nothing but I leave them off except when I want to check fuel.

My Braüniger Alpha MFD draws milliamps. If power fails it continues to run off a 9V battery. Cool.

I have a turn coordinator but I leave it off usually.

With only 20A to work with, conservation is good.

[tps8903]

I must have gotten lucky. My battery shows 13.2V during runup and 14.5-14.6 in cruise. Stock VR that came with my Aerovee kit.

I have pretty minimal electric loads. I turn off the secondary ignition out of the pattern.

I thought about this after I ordered the other one. I'm wondering if the load is dragging the voltage down. I guess tomorrow I'll have to find out. I'll unload and turn off the lights and electric Ignition and see what it does. I think it's low regardless, I usually start with 12.8V and then It stabilizes at 13.2V in cruise.

So the VR I installed was full wave, seems like that was a bad idea. Diagnosing the damage now......sigh.....

[Bryan Cotton]

Cross posted from another thread, but the info belongs here.

Bryan,
Thank you for contacting us with that question. At the present time, we do not have a voltage regulator that we consider compatible with the AeroVee alternator. We have a design in the development process that should be suitable, however. I have not been given a release date at this point, but if all goes well with tests of the prototypes, it may be available within the next 6 months or so.

We appreciate your checking with us. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Kind Regards,

“TJ” Jenkins
B&C Specialty Products
123 E. 4th Street
Newton, KS 67114 USA
Voice: 316-283-8000

[Bryan Cotton]

Per a recommendation from Dale, I installed a genuine John Deere MIA881279 voltage regulator. This is made in Japan and rated at 20A. It was pretty much a bolt in replacement, but I had to add a wire to the VR enable yellow wire. I did see 14.5V on a ground run so far. I spent $107 buying from eBay.

Wires are as follows:

blue wires (2) are AC voltage from the PMA
the red wire (1) is charging voltage to the battery
black wire (1) is ground
yellow wire (1) is the sense wire & turns on the regulator
green wire (1) idiot light - generally not used


Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

http://www.n56ml.com/corvair/dynamo.html



So far I have one ground run. At 3000 RPM, I am getting 14.5V with all loads off, and then all loads on. Looks promising.

[daleandee]

Bryan ... good deal! Just a few thoughts,

I cut the original plug off the regulator and used some high quality faston terminals as some folks complained about the original connectors not holding up very well.

Also on the other thread you noted that you spaced it away from the firewall. I did that initally but someone smarter than me suggested that I mount it to the firewall and recommended to use heat sink compound so that the regulator could use the firewall as a heat sink. BTW, I have a small blast tube on mine with a a small cover that directs the air through the fins.

As an aside, some even suggest to mount the fins vertically so the rising heat can better disipate. How much difference any of this really makes is unknown to me. As they say ... you pay your money and takes your chances.

Any idea whether you can make the KJZP fly-in (if it happens of course)?

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

[Bryan Cotton]

Bryan ... good deal! Just a few thoughts,

I cut the original plug off the regulator and used some high quality faston terminals as some folks complained about the original connectors not holding up very well.

Also on the other thread you noted that you spaced it away from the firewall. I did that initally but someone smarter than me suggested that I mount it to the firewall and recommended to use heat sink compound so that the regulator could use the firewall as a heat sink. BTW, I have a small blast tube on mine with a a small cover that directs the air through the fins.

As an aside, some even suggest to mount the fins vertically so the rising heat can better disipate. How much difference any of this really makes is unknown to me. As they say ... you pay your money and takes your chances.

Any idea whether you can make the KJZP fly-in (if it happens of course)?

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

Dale,
I'm working on a blast tube installation. I'll post pictures when I complete it. Probably not until I have the cowl off again. I'm thinking the blast tube will remove a lot more heat than the firewall. I'm also making a cooling tin for it, so the cold air goes outward over the cooling fins. It will be cool.

I'm not going to be able to make the KJZP fly-in, unfortunately. Only 3 days of vacation left this year and even less spousal support. Maybe some year!

[Bryan Cotton]

Bryan ... good deal! Just a few thoughts,

I cut the original plug off the regulator and used some high quality faston terminals as some folks complained about the original connectors not holding up very well.

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

So one of my original female spade connectors melted sometime when Adam was flying yesterday. I replaced it with a better looking female spade terminal that we bought at Autozone tonight. It looks like faston terminals are still spade terminals, but higher quality? Was the John Deere male spades the issue or the Sonex side?

We did a ground run and seem to be charging again. We were going to fly down to DeKalb at dusk, about 26 nm away. But we never left the pattern as I could see it was not charging. My other crimp must have gone bad.

[Panther16]

Aircraft electrical connections are no place for auto zone, especially the hi current alternator leads. Use faston stud type terminals and bolt together or use a stud type terminal strip. If bolting together cover with shrink tubing but do not shrink to allow for cooling of the joint.

[DCASonex]

Saw a report here many years ago of someone who had a VR burn through the thin SS firewall, and with the fuel tank right behind that, I mounted mine on a slightly heavier piece of SS, hat shaped for about 1/2" clearance. It is big enough to hold a small relay and a filter capacitor. Best cooling of the VR will be with its fins oriented vertically.

David A.