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running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:49 pm
by simon k
is anyone running these off the stator with good results or is a battery the way to go?
currently indian 12volt but 120w bgm a possibility for the right results

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:01 am
by soulsurfer
Hi Simon, I'm running a pair of Pathfinders off a 120watt BGM with a modified LI switch but even with 20watt halogen bulbs in the lamps (about 80w of lights in total) there still isn't enough power to illuminate them adequately, I've heard of regulators holding it back and requiring higher wattage or even higher ampage, yet no-one has confirmed this as successfull yet, just a lot of guessing. My next step is to use a 120watt PODtronics DC regulator and madify the stator to see if this will put out enough DC power. If not, I'll fit a battery. Not sure when I'll get to try it though. At the moment, I'm at a loss as to the benefit of this stator being 120 watt :?

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:24 am
by firekdp
A simple test to prove whether the regulator is affecting output would be to run the scoot without it (stator output direct to loom). Obviously start the scoot with full lights on (or at least main lights on and then all lights before increasing revs).

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:15 pm
by T5-190
LED bulbs might be the way to go here. You can buy tail and tail/ stop bulbs as well as indicator bulbs. I know that fully legal LED head light bulbs will be out this year. LEDs only pull a very small curent and only a little voltage, as little as 0.1v in some cases. The only problem is that LEDs are DC, but you could fit a rectifier in line with the bulb/bulbs.

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:20 pm
by shocky
soulsurfer wrote:Hi Simon, I'm running a pair of Pathfinders off a 120watt BGM with a modified LI switch but even with 20watt halogen bulbs in the lamps (about 80w of lights in total) there still isn't enough power to illuminate them adequately, I've heard of regulators holding it back and requiring higher wattage or even higher ampage, yet no-one has confirmed this as successfull yet, just a lot of guessing. My next step is to use a 120watt PODtronics DC regulator and madify the stator to see if this will put out enough DC power. If not, I'll fit a battery. Not sure when I'll get to try it though. At the moment, I'm at a loss as to the benefit of this stator being 120 watt :?
is that a 80w regulator your using i have a 96w one if you wanna borrow it there must be hight rated ones out there maybe off a bike :?:

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:44 pm
by soulsurfer
I must check Steve, it is Ducati but Scooter Center did send me a higher rated regulator and it made no difference. I can't remember the wattage though :roll:

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:01 pm
by simon k
thanks for the reply's.may go down the battery route, which will no doubt prove interesting on a lynx frame & long range tank.

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:33 pm
by soulsurfer
simon k wrote:thanks for the reply's.may go down the battery route, which will no doubt prove interesting on a lynx frame & long range tank.
Legshield toolbox ;)

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:42 pm
by Bufficus
I'm probably doing something wrong , but as far as I'm concerned the BGM 120 watt sator does not allow you to run more lights as I have been lead to believe from various sources.

My set up is BGM 120 watt stator, 20 amp Ducati regulator and one lucas spot wired in with the the high beam.

My results were a little dissapointing.

High beam and spot. Rubbish.

Image

Low beam only.

Image

Nattery time methinks. :roll:

Re: running pathfinders without battery

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:07 pm
by firekdp
As I said on a previous thread the wattage on the regulator does not refer to the load wattage. The wattage refers to how much power it can dump to the frame.
It only comes into play when you are NOT using all the power from the stator. If the stator is kicking out 80W but your lights are only using 35W then the regulator must dump 45W otherwise the voltage would increase and blow the lamps. If your lights are dim then you are overloading the stator and the voltage has fallen below 12v and the regulator will be doing absolutely nothing, apart from acting as a junction box.