50W 6Amp Alternator for Bicycles that WORKS!

[GearNut]

Sometimes I hate Wikipedia.
If that is correct, the there are millions of illegal bulbs in cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Like I said, the factory Toyota headlights in my truck are H4's, so are Harley headlights, and even the Yamaha's I used to own took H4's.
I wouldn't worry about it much. It's better to be lit up that riding in the dark.
I'm done here, it's frustrating me too much.

 

[HseLoMein]

well doing some more research, looks like we are both right and wrong.


"Until 1983 auto makers were not allowed to install replacable bulb headlamps (RBH) into US vehicles according to federal law (FMVSS108). When they did they created their own bulb standards (HB2/9003) which while similar was different enought and naturally required a bulb specific design and reflector to produce the DOT beam pattern. In 1997, the laws were further relaxed to permit ECE style lighting patterns."

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/BoschH4.html

So it looks like all bulb types are legal now.

 

[Flattracker]

Aussiesteve, how are you going to mount that dual headlight on your bike? It shaped odd and seems difficult to come up with something inthe way of a mount.

 

[AussieSteve]

Aussiesteve, how are you going to mount that dual headlight on your bike? It shaped odd and seems difficult to come up with something inthe way of a mount.

Not sure what happened. I replied with a long-winded post earlier and now it's gone.

Anyway, here goes again.

I've already got the headlight and battery/fuse box mounted. (12V 5Ah SLA)
It had me scratching my head for a while, but in the end it came up well and looks great.

I used a pair of 1½" muffler clamps to attach to the steering headstem. The clamps allow left/right adjustment. Then I made an aluminium top bracket with an incorporated hinge for up/down adjustment and screwed it to the light.
The 2-piece bottom mount has a slot and screw to allow vertical adjustment.

Then I cut a small triangle of aluminium to fill the space between the two halves of the headlight.
The triangle, brackets and muffler clamps are all painted matt-black.

The battery/fuse box is also aluminium, painted matt-black and attached to the down-tube under the fuel tank with brackets and 2" muffler clamps.

Looks good and works well. I've temporarily connected a pair of toggle switches. For now I'm using an external charger, but as soon as I get the new switch and the wiring done, I'll turn my attention back to the charging system.

I'll post some pics in a few days when the new computer arrives. This antique doesn't have mass-storage or TransMemory support and can't run the camera software so I can't get pics from camera to PC.

 

[JemmaUK]

Its illegal in the UK to have a vehicle that has two separate engines - but Toyota still sell the prius & honda the insight and soon the Ampera from vauxhall... strictly speaking they are illegal given the letter of the law.

not to mention the reichpolizie using Vauxhall Carlton/Omega V6 cars in which the engines act as two 3 cylinder motors for 90% of the time - so by the word of the law they are illegal too...

moral of the story is its only illegal when its someone little trying to make his or her life that little bit easier...

And I very very much doubt that any company that uses H4 bulbs in europe and practically everywhere else is going to waste money not using them on USA spec cars - I know for a fact that British Leyland/Austin Rover didnt - on either the 1100/1300 ADO16 cars - nor on the SD1 or XX Rover 800 (you'd know it over there as the Sterling)...

 

[AussieSteve]

In Australia, multiple engines are allowed on MBs, as long as the combined power does not exceed 200W. Fat lot of good that is.

 

[GearNut]

200W is pathetic. I think the motor in my cell phone is almost that much.
I feel sorry for you all down there, the MB laws really don't make much sense.

 

[AussieSteve]

It is sad, isn't it?
Lucky I only weigh 50kg, (110lbs), so my 200W electric gets me around OK, but that law makes my 2-stroke MB completely illegal. The law around here turn a blind eye, or at least, they have so far.

 

[Tanaka40]

:and last of all a 50 watt 6 amp alternator to keep the batteries charged. .

Did I miss something in my electrical classes?? Amps X Volts = Watts Now lets see.... 12 volts X 6 amps = 72 watts A voltage regulator usually allows voltage of 13.5 volts to 14 volts to charge a battery and cycles down to prevent overcharging. I think that little alternator really puts out closer to 100 plus watts and 7.5 amps.
I do love this system because your design keeps us safe and out of the poor house for not having to buy those overpriced lighting systems !!
BTW, how well would the YAF 80 work ?? it puts out double the amps. It looks like it has the same type case but larger diameter. A complete parts list would be nice. PM me and we can talk.

 

[AussieSteve]

I noticed that - 50W at 6A is 8V.

Still, if it provides 100W at flat-out rpm, 50W is a good estimate of actual average power output.

From memory, the alternator actually produces 108W, 18V @ 6A / 3000rpm.
(Or as you say, Tanaka40, 14.4V @ 7.5A)

I forgot to add that you also need to allow for regulator dropout voltage, typically a couple of volts depending on the regulator. (Probably a little more on the scooter rectifier/regulator units.)
ie If you want to charge at 14.1V, the DC input to the regulator needs to be 16.1V or higher before the battery will begin to charge. (6.7A)