What is this generator component? Rheostat?

Yes. I forget it's exact function (it's 40 years since I studied generator technology) but it's something to do with the field winding current setting.

Leon

It's a big wire-wound power resistor - and if I was to harbor an educated guess, it's the charging regulator for the battery.

If there's about 14 to 16 volts on the rotor field coils, just put a bit of resistance in line as a regulator and send it to the battery.

If the voltage is slightly too high, that just means you'll have to fill the water in the battery a little more often. Judging from the

5-amp ammeter, they don't expect it to put out too much current.

-->--

It is indeed a rheostat, that's the voltage control for the exiter winding, you would change the resistance (move the lower wire takeoff up / down) here to increase / decrease the fieldstrength in the exiter winding and therefore the voltage comming out of the genny head.

There is a seperate coil in the head that generates a low voltage that is rectified, regulated via the rheostat and sent to the exiter winding, that then in tuen exites the main windings creating ac current at whatever voltage the fieldstrength governs.

No, and don't use it for that purpose either, that will change the voltage comming out of the genny head!

Overcharging your batteries i not good practice, get a good battery charger and your batteries will last much longer.

Ignoramus7135 wrote in news:cou884$f99 $ snipped-for-privacy@pita.alt.net:

Looks almost like a ballast resistor for the ignition system... But could be a rheostat...

I have not a clue, using visual technology. Put a meter on it and trace down the wiring.

I would suggest that you remove the 90 ell from the exhaust manifold and go with something a lot larger. In the A/C industry we say that every 90 in the duct work is equal to 10 feet of straight duct. I replaced the 2 inch exhaust on my Ford PU from the cats back with 3 inch. Gas mileage when up and so did the response from the throttle. I used an 70 series flow master muffler cause I did not want to listen to the varoooom all of the time. Less restrictions on the exhaust and intake make for an freer running motor

FYI the engine has its own battery charging system Ken.

that sets the chraging voltage and corisponding charging current back into the starting battery.....

By sliding the slider up and down after lossening the bolt through it.

Bruce in alaska

Actually the BIG variable Resistors on a DJB is for the Battery charging current.

Bruce in alaska

Good tip, thanks. I will redo the muffler system soon and will eliminate sharp bends.

i

Adjustable resistor. I suspect words like 'cylindrical' and 'ceramic' will help find it. Looks like a couple hundred Watts dissipation.

One connection is to a lug at one end. The other is to that band that goes around the middle. There is a screw so you can loosen the band and move it to change the resistance.

I have no idea what it's use is in your machine, sorry. If you have to replace it, I can probably find you some sources. They are getting rarer these days but are still a standard electrical/electronic part.

It looks pretty badly corroded. If the contact at the adjusting band is damaged, you can probably clean it up. The resistance element is made of wrapped metal wires or ribbons wrapped around a ceramic ube. It's pretty rugged but can be broken by like a dinner plate.

If the resistance element is a ribbon it may be flat or wavy. A very careful use of very fine sandpaper will clean up the winding surface where the moving contact touches. Only one line along the length of the part is used for the adjustable contact, so don't mess with the rest of it and clean up any metal debris carefully.

For purists, there are two forms of variable resistor. The potentiometer has two ends and a moving contact. The rheostat only uses one end. A pot(entiometer) can always stand in for a rheostat so you my find out there is a second lug on the other end. While 'rheostat' correctly only describes the configuration, it usually implies a bit of power handling ability in common usage.

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

That is what I was thinking. In the old car ignitions they had a ballast resistor for normal running spark creation. The ignition coil was really designed for about 8 volts. During starting with the heavy engine turnover draw the battery voltage would drop and therefore the resistor would be bypassed with a relay contact to insure fast starting (good spark) in the cold weather. After starting the resister was cut-in to the circuit dropping the voltage to the ignition coil to about it's normal operating voltage again.

Have you put your 6L6s to bed yet?...LOL\

Forgetting just for the moment, about the expansion of hot gas pushing the piston, consider what happens when you crank a non running engine. Intake and exhaust strokes. This can be summed up simply with the following:

An engine is an air pump.

ANYTHING that improves that (air pumping) efficiancy improves power, if for no other reason than removing the power robbing parasitic losses.

An old hot rodder trick for motors with the round air cleaners was to turn the lid upside down, bypassing the snorkle/stovepipe. (and the intake temp control/ pollution control). In that era the snorkles had really only two purposes, quieting the intake roar and holding the valve that drew air from the stovepipe. (Intake air is drawn up from around the exhaust manifold by the "stovepipe".)

The above is just a longer way of saying, "yeah SQLit is right".

Um - it is a diesel.>

Thanks Winston.

i

6L6? What's that? I still have a 1926 Philco floor model radio. It has several type 26 tubes - four pin base with a cap on top. Is the 6L6 like a newer version?

The radio is about 3.5 feet high, 2 feet wide, and maybe 15" deep. It features the latest in dynamic speakers. The cabinetry is a true thing of beauty. It's AM only since all that new fangled stuff was yet to be invented. Yes, it works quite well.

Heck, I hear they have pictures now. What's next, color?

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

troublemaker

mike

I had a table top version with a couple of 4 pin Edison Valves. I thought I could do better on the regenerative style scheme and rewired it with modern tinned copper, getting rid of all that ugly square bus stuff when i was about 12 years old...LOL

The "B" batteries were more than my allowance anyway.