pistnbroke

Well lets look what an experienced technican should do when faces with the flickering ~WL Check for Loose connections ....non found...system has been working for months with no problem. Check for the most likley cause ...remove fan belt ..put 5w bulb from WL terminal to battery + and turn alternator by hand ... if bulb flickers brush /slip ring problem. If bulb does not flicker remove lamp ,turn on ignition and check dash WL . Bulb now flickers problem with bulb/holder/ign Sw.... Now go on wind your springs up on that one ....

You lot are so easy to wind up ...clockwork I think. Must be excessive experience/good basic training at technician level / years of fault finding / + qualifications that gives me the edge..... supprised the Moderator allows such vicious personal insults based on zero facts. Now you all go have a nice day ...

What took you experts so long ...the only fault that can make the warning light flicker rythmically is brushes and out of round slip ring .......X sperts ...unknown drips under pressure ...Ha Ha ..have a nice day ..

brushes below minimum length combined with out of round slip rings

if the guy was trying to test his W with his meter set for AC then he would get no reading ..that was my point and the flickering WL has been fixed ...

Common misconception ...W is half wave rectified ac so try your meter on DC.

having opended up some of the el cheapo batteries you would be pressed to tell the difference .....\i am sure they are all made in the same factory...maybe graded like TV screens and then sold on

I still say you lost the plot Gibbo ..this is a 4 stroke honda so its governed or limited ...and on this type of generator /motor its 230 rpm per volt ...so output does not go sky high .....I am talking either three MOSFETS combined with 3 diodes in the rectifier or a MOSFET in series with a standard 9 diode 3 phase rectfier which is pulsed on/off so the dissipation is minimal ..... Pieter has given us a good idea and once again its getting myred by experts...have any of you actually got one of these and tried it in the lathe or variable speed drill? why are we getting multiple irrelavent posts on motorbikes for gods sake

I think some of you have lost the plot here ( not Pieter ) I am talking of a series regulator with a pulsed MOSFET not a shunt regulator and the motor /generator running to produce say 18v which is regulated by the mosfet to 14.4v...the engines speed regulator will control the throttle so only sufficient petrol will be burnt to match the output required

What is not said in this is how to regulate the output ....the governed speed of the 4 stroke should be set so that when a fully charged battery reaches 14.4v the charge current is very low say below 0.5A . Pushing current into a battery to raise it over 14.4v is not good . a series regulator using a MOSFET is a good idea or incorperate 3 into the three phase bridge. this will make the engine speed non critical. The idea and construction is superb but without automatic regulaton the voltmeter is essential .

for these small engines that get little use 2 % acetone in the fuel will keep it fresh and aid starting

I recently purchased a new strimmer from the rejects at a k mart( $30) ..26cc two stroke and have a motor like yours rated at 3200w ( 4 hp ) Where did you get the coupling ? Was yours a 4 stroke ? What rpm was it run at or limited to ? Did you regulate the output with the voltmeter and revs? I have large electric outboard for my canal MC wanted to have generator to charge battery/run outboard if the battery goes down before I get home ...Advantage of yours its that if you rate the diodes high enough for voltage then you dont need to worry about always having a battery connected. Also have 6.5hp Honda 4 st and 65 A alternator which I had intended to use ...perhaps heavier quieter and more robust . I understand the bearings on some of the aero motors are not good long term ....

never seen an alternator where you needed soldering to get the brushes/brushbox out ..the fact that its flickering does indicate a brush problem provided all connections are tight and not vibrating

it seems I might have to join a cruise club as I have a trailer boat and need canal side access for a launch ....but some seem to be very private/exclusive bit like the masons and some very friendly ....so have I got it right that joining one means you can visit others and use there facilities>>? Your experiences would be welcome...

Looking at the B W regulations it does mention trailered boats under the 30 day explorer permit ...Where do trailered boats get launched into the canal and what charges are made if any . Locations where this can be done would be useful. I am refering here to boats that need some sort of slipway as they are too heavy to lift into the canal.

correct diagnosis a glowing Warning light or Indicator light shows faulty diodes are the fault ...ps its not a low charge light when its out it indicates battery and alternator are connected .... Worth checking the brushes and slip rings for wear while you are in there ..if one alternator is worn check the other

Fun yak call it the 3.7 as its 3.7 m long as its double skinned polyethelene its relatively heavy compared to a ply stitch and glue job but you can kick it and hit it with a hammer leave it outside etc no problem just google fun Yak or Moreton boats for a look ...I thought very reasonable at 1300 quid as it will not deteriorate and should hold its value as there are none on the second hand market ....will take up to 7 cat d and 6 cat C but two old farts wont lift it with the outboard and nice padded seats / champaigne/ etc As BW say the trailer is not classed as mechanical assistance and it has a winch I think we may be ok

well I rang BW and after about 4 hours got the answer ...nobody had asked the question for 18 months so they had forgotten the answer .... If you can launch the boat with the labour of the normal crew and without mechanical assistance then its ok. Yes I can do that as I can push it off the trailer into the cut ...the trailer does not count as mechanical assistance.Getting it back is the problem as it weighs about 150kg ( polyethelene fun yak ) So I need to hand winch it back onto the trailer up the trailers built in ramp....now that needs a health and saftey assement etc FOR EACH LAUNCH AND RECOVERY so thats 200 quid a time. What they are doing is applying the rules for lauching a canal boat with a crane to a 12 ft dingy.... so if you see a blue 3.7m fun yak called Fucawi powered by a genuine 5 hp Briggs and Stratton outboard give us a shout .....200 quid my ass ....

I will ring BW today ..its not wrong or legal I am bothered about its getting into problems with BW staff if they arrive when I am launching or recovering Will let you know

wow talk about a simple queston .....take the Cathiron situaton....Carpark with small 300mm high barrier 2 m from the water ...back trailer up to barrier ...extend ramps which rest on concrete edge of canal ...winch boat off into canal ....park car and trailer on carpark.....reverse 6 hours later ///// Now all start again and let me know how its wrong

No I have not and dont intend to unless I have a problem ..if I had a canoe or boat a couple of people could carry I am sure I could just pop it in anywhere I liked so I dont see the difference ( yet ! )

I have a 12 ft boat on a trailer with extendible ramps at the rear to slide it into and out of the canal. When its warmer it will be insured and on a 30 day permit . I have seen many spots where I can launch it ..Cathiron on the oxford and other spots where the canal is beside a road side laybye.....Is it legal for me to dump it into the cut at any place I can get access if I am not going onto private land or doing damage to BW property? ....hull too heavy to carry at 130kg + outboard etc thanks in advance

what is being said here is that if you have panels big enough they will power your loads directly / your batteries will not be discharged as well as re chargeing the batteries faster on the occasions when the batteries are discharged. Small panels will not power your appliances and recharge the batteries slower...

The access at the pub in newbold is good but not sure of the legality of launching and parking ..not sure if pub has to give access to the canal bank.. The Cathiron tow path car park is good ..the wood rails are low so I could back the trialer wheels up to them and then use a couple of extension rails to slide the boat down into the canal...mid week the carpark should not be full. other access just up the road has been blocked with 2 new posts ( have chain saw ...joke LOL ) thanks for your help any other suggetions welcome ...