regulator and rectifier question....

[cbrianroll]

Good evening everyone,
First, my apologies if this is the wrong area for this....
Second, my electrical skills are basic, I understand how it charges and discharges, but other than that it goes in one ear and out the other....
I am still.working on my 78 gl1000, ordered a reg/rectifier combo unit from sparckmoto. So I'm eliminating having both units on the bike but dont really understand how it works....why did Honda not do this originally?....what is it in the unit that eliminates the need for two separate units? If anyone would like to try to explain to me and/or show me some links that I can read to learn about it, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

[gltriker]

Get ready! This just the beginning.

see this first. http://wingovations.com/regulator-rectifier/4579471117
at the bottom of John's page on this topic is:

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forums/k ... how-25117/

Also, Scroll all the way down this page to Similar Topics.

[rcmatt007]

one part makes back and forth only go one way.... the other turns a higher number into a lower number... and viola they figured out how to do it one part not two

[Fred Camper]

AC/DC is not just a band, as Rodger points out.

[Sidecar Bob]

The alternator produces AC voltage but the bike needs DC so the rectifier is necessary to convert AC to DC. The alternator's output varies with the engine RPM, which also means that the rectifier's output will vary but if the system had, say, 40V the smoke would escape from a lot of parts so a voltage regulator is needed to control that (you actually need about 14-15V to charge a "12v" battery).

Here's where it gets technical: Alternators work by passing a rotating magnetic field through stationary windings (stator). Automotive alternators (and those used on some bikes) have windings on the rotor (AKA armature) so the output voltage can be regulated by adjusting the current through the armature and thus its magnet field strength.
The alternators used in a lot of bikes (including early 'Wings) use permanent magnets in the edge of the flywheel for a rotor so the field strength can't be varied to control the output voltage. The only way to control that voltage is to add an electrical load to pull the voltage down to the desired level so that is what the voltage regulators for these bikes have to do.

Combining the regulator and rectifier into one unit to simplify the wiring may seem like an obvious idea in hindsight but it took them a while do think of it and they didn't start to become common until after the GL1000 was designed. Oddly, the CX500 (introduced in 1978) had the combined reg/rec but GoldWings didn't change to the combined type until the next full redesign and the introduction of the GL1100.

[cbrianroll]

You guys are awesome, thank you, gonna start hitting those links after work.