Permanent Magnet Alternator

[Burns]

That's what I figured, but I thought maybe there might be some odd ball out there like a Saab or something else wierd, or maybe a tractor. No matter, I got a VF500 rectifier for $16.14 including shipping.


I've got everything but the stator now.

I don't see an RZ350 on your list of stator donors. Any reason? Will that stator work? It seems like it would be a straight-up bolt on to the Banshee stator holder. There are some (rather pricey) 200 watt units and some stockers out there. I don't know the stocker's output but it's probably adequate.

So, will the RZ stator do the job?

[mrriggs]

mburnsxs650 said:

I don't see an RZ350 on your list of stator donors. Any reason? Will that stator work? It seems like it would be a straight-up bolt on to the Banshee stator holder. There are some (rather pricey) 200 watt units and some stockers out there. I don't know the stocker's output but it's probably adequate.

So, will the RZ stator do the job?

The RZ will probably fit, I haven't seen the dimensions so I can't say for sure. The obvious difference is the high voltage coil to power a CDI box. It has fewer alternator coils to make room for the CDI coil so the output is likely lower than a full-on three phase stator. If you have no plans to convert to a CDI ignition then you are better off with a plain 3-phase stator. If you do want to run a CDI, then the RZ stator would be a better choice than the Banshee since it has a three phase alternator instead of single phase.

[Burns]

You ARE da man. I have no CDI plans so the RZ is no longer on my list. I'm watching a couple ZX600 Kaw's right now. Will they cook the VF500 rectifier?

[Burns]

Well, I bought a VF500 stator. I have everything now. Of course I didn't do as well financially as you (patience is my shortest suit). I've got 127.14 in the deal - total.

That's half the cost of a stator from Mikes, so I'm cool with it.

[mrriggs]

Measured the output today.

_RPM___WATTS
1500___22
2500___74
3500___139
4500___250
5500___289
6500___361

Not sure how this compares to the stock alternator.

[xsleo]

the stock output is 14 volts -16 amps @5000rpm , 16 amps x 14 volts = 224 watts. yours at 5000 would be 270 watts divided by 14 volts = 19.25 amps. a helpful increase, should keep the battery charged. maybe enough to plug in a heated vest.

[Burns]

5,000 is about 70mph in top gear. Does anyone know how it compares in the lower ranges?

[Burns]

I'm just waiting for the rectifier now (got the rest of the stuff in) and I'm looking at everything as I prepare to do the do. Davidrayner posted a lengthy and thorough piece about using RD 350 parts for this conversion. He talks about needing to fabricate a spacer to set the stator back from the motor. Does use of the Banshee stator holder and VF500 stator eleminate that requirement?

[xsleo]

i just took what the clymer book said.

[Burns]

Sure, xsleo, no offense, it's a valuable number, but if there are some folks out there who will put a multi-meter on their stocker and give us the numbers for 1,2,3, and 4 grand we'd all have the whole picture.

[mrriggs]

mburnsxs650 said:

He talks about needing to fabricate a spacer to set the stator back from the motor. Does use of the Banshee stator holder and VF500 stator eliminate that requirement?

Yes. I don't know if the bracket is taller or if the rotor is spaced closer to the motor but there definitely was no room for a spacer on my bike.

[mrriggs]

mburnsxs650 said:

...but if there are some folks out there who will put a multi-meter on their stocker and give us the numbers for 1,2,3, and 4 grand we'd all have the whole picture.

You would need some sort of load tester. I used a fixed resistance load tester which isn't as accurate as a fixed voltage tester, but a heck of a lot easier to make, cheaper too. If I had access to a stock bike then I could test it with the same method I tested mine. That would give an accurate comparison of the two.

[Burns]

Thanks, that's a relief! I really couldn't get a mental picture of where a spacer would go.

Another thing (always somethin') does the rectifer have to be mounted so that it grounds to the surface that it is mounted on (e.g. frame member) or can it hang out in the breeze? I'm thinking about mounting it below the lower triple-tree clamp (like a Zenner diode on BSA's) so it will get plenty of cooling air over the fins. I'll rubber mount it to give it some isolation from vibration if the body of the rectifier doesn't need to be grounded

Thanks again, I really appreciate the help.

[mrriggs]

On both the regulators I tried, the cases were not grounded. That is why they have a separate ground wire. If your regulator has a ground wire then you are OK mounting it with rubber. If your regulator doesn't have a ground wire then get one that does. You can't rely on the connection between aluminum and steel for passing large amounts of current. It will get corroded and cause a voltage drop.

[Burns]

My regulator (from a VF500) still hasn't gotten here so, we'll see when we see. The stator (also a VF500) has only three wires (all yellow); its connector should plug into the regulator's connector since they are theorectically from the same motorcycle.

Should one of the regulator connector wires be a ground? In the event that the regulator doesn't have a ground wire I suppose that I could bolt a ground wire to one of its mounting holes. Si?

Everything is coming along fine.

With your description and information this job is so simple even a cave man could do it.

The JB weld is curing right now.

As I went through the mounting process it struck me that a bolt-on stator-holder could be machined from the body of the XS stator. The machine-shop work needed is ultra simple. You'd save the cost of the stator holder, so it shouldn't be a lot more net cost and you'd end up with the same stator-to-motor mount as the stock set-up (2 screws).

I hacked my XS stator up experimenting around before I thought of that, but I think that's what I'll do next time.