[Bath Bullet]

This might hekp you.

[Vince]

     This is called a Wheatstone Bridge. It is the standard for all the Japanese bikes I work on. To my knowledge this is full wave. The rectifier is finned to aid cooling, which extends life. The regulator is finned because excess voltage is shed as heat.
     Back in the 70's I worked at a couple of shops that handled Triumphs and Nortons. People didn't like the look of the Zener Diode, so they would move it to under the side cover or even remove it completely. This was, in effect, the regulator and needed the cooling air to keep from burning out. Hence the fins. I traced a lot of "Lucas"electrical problems to customers moving the diode.

[ace.cafe]

This might hekp you.

Yes, thank you.

That shows the older 1-piece unit, but it clearly does show that they might still be using a full wave bridge, because their older ones used a full wave bridge. So they certainly could still be using it, and it would be the appropriate choice, as we would expect it to be.

However, I'm still somewhat confused based on what Kevin wrote about the unit's operations in his technical brief about troubleshooting the charging system.
Those comments seem to indicate something else, which wastes half the wave, and that seems to me like what a half wave rectifier would do. .

We will get to the bottom of it, when we see Jeri's scope results.
If this was all just a wild goose chase, then, oh well.
If not, we have something which we should be able to improve upon.

[Royal.Oilfield]

Even Joseph Lucas the "Prince of electrical Darkness" already knew how to build a rectifier and used the full wave of AC by aranging the diodes the right way to get DC...o.k. some of them went up in smoke as usual.

The nature of Physics is well known in India, you can be sure.

Look here how it works:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode_bridge
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_3/4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectifier
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electronic/rectbr.html

[Jeri Danger]

This might hekp you.

Yes, thank you.

That shows the older 1-piece unit, but it clearly does show that they might still be using a full wave bridge, because their older ones used a full wave bridge. So they certainly could still be using it, and it would be the appropriate choice, as we would expect it to be.

However, I'm still somewhat confused based on what Kevin wrote about the unit's operations in his technical brief about troubleshooting the charging system.
Those comments seem to indicate something else, which wastes half the wave, and that seems to me like what a half wave rectifier would do. .

We will get to the bottom of it, when we see Jeri's scope results.
If this was all just a wild goose chase, then, oh well.
If not, we have something which we should be able to improve upon.

Hi
Yes thank you
I suspect the two piece unit is a redesign, as such it may
have different componets and may function differently.
Which would explain Kevin's comments
We will see.
If it does function as the scr/zener  one piece unit.
I need to do a rethink on my electrical system mods
If it is a half wave setup then I am really out to lunch.
Why didn't I do a little bit more trouble shooting?
Jeri

[Jeri Danger]

     This is called a Wheatstone Bridge. It is the standard for all the Japanese bikes I work on. To my knowledge this is full wave. The rectifier is finned to aid cooling, which extends life. The regulator is finned because excess voltage is shed as heat.
     Back in the 70's I worked at a couple of shops that handled Triumphs and Nortons. People didn't like the look of the Zener Diode, so they would move it to under the side cover or even remove it completely. This was, in effect, the regulator and needed the cooling air to keep from burning out. Hence the fins. I traced a lot of "Lucas"electrical problems to customers moving the diode.

Hi Vince
Yeah the Zener on old triumphs was butt ugly and right
up between the forks where it stuck out.
Sort of looked like, well I don't know what it looked like.
It was simple as pie,just shunted the bridge. I never had one go bad, now the
selenium rectifiers way different story there.
Ah the smell of burning rectifier!
Jeri

[Jeri Danger]

Hi to All
I need to find a way to post scope pictures.
But anyway
I had trouble synching the scope to the eratic
thump-de-thumpada of my bike
So I just injected a 60hz test signal
60hz= about 3600rpm and the answer is
Drum roll please
I observed 60 hz ripple=full wave
Jeri

[ace.cafe]

Hi to All
I need to find a way to post scope pictures.
But anyway
I had trouble synching the scope to the eratic
thump-de-thumpada of my bike
So I just injected a 60hz test signal
60hz= about 3600rpm and the answer is
Drum roll please
I observed 60 hz ripple=full wave
Jeri

Good!
Well, at least we got the question solved.
Thanks for doing that Jeri, and I'm sure it put your mind at ease, too.
Now we know for sure.

So Jeri, does this affect how you plan to proceed with your re-work of your Bullet's electrical system?

[Jeri Danger]

Hi Ace
Well I am still gonna remove as many of those bullet
connectors as possible  and replace and install some decent fuse
holders.
But(always a but) I need to go back and do some more trouble
shooting in my charging system, I think I may have missed
something.
I still plan to convert to DC only.
Jeri