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Plane power regulator

Krick

FOUNDER
Cascade Twp. PA
I am replacing my Inter av regulator and over voltage relay with a plane power R1224. The alternator is also by inter av. My question is do I get rid of the big blue spike guard capacitor or do i keep that wired into the system as before? Thanks for the input.
 
I am replacing my Inter av regulator and over voltage relay with a plane power R1224. The alternator is also by inter av. My question is do I get rid of the big blue spike guard capacitor or do i keep that wired into the system as before? Thanks for the input.

Get rid of it. Plane Power uses a different type of circuitry in their regs that doesn't generate as much noise as the old styles.

Web
 
Sort on topic, I have noticed as I had started having solenoid problems in the 180 that I am getting more and more whine through the intercom. Maybe a coincidence, but I have an old regulator (with the big blue cap) also.

sj
 
Sort on topic, I have noticed as I had started having solenoid problems in the 180 that I am getting more and more whine through the intercom. Maybe a coincidence, but I have an old regulator (with the big blue cap) also.

sj

yup burnt/tilted contacts in master solenoid will show as Alternator noise

heres my noise hunting/locating method

my last resort in finding gremlins...


the battery is the big noise filter, any bad connections allow noise that normal the battery will soak up and hide, to be heard....so long before adding a noise filter i hunt for bad connections...


but to find the bad conection/noisy conection... say like yours alternator sounds


first use a temporary jumper wire from the case of alternator to battery ground post, run-up test it... is sound still there? if it is gone the problem is in the ground circut, so move end of jumper that was at battery ground to next closer conection to alt (which is the other end of the battery strap at this 2nd step).... and repeat this till you find it...


if the ground directly to battery terminal did NOT make it go away.....


do a temp jumperwire from alt out terminal to battery positive terminal.......run-up test it... is sound still there? if it is gone it is in the positive side of alt output circuit, so move end of jumper that was at battery positive to next closer conection to alt (which is the other end of the battery strap at this 2nd step).....and repeat this till you find it...


and if all that did not work, then i would call it noisy alternator it self....


this has worked for me on diffrent planes to find a bad master solenoid, and a coroded conection on a alt out breaker
 
Mike's method is what I usually use to troubleshoot, along wih some handy checklists from Zeftronics. But the Decathlon was having quirky problems - one time it would be the regulator, next the relay, then an expensive alternator repair, you get the idea. I just bought the complete kit from Plane Power - alternator, regulator, all of it - and put a field breaker and field switch in. Now the only problem I have is remembering that field switch. I catch it with "I" in the Cigar Tips check.
 
Gremlins are sometimes responsible for electrical problems.
One day last week I was doing a run-up in my 180, when I noticed the ampmeter going way up (30-ish amps).
Checked the Garmin 196 voltmeter window, and it was like at 19 volts.
Back to the hangar to pull the cowl and investigate.
Disconnected the battery.
Detached the field wires at the generator & the regulator, checked for continuity-- nope.
Oh yeah, it goes through one side of the master switch, so I turned that on-- OK, continuity is good.
Checked for shorts to ground from both ends- nope. Hooked them back up.
Pulled the cover off the Delco regulator, visual check & smell check OK, replaced cover.
Charged battery (didn't need it), reconnected, flashed between bat & arm terminals at regulator.
Fired it up, and everything worked perfectly.
I didn't actually do anything other than troubleshoot, no actual fixing involved,
so you tell me why it started working.
 
Gremlins are sometimes responsible for electrical problems.
One day last week I was doing a run-up in my 180, when I noticed the ampmeter going way up (30-ish amps).
Checked the Garmin 196 voltmeter window, and it was like at 19 volts.
Back to the hangar to pull the cowl and investigate.
Disconnected the battery.
Detached the field wires at the generator & the regulator, checked for continuity-- nope.
Oh yeah, it goes through one side of the master switch, so I turned that on-- OK, continuity is good.
Checked for shorts to ground from both ends- nope. Hooked them back up.
Pulled the cover off the Delco regulator, visual check & smell check OK, replaced cover.
Charged battery (didn't need it), reconnected, flashed between bat & arm terminals at regulator.
Fired it up, and everything worked perfectly.
I didn't actually do anything other than troubleshoot, no actual fixing involved,
so you tell me why it started working.

regulator could not see buss/battery voltage ref.... you probably cleaned the connection in your troubleshooting...
 
Here is a good one...

Working today on Inter-Av alternator conversion on 182 that is acting goofy...

Checked trouble shooting guide for voltage at field and regulator terminals at both Alternator and Regulator with Master and Field switch on... All within range...
Checked Ohm reading at field with switch off.. Max is supposed to be 6 ohm... I was getting anywhere from 46 to well over 100...
Pulled brushes out... They look good, check continuity through brushes.. good.. Check ohm reading at slip rings in Alternator, 6 ohms so that is good... What the hell ??
Decided to remove alternator and bench check.... While removing noticed front bearing has play causing forward and rearward movement...
Reinstall brushes, check ohm reading... 6 ohms... Now, pull out pulley, ohms 20+.. Push pulley, ohms over 100+... Fan of pulley is contacting housing, nice shinny circle... So the bad bearing seat is causing the field circuit to go haywire..

Now... I am not a wiz at alternator systems and I did call and get help from both Steve and Gilbert Pierce who know more about the Inter-Av systems than I do and they both helped me
a lot with this... Thanks again guys...

Brian
 
The bearing play allows the brushes to move out of the normal 'track'. This changes the resistance seen in the field circuit.

Another place to check out is the field circuit tab on the back of the alternator. I've seen a lot of these loose and making intermittent connection.

The whole system is way to long in the tooth. When they break down just get an up-to-date alternator system installed. Lighter, more reliable, and electrically 'quieter'.

Web
 
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