Experiment-3

Aim: Study of electric generation and charging systems

Charging System and Alternator: On almost every motorcycle there is a battery, used for
providing power for starting the bike and for buffering an amount of electric energy. The battery
itself is charged by a generator driven by the engine, and as long as the engine is running there
will be a current flowing through the battery. The no load voltage of a fully charged battery is
about 13 Volts DC. For charging it the charging-system should provide a voltage of about 14.4
Volt DC and this should be a constant voltage at all engine-speeds.

The generator itself is located in or on the engine, and on most bikes there is a
separate regulator-rectifier unit located somewhere on the frame. Almost all motorcycles are
equipped with a three-phase AC (Alternating Current) generator, while the electrical system on
the bike is a DC (Direct Current) system. The rectifier part inside the regulator-rectifier takes
care of converting the AC-current to the DC-current the battery needs. The three-phase AC
generator is used so often because it is much more efficient and reliable than a DC-generator. It
can produce power for charging the battery even with the engine idling. The regulator part of the
regulator-rectifier is used to regulate the output-voltage (to the battery) to the 14.4 Volt DC that
is needed.

Basically the charging system is made mainly of following components:

1. Alternator: producing a 3 phase alternating current (A.C.)
2. Diode board (rectifier): transforming A.C. to direct current (D.C.)
3. Voltage regulator: limiting the produced voltage
4. Battery: storage of the produced electrical energy

5. Wiring: connecting all components together

A typical functional charging system with alternator circuit is shown in Fig.A-1 and A-2 .
Alternator: Alternators are used in motorcycles/automobiles to charge the battery and to power
an electric system of the automobile when its engine is running. The alternator produces AC
current which is converted to DC by diode (rectifier) and is thus used by motorcycle battery,
lighting system, ignition system and other accessories such as horn, indicator lights, various
gauges etc.

Alternator working: The vehicle battery supplies excitation to the field coil (rotor coil) through
the regulator and brushes to create a magnetic field around the rotor and through the stator.
When the rotor is set in motion, the moving magnetic field induces an alternating current (AC) in
the stator windings. This output current increases with the speed of the rotor. The AC produced
in the stator is converted to direct current (DC) by the positive and negative rectifier assemblies.
The rectifier assemblies are connected to the alternator output terminals to provide DC output
for charging the batteries and to satisfy the vehicles electrical loads. The regulator monitors the
output voltage through sensing leads which are connected to the positive and negative rectifier
assemblies. When the output voltage deviates from the set voltage, the regulator takes
corrective action to maintain the output voltage at the proper level.

Both permanent-magnet and electromagnet alternators are used in motorcycles/automobiles.

Permanent Magnets: In some motorcycles, the rotor is a drum that rotates around one end of
the crankshaft. The rotor contains magnets. Around the rotor is the stator, a non-moving part
that holds coils. The rotation of the magnets past the coils generates current.

Electromagnetic Alternators: Some motorcycles, uses electromagnets. A slip ring fits onto the
end of the rotating crankshaft; a wire from the electromagnet attaches to the slip ring. Brushes
touching the slip ring connect to the regulators.

The alternator and parts are shown in Fig.A-3.

Major components of alternator:

Rotor: The rotor consists of a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core. Current through the
wire coil - called "field" current - produces a magnetic field around the core. The strength of the
field current determines the strength of the magnetic field. The field current is DC, or direct
current. In other words, the current flows in one direction only, and is supplied to the wire coil by
a set of brushes and slip rings. The magnetic field produced has, as any magnet, a north and a
south pole. The rotor is driven by the alternator pulley, rotating as the engine runs, hence the
name "rotor" and is shown in Fig. A-4.
Stator: Surrounding the rotor is another set of coils, three in number, called the stator. The
stator is fixed to the shell of the alternator, and does not turn. As the rotor turns within the stator
windings, the magnetic field of the rotor sweeps through the stator windings, producing an
electrical current in the windings. Because of the rotation of the rotor, an alternating current is
produced. The three stator windings are spaced inside the alternator 120 degrees apart,
producing three separate sets, or "phases," of output voltages, spaced 120 degrees apart. The
stator is shown in Fig. A-5.
Brushes and Slip Rings: For an alternator to produce electrical current, there needs to be
some excitation current flowing in the rotor windings. To make the electrical connection, slip
rings and brushes are used. The slip rings are fixed to the shaft of the rotor as shown in Fig. A-
4. The brushes are fixed to the stationary part of the alternator. The brushes, which are
generally made of carbon, are spring loaded to keep constant pressure on the slip rings as the
brushes wear down.

Output diodes (bridge rectifier): AC voltage is of little use in a DC system, such as

used in an automobile, so it has to be converted to DC before it can be used. This
conversion to DC takes place in the bridge rectifier. Diodes have the property of
allowing current to flow in only one direction, while blocking current flow in the other
direction. The bridge rectifier consists of six diodes, one pair for each winding. One of
the pair is for the negative half cycle and the other for the positive half cycle. The bridge
rectifier is shown in Fig. A-6

Voltage regulator: The regulator has two inputs and one output. The inputs are the
field current supply and the control voltage input, and the output is the field current to
the rotor. The regulator uses the control voltage input to control the amount of field
current input that is allowed to pass through to the rotor winding. If the battery voltage
drops, the regulator senses this, by means of the connection to the battery, and allows
more of the field current input to reach the rotor, which increases the magnetic field
strength, and ultimately increases the voltage output of the alternator. Conversely, if the
battery voltage goes up, less field current goes through the rotor windings, and the
output voltage is reduced. Voltage regulators used are almost all solid state. Most are
mounted inside the alternator. The voltage regulator is shown in Fig. A-7.
Testing of Alternator
The alternator can be tested on the motorcycle. Start the engine, and while the engine is
running, remove the positive wire from the battery. If the motor instantly dies, then the alternator
is defective. Other than worn slip ring brushes, it is probably more economical to replace the
alternator than attempt to repair it. It is advisable though, to check for obvious problems such as
a broken wire or brush spring.

As shown in Fig. A-8, four wires connect the alternator to the rest of the charging system.

'B' is the alternator output wire that supplies current to the battery.
'IG' is the ignition input that turns on the alternator/regulator assembly.
'S' is used by the regulator to monitor charging voltage at the battery.
'L' is the wire the regulator uses to ground the charge warning lamp.

Checking Ripple Voltage: Ripple voltage or (AC voltage) can be measured by

switching DMM (digital multimeter) to AC and connecting the black lead to a good
ground and the red lead to the "B" terminal on the back of the alternator as shown in
Fig. A-9. A good alternator should measure less than 0.5 VAC with the engine running.
A higher reading indicates damaged alternator diodes.

Checking Alternator Leakage Current: To check alternator diode leakage connect the
multimeter in series with the alternator output terminal when the bike is not running as
shown in Fig.A-10. Leakage current should be a couple of milliamps at most; more
often, it will be 0.5 milliamps. Care must be taken while disconnecting the alternator
output wire and make sure the battery is disconnected first.
Testing of rectifiers: Set the digital multimeter to ohm mode. Connect the multimeter probes
to the ends of each of the diodes and check the resistance in both directions. The resistance
should be low (5-40 ohms, check the manufacturers manual) in the forward bias direction,
where current is allowed to pass and very high (infinite resistance) in the reverse bias direction,
where current isn’t allowed to pass. The testing is shown in Fig.A-11.

Testing of rotor: Use digital multimeter for testing of the rotor and set it to ohm mode. Select
the 1000 ohm scale. Touch the probes together to make sure the needle pegs out on the scale,
and it returns to the left when you disconnect the probes. Put one probe on the one slip ring on
the rotor, and the other probe on the other slip ring as shown in Fig.A-12. The needle should
move to the right (continuity). Now leave one probe on the slip ring and touch the other lead to
the central shaft of the rotor. The needle should show no continuity. In case there is any other
reading, the rotor is faulty and should be replaced.
Testing of stator: There are three wires (terminals) coming off the Stator. Set the digital
multimeter to ohm-mode. Place the probe on any one of the three wires and verify continuity to
the other two by touching them with other probe as shown in Fig. A-13. There should be
continuity between all three of the wires. Now leave the probe connected to any one of the three
wires and touch the other probe to the metal frame of the stator. There should be no continuity.
If you get any other reading, the stator is faulty and should be replaced.

Regulator Inspection

Now-a-days electronic voltage regulators are used in bikes and automobiles and do not have
any internal moving parts and must be replaced if found to be defective. The main symptoms of
a faulty voltage regulator are:

1. The battery discharges.

2. The battery becomes overcharged.
3. The lights in the electrical system burn out quickly.
In most cases, to inspect a voltage regulator, simply run the engine at the manufacturer’s
recommended engine speed and check for DC current at the battery. If the system is
overcharging, the regulator is at fault and will require replacement. If the charging system is
undercharging and all other charging system components have been proven to be in proper
working order, the regulator is probably at fault.