Joined: Mar 2022 Posts: 1 Threads: 1
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Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Car type: 1934 Austin Seven Nippy
23-04-2022, 07:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 23-04-2022, 07:38 PM by Jerrybean7007.)
Hey guys, I live in Cape Town, South Africa and parts are hard to find here. I have a project A7 Ruby that needs a voltage regulator but I can only find 12v regs. The only 6v reg that I can find is currently on my 1934 Nippy and I can't butcher my pride and joy in order to resurrect my basket-case Ruby. Is there anything you can suggest to solve my problem? I wonder if it would hurt to try a 12v regulator on the car since the generator would only be producing about 7v anyway.
Regards. Jeremy
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 371 Threads: 16
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Location: Port Elizabeth, Sunny South Africa
Car type: '26 Chummy, '28 Top Hat, '33 Type "65", single seaters
23-04-2022, 08:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 23-04-2022, 08:15 PM by Greig Smith.)
Welcome Jeremy, I'm just up the coast from you in PE
Sent you a PM
Aye
Greig
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 389 Threads: 33
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Location: Garden of England
Car type: ARQ Ruby July 1936
If you are looking for a 6v Lucas CFR2 Regulatir which I have on my Ruby, Dynamo Regularor Conversion stock New Old Stock units.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,257 Threads: 219
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Location: North Herts
Or a Lucas RB 106 12v and pull back the third brush.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 530 Threads: 17
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Location: Hampshire UK
Hi Jeremy
The standard setup for a Ruby is a 6 volt "Third Brush" generator. This does its own regulation (after a fashion) so it doesn't actually need a Regulator in the full sense of the word, just a Cut-Out plus a half charge resistor controlled by the Lighting/Charging switch.
One possibility is to use a modern power diode in place of the Cut-Out, a Schottky type is best as it only drops about half a volt. A current rating of say 20 Amps or more would suit. It might benefit from a small heatsink as it will dissipate a few watts. All the cutout or diode does is to stop current flowing back from battery to dynamo when revs are low or the engine is stopped.
The half charge resistor can be replicated with a modern power resistor, it needs to be about 1.5 ohms and rated at about 5 watts.
Build both these components into an old empty cutout or regulator box and you will keep a period look.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 2,748 Threads: 31
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Location: Auckland, NZ
With modern batteries voltage regulation is desirable as not supposed to exceed 14.6/7.3 volts. Most extensivley use the Summer charge(or remove fuse so none) for day running and rely largely on a modern permanent intelligent bench charger. I cannot see why a suitably configured 6v electromechanical regulator cannot be used, with 3rd brush adj to not exceed about 8amps charge lights off. 12v electro mechanical regulators have been used but the types also with current reg probably will not adjust down to 8 amps so the 3rd brush is set to provide this maximum. On a 6v dyn with original field winding twice the normal field current is switched so short contact life is reported, and the field winding, maybe ditto.
