Charging, the light switch on and the dimmer switch neutral

[Tinman]

I'll keep you posted.

[Tinman]

Jlovvorn,

Looks like the source of the smoke was due to a bad rectifier. I went to Radio Shack and picked up the full wave silicon based rectifier that has been suggested on the forum and installed it today. The charging rate is now 13.1vdc at 2500-3000rpm and at idle it's 12.65vdc. I can't be happier and it's no longer smoking.

I still have the Oregon Motorcycle Parts rectifier ordered and I plan to use that as it's rated at 42amps whereas the Radio Shack rectifier is rated at 25amps. I'm sure it will operate the same as the Shack rectifier.

Tinman

[e3steve]

Sounds good! A 25-Amp rec is perfectly adequate for our bikes' charging systems, and a higher current capacity diode bridge can attenuate the charging voltage. That said, there will be a barely significant difference between the 25- and the 42-Amp.

Glad you've got your problem nailed!

[Tinman]

e3e, it was a nice surprise indeed as electrical matters is not one of my strong suits.

My future plans is to add turn signals and ride with the headlight on during daylight hours. I'm not sure how many amps that would draw, but I figure with the 42amp rectifier it would be able to handle almost anything I threw at it.