Farm Equipment - Another regulator issue

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Another regulator issue

Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=138956
Printed Date: 29 Aug 2025 at 6:47pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Another regulator issue

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Subject: Another regulator issue
Date Posted: 31 May 2017 at 5:19pm

I have a generator on a Cub Cadet that works about 10 minutes and then quits charging. If I buff the field contacts in the regulator it works again for a while then quits again. I ran it with the cover off and I noticed the field points arcing quite a bit. I happened to have a condenser out of an extra distributor laying around. I put the condenser across the field terminal to ground and the arcing is now nearly non existent. The regulator looks like it's working correctly now too. Is this what it takes to make a cheap regulator work these days?

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

Replies:

Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 31 May 2017 at 5:31pm

The arcing you see is probably due to the brushes not being 'true and smooth' to the commutator. Any roughness is either brush or commutator segments results in arcing.
Simple example, take a battery and put power to a new ,flat steel bar then connect a wire to the other battery terminal. 'draw' the wire down the length of the bar. Very little arcing. Now , do the same but use a fine file...... sparks galore !!
The condenser ( aka capacitor), stores the energy or the arcs/sparks so it 'filters' the energy..smooths it out....
Classic place where it they're used is across the 'points' is a distributor ignition system. without the capacitor, the points will self destruct due to the arcing.

Jay

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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)

Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2017 at 2:46pm

Ignition points was what gave me the idea. I'll have to open it up and see. Years ago when I got the tractor the engine was so tired that someone had fried the armature trying to get it started. I had the generator rebuilt with a new arm back then.

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford