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Does anyone use the original DC regulators anymore? I have no experience at all with DC equipment, even if my first Triumph was a T110 1958.
In the process of reviving a T100, a TR6 and a T110, all 1958, and while modern regulators are available I'd like to give the original equipment a go. I have Motor Cycling Electrical manual by Bernal Osborn at hand, which should help. All tips are welcome!
I don't want to go through fire and water to do this though, if it becomes difficult I'll leave it and go modern.

SR

Thank you catt, although not quite what I was looking for. I was hoping for some hands-on tips and experiences from people who run these thing on a fairly regular basis. I have two regulators and two dynamos which I'm going to try to resurrect myself. Parts are available for the dynamos, but people seem to replace their regulators with solid state items. I might do the same, but thought it would be nice to be able to brag about using the original regulators. Would make appear to be an "in the know" kind of guy, even if I'm clueless.

What are the usual regulator failure modes? They look like decent pieces of kit to me, but they're getting replaced all the time, and there must be a reason.

SR

I tried a couple of times, before I no longer saw the point.

Broken by vibration.

the A10 board has information on this .

https://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php?topic=10177.0

SR, the pre-unit BSA service sheets have all of the information that you need to set up a regulator.
Look for worn and burnt contacts, there are two sets.
The most common problem with these regulators is former owners who didn't know what they were doing.
Occasionally you will find an open circuit shunt coil, again there are two.
A quick test of the coils is to make sure that the two armatures are free to move with a gap between them and the poles and momentarily apply a voltage to the "D" & "E" terminals. 12V is OK. You should see both armatures move.
The button resistor is another problem area, usually they have a high resistance or open circuit.
I use the high resistance ones but replace open circuit resistors.
A fiddly job but when set up properly they do a fine job.

http://www.wikkeltechniek.nl/image/Lucas%20pdf/11.pdf


Electronic replacement that fits inside the cover is the better way to go.
Trionix DR6-10P or similar.

Thanks all. What I take from this is that you can make them work, but vibrations, age and previous missuse can make them unreliable.
As reliability is more important than originality, a solid state electronic device is probably the way to go for me, I still regard electrics as black magic.

SR

Electronic regulators are great but I in my crazy ways likes to make the originals work.
All that I have done, and that is many, are working reliably. The mechanical regs are repairable, unlike the electronic ones.

Trev, by the time someone has posted you the mechanical unit, you have repaired and tested it,
posted it back........... a new electronic one is fitted and working cheaper.

By the way, the Trionix ones can be repaired. Just never had the need to repair one.

I had a B31 40 years ago and when I got it the regulator was missing so I bought a copy one that was available at the time and it didn't work at all! I took it back to the bike shop and they found me a good used one and this worked well. I like the way you could see the contacts opening and closing if you took the cover off. One problem I remember from the time was that under some condition or other on contact set could become welded together although mine didn't do this.

The What I also remember even in the early 80s was that as an 18 year old on the dole I could afford to get the dynamo completely reconditioned. It went looking like it had been under the sea to looking brand new. That work seems expensive to me these days. it is also funny that as an 18 year old I wanted a B31 and not an RD250LC!

Dave

A lot of the new dynamo regulators can be mounted within the guts of the old Lucas voltage regulator bodies, the Mike Hutchins? DVR2 is a fantastic regulator and can be mounted as described to keep the original appearance.

I like the original VR’s especially the mechanically adjustable ones where you have the two sets of windings, though the modern versions are so much better and cheaper as Nick mentioned above, if it’s a bike
I intended to “use” then I wouldn’t waste my time with the mechanical type, sealed battery and DVR2 unit all the way.

FWIW
Peter Scott did my dynamo & magneto back in 1966
I took it back because the battery was going flat
He informed me I had the wrong regulator it was for the old 45 Watt short dynamo
Well despite it being wrong it had worked faultlessly for 20 years.
Searching for better light because I can no longer get a good globe for the 8" I desided to replace the VR for a modern one
The old unit would turn on & off at night and when it did that the lights would go dim for a couple of minutes till it turned on again .
The only unit I could get at the time was the Wassel one which requires rewiring of the pick ups which I did, checked & double checked it was done as per instructions.
It worked fine for about 18 months then went off the planet, took 3 LED headlight globes ( at $ 50 a pop) with it before I realised the VR was the problem .
So till I can take it back for another repair it is total loss power and no extended night riding.

SO not a big fan of digital VR's although this one was a Wassel & I swore off Wassel products back in the 70's because most of them were trash.

The Indian MCR2 copies are mostly hard to adjust as the adjusting screws have too coarse a thread. There were some getting about years ago with the correct threads.

I agree that the wassel units are crap, seen several dead ones myself.
Probably made for less than $5. Like most electronic gear on old bikes,
the margins are huge because the market is small.

When Peter adjusted the incorrect MCR 1 on my M20 a 1/4 turn was the difference between not generating at all and getting hot enough to melt the solder
As he said to me at the time
"Chances of you doing that correctly on the bike with it bouncing around ? "
Yet as I said worked really well for 20 odd years, can't complain about that .

Typically the voltage control relay in one of those old
MCR type units, needed to oscillate at around 50-100 Hertz
to control at the 7.2v or thereabouts required.
It is amazing really that they lasted as long as they did.
Such crude but effective engineering.
A transistor will shrug off such light duty but they need protection
in other ways.