Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
- volkoff
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Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
Hello, as you may know I am the proud owner of a very nice 220 hybrid. The bike is now officially street legal, so I ripped some of the wiring off to clean things up. At this point I have a small 12v battery off my XR400. I will only be running a 35/35 watt headlight and a Tusk LED tail/break light with front and rear break switches. The light switch is a small K&S #12-0050. I want to get rid of the larger batter and use a much smaller pack just to run the LED stuff and then run the headlight off of the AC side. I already have the 2nd yellow wire off the stator from the previous owner.I do not think the stator was redone I will not have turn signals or a horn, my local inspection guy does not care about much. Can anybody shed some light on this for me? If you can draw a diagram that would be awesome.
- kawagumby
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Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
Yes you can, but there may be issues. To do it you will need to "float" the ground...which simply means you will disconnect the grounding side of the stator coil and instead run it with a new wire up to the point where you have your battery and rectifier. This eliminates the frame being the ground for the lighting system. That is probably what that second wire is you refer to in your post.
The rectifier/regulators most people use (Trail Tech) won't work properly without a floating ground. You would tap off of those two wires coming from the stator before they connect to the DC rectifier and battery that are used to power the led's.
The problem, as I see it, is that some AC regulators might need to be connected to ground to shunt the excess voltage (then again those with cooling fins probably just give it off as heat, you could try the stock unit mounted on the plastic air filter housing and see if it works)...or get headlight bulbs that can handle higher voltage and run without a regulator.
But here's the thing... the DC regulator/rectifier, and the battery will cause some additional power loss, ...none of this stuff is 100% efficient and the KDX doesn't have much output to begin with. If you can run the whole system AC without the battery, you can get the most wattage bang for your buck. Unless you need the battery to be legal, I would just use LED's that can run on AC and keep the whole system AC using the grounded stator stock design. (you can get AC LED's have built-in diodes - the Tusk taillght system I have is set up that way).
So, in a nutshell, if you want AC headlight and DC for everything else, you need to have an AC regulator that works "in line" without being grounded to the frame or find bulbs that will survive the higher voltage spikes of an unregulated AC system.
Hope that helps.
The rectifier/regulators most people use (Trail Tech) won't work properly without a floating ground. You would tap off of those two wires coming from the stator before they connect to the DC rectifier and battery that are used to power the led's.
The problem, as I see it, is that some AC regulators might need to be connected to ground to shunt the excess voltage (then again those with cooling fins probably just give it off as heat, you could try the stock unit mounted on the plastic air filter housing and see if it works)...or get headlight bulbs that can handle higher voltage and run without a regulator.
But here's the thing... the DC regulator/rectifier, and the battery will cause some additional power loss, ...none of this stuff is 100% efficient and the KDX doesn't have much output to begin with. If you can run the whole system AC without the battery, you can get the most wattage bang for your buck. Unless you need the battery to be legal, I would just use LED's that can run on AC and keep the whole system AC using the grounded stator stock design. (you can get AC LED's have built-in diodes - the Tusk taillght system I have is set up that way).
So, in a nutshell, if you want AC headlight and DC for everything else, you need to have an AC regulator that works "in line" without being grounded to the frame or find bulbs that will survive the higher voltage spikes of an unregulated AC system.
Hope that helps.
Last edited by kawagumby on 11:06 am Apr 05 2015, edited 1 time in total.
1994 KDX200, Beta 200rr, yz125, yz250, kx100 modded for adult, gasgas contact 250.
- volkoff
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Re: Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
Kawagumby,
I guess I do not need to have any DC lighting. I am looking for the simplest system that gives me a hi/low headlight and a LED tail light, brake light with my simple switch. I was not sure if the Tusk LED tail would work on AC.
I guess I do not need to have any DC lighting. I am looking for the simplest system that gives me a hi/low headlight and a LED tail light, brake light with my simple switch. I was not sure if the Tusk LED tail would work on AC.
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Re: Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
Problem is with your stock stator you can not run stock high and low beam not enough watts.
There is a High output low Watt led replacement bulb, now for the most enduro bikes, 20W for low and 30W for high. The KDX has a H6m base and you need the plug and play rectifier because our system is still AC.
http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/3 ... _p_97.html
I am going to be ordering one soon.
$80 is cheaper then getting h4 and a stator rewind.
FYI it will need some wiring as the connector on the KDX will be different.
There is a High output low Watt led replacement bulb, now for the most enduro bikes, 20W for low and 30W for high. The KDX has a H6m base and you need the plug and play rectifier because our system is still AC.
http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/3 ... _p_97.html
I am going to be ordering one soon.
$80 is cheaper then getting h4 and a stator rewind.
FYI it will need some wiring as the connector on the KDX will be different.
- 6 Riders
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Re: Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
[quote="frogy130@hotmail.com"]Problem is with your stock stator you can not run stock high and low beam not enough watts.
quote]
The Hi/LO bulb is the same wattage, just a different filament causing an angle adjustment on the light pattern. IE it doesn't create more light, it just moves the beam of light.
quote]
The Hi/LO bulb is the same wattage, just a different filament causing an angle adjustment on the light pattern. IE it doesn't create more light, it just moves the beam of light.
newbbewb wrote:^what he said.
*side note...I'm drunk, so try to read what I'm trying to say, instead of what I actually typemasterblaster wrote:Man 6 riders you rock.
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Re: Can I run AC and DC lighting circuit
Thanks 6 Riders, I did not know that.