Change out old regulator and rectifier for new combined one - how hard?

London

New member

Equipment
B1500
Feb 2, 2020
21
1
3
London
Hi All

i have an old but reconditioned B1500. looking at the charging system it has a bundle of ancient components which I fear at some point will fail. See pic which I think shows a separate regulator, rectifier, diode and something called a control unit.

I wondered about what it would take to upgrade these to a more future proof modern system and believe I have located the parts here



closest wiring diagram I can find that looks like what I have


however these new parts look nothing like the parts to be replaced so trying to match up the cables is hard and it is not that clear which old parts are now redundant E.g control unit still needed?

anyone done this or something similar who can point me in the right direction?

thanks
 

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GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
11,660
5,044
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
I had a look at the wiring diagram and replacing the 'rectifier/regulator' unit is easy. Any of the 'B&S 15 Amp' units would work,with minor rewiring of the tractor. On the B&S unit , the 2 outside(yel) wires go to the dynamo (AC) and the center (red) goes to the switch-->battery. Unit MUST be grounded. The case is 'ground' for the electronics inside. This module has been out since 1973. Providing you fuse for 15 amps it should outlive you,me and the rest of the World. It's about $20 CDN. I used to make them3-4 decades ago...

Now that 'control unit' appears to turn the 'charge light' on/off . It could be a simple relay inside though I don't know for sure.Should be possible to rewire to be like the 'idiot' light cars had in the 60-70s. It's NOT required to charge the battery according to the wiring diagram.

Unless you use OEM parts,you'll have to cut/connect a few wires.
I have to think someone here has already done this,maybe post the parts and proceedure
 
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LevShep

New member

Equipment
b1400
Nov 12, 2023
1
0
1
BC Canada
Hi All

i have an old but reconditioned B1500. looking at the charging system it has a bundle of ancient components which I fear at some point will fail. See pic which I think shows a separate regulator, rectifier, diode and something called a control unit.

I wondered about what it would take to upgrade these to a more future proof modern system and believe I have located the parts here



closest wiring diagram I can find that looks like what I have


however these new parts look nothing like the parts to be replaced so trying to match up the cables is hard and it is not that clear which old parts are now redundant E.g control unit still needed?

anyone done this or something similar who can point me in the right direction?

thanks
London, How did the 'modernization' of the charging system go? Did you end up using that combo reg/rec that you supplied the link to?

I am in the same boat as you were when you posted. I want to make the charging system on my b1400 simple modern and reliable.

Cheers
 

Vigo

Well-known member

Equipment
B6100, B8200
Jan 9, 2022
595
340
63
San Antonio Texas
I took a slightly different approach to rewiring the charging system of the last B6100 i fixed up.. i fed the two wires from the ac dynamo to a bridge rectifier like so:
1700692825653.jpeg

And fed the single output wire to a cheap solar charge controller’s solar input, such as:
1700692942790.jpeg

And of course hooked the battery to the controller’s battery ports. This lets the charge controller control the output from the rectifier and will charge the battery to voltage setpoints which you can adjust. Great if you like control or are running something other than lead-acid which would do better with different voltage.

If you buy the cheapest ones on Amazon you can get both those pieces for a grand total of around $15.
 
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