converting generator to negative ground?

[Gene Wescott]

I need advice. I tried to convert my system to negative ground by:

1. reversing the battery connections

2. reversing the wires at the ammeter

3. briefly touching the F terminal on the regulator

with a wire from A1 A2.

When I started the engine there is no charging, the red light remains on.

I tried another brief spark on the F terminal but no result.

Off the car spinning the generator produces no voltage between

D and ground, while two other generators I have do produce voltage.

I took two generators to a shop in town to have them converted to negative ground.

They say it has to be done through the voltage regulator, that the generators

can not be treated by themselves.

Advice?

Gene

[Locktc7440@aol.com]

Best advice I can give you is leave things like this alone!!

[sculptart@aol.com]

Gene, What is the reason to switch this from positive to negative? To my way of thinking, the problems are only beginning...Ben

[LuckyFloridaLin@aol.com]

As they say in England-Hear Hear - Thom

[tonygoodall]

FW: [mg-tabc] converting generator to negative ground?

[quote]---------- [b]From: [/b]tonygoodall tonygoodall@blueyonder.co.uk> [b]Date: [/b]Wed, 19 Sep 2001 01:40:59 +0100 [b]To: [/b]Gene Wescott Gene.Wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]Subject: [/b]Re: [mg-tabc] converting generator to negative ground?

Gene As I understand it, if you change the polarity of your car, you have also to change the polarity of the dynamo by connecting a negative lead from the battery to the dynamo case and taking a positive lead from the battery and touch it briefly on the small terminal then the large terminal of the dynamo . Trouble is you cannot, apparently, convert the regulator ( control box ), you need to get a new one of opposite polarity. I have not done this, I merely read about it when I got in a mess with flasher units which required positive earth, then I did what I should have done in the first place, and got the original Lucas type. Problem solved. There are advantages in having a negative earth since most stuff goes that way nowadays, depends on how original you want things to be. Tony TC9825 [b]From: [/b]"Gene Wescott" gene.wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]Reply-To: [/b]"Gene Wescott" Gene.Wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]Date: [/b]Tue, 18 Sep 2001 12:07:03 -0800 [b]To: [/b]mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com> [b]Cc: [/b]"Gene Wescott" Gene.Wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]Subject: [/b][mg-tabc] converting generator to negative ground?

I need advice. I tried to convert my system to negative ground by: 1. reversing the battery connections 2. reversing the wires at the ammeter 3. briefly touching the F terminal on the regulator with a wire from A1 A2. When I started the engine there is no charging, the red light remains on. I tried another brief spark on the F terminal but no result. Off the car spinning the generator produces no voltage between D and ground, while two other generators I have do produce voltage. I took two generators to a shop in town to have them converted to negative ground. They say it has to be done through the voltage regulator, that the generators can not be treated by themselves. Advice? Gene Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .

[/quote]

[Ray McCrary]

If you do as Tony says and "flash" the generator,then switch the bat terms, and the job is done. The regulator fixes itself. I did it in our Morris Minor so as to be able to fit a radio. Piece of pie.... No mystery involved. Best, Ray McCrary "Speed is Life; of course Luck and Altitude are helpful, too."

[Charles Hill]

Reversing the battery terminals and flashing the generator should be all you need to get it to work. The TC regulator is strictly an electro-magnetic device. Electromagnets don't care which direction the current is flowing - not like modern semiconductor circuits which could very easily be blown by reversing the current. Sounds like your generator is bad. Do you have a FLAPS (friendly local auto parts store) that tests generators/alternators/starters/etc? Regards, Charles Hill

[David and Joyce Edgar]

Gene, I converted my TC to negative ground umpteen years ago when I installed a CB radio. As I remember you merely switch the battery around, switch the ampmeter leads (or read it backwards), and then polorize the dynamo. No need to worry about the regulator. If you have added any new fangled transisorized components to your TC for a positive ground system you have to covert them though. To polorize an internally grounded dynamo, such as a Lucas on the TC, you disconnect the field wire from the regulator and momentarily touch it (flash it) to the BAT terminal. If your dynamo is not charging then, assuming all connections are clean and tight, you have a regulator or dynamo problem. Test for a bad regulator by connecting a jumper wire between the armature (D connection) and the field (F connection). This bypasses the regulation part of the regulator and the dynamo should charge full bore. If you do show a charge then the regulator is at fault. If there still is no charge, there is a possibility the cut-out portion of the regulator is stuck open. You could have shop test the dynamo or you can try mororizing it to see if it acts like a motor (it will run slowly). Disconnect the wires and also the belt and tach drive so it turns freely. Since you are going to a negative ground, run a wire from the negative post to the dynamo housing. Then run a wire from the positive post to the armature dynamo connection (D). Then run a jumper wire from the armature connection to the field connection. (Note that this set up is only for INTERNALLY grounded dynamos, as is the TC Lucas, and not for EXTERNALLY grounded ones) Dynamo should turn slowly like a motor if it is in proper working order. If it does not run then someing is amiss inside. You say you took two generators to town. Did you try both on your TC? David Edgar, TC 5108 El Cajon, California At 12:07 PM -0800 9/18/01, Gene Wescott wrote:

>I need advice. I tried to convert my system to negative ground by: >1. reversing the battery connections >2. reversing the wires at the ammeter >3. briefly touching the F terminal on the regulator > with a wire from A1 A2. > >When I started the engine there is no charging, the red light remains on. >I tried another brief spark on the F terminal but no result. >Off the car spinning the generator produces no voltage between >D and ground, while two other generators I have do produce voltage. >I took two generators to a shop in town to have them converted to >negative ground. >They say it has to be done through the voltage regulator, that the generators >can not be treated by themselves. >Advice? >Gene

[Dave & Diana Dwyer]

Gene There is no problem to reversing the polarity of a non-electronic car like the TC. In fact some years ago my father-in-law inadvertently reversed our J2 by installing the battery backwards, and it was weeks before we even noticed. You've done the right things: people who talk of altering or replacing regulators are obviously not familiar with the simple electric (not electronic) regs used on our cars. That you have a problem now could be simply coincidence, or possibly a loose/missing connexion arising from what you did. Is there more than one wire on each side of the ammeter? Could an extra wire,if any, have hidden away in the panel wiring and not been reconnected? In summation, the lack of charge is nothing to do with positive or negative earth in itself. Regards Dave Dwyer J2, TA, TC

[b]-----Original Message-----[/b] [b]From: [/b]Gene Wescott gene.wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]To: [/b]mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com> [b]Cc: [/b]Gene Wescott Gene.Wescott@gi.alaska.edu> [b]Date: [/b]Wednesday, 19 September 2001 6:02 [b]Subject: [/b][mg-tabc] converting generator to negative ground? I need advice. I tried to convert my system to negative ground by: 1. reversing the battery connections 2. reversing the wires at the ammeter 3. briefly touching the F terminal on the regulator with a wire from A1 A2. When I started the engine there is no charging, the red light remains on. I tried another brief spark on the F terminal but no result. Off the car spinning the generator produces no voltage between D and ground, while two other generators I have do produce voltage. I took two generators to a shop in town to have them converted to negative ground. They say it has to be done through the voltage regulator, that the generators can not be treated by themselves. Advice? Gene Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

[Dean Jensen]

Gene One more thing to do is switch the leads on the coil. To check out the generator, best to leave on car. You need a volt meter, short the armature and field terminals together with a wire or jumper, start the car, keep the rpm's down, one lead of the voltmeter on the armature terminal, the other to the chassis, you may have to reverse the leads if the needle is going backwards, (the voltmeter is set on DC) you should have a reading, and as you increase the rpm's it should increase. You do not want it to go to high. If you have it off the car, or you can not start the car, you could use any motor with a pulley to drive the generator, via a belt, I have even used a large electric drill, make sure you are turning the generator in the direction it normally goes (saves the brushes). Almost any thing you might want to add to the car can be made to work in reverse polarity, as the car has so much wood in it. Just do not mount it to the steel, and hook it up backwards. In the case of a radio, if you are using an antenna this can even be done, just put a couple of small mica capacitors in series with the leads, or do not fasten it to the metal. Cheers Dean Illinois

----- Original Message ----- [b]From:[/b] gene.wescott@gi.alaska.edu [b]To:[/b] mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com [b]Cc:[/b] Gene.Wescott@gi.alaska.edu [b]Sent:[/b] Tuesday, September 18, 2001 3:07 PM [b]Subject:[/b] [mg-tabc] converting generator to negative ground? I need advice. I tried to convert my system to negative ground by: 1. reversing the battery connections 2. reversing the wires at the ammeter 3. briefly touching the F terminal on the regulator with a wire from A1 A2. When I started the engine there is no charging, the red light remains on. I tried another brief spark on the F terminal but no result. Off the car spinning the generator produces no voltage between D and ground, while two other generators I have do produce voltage. I took two generators to a shop in town to have them converted to negative ground. They say it has to be done through the voltage regulator, that the generators can not be treated by themselves. Advice? Gene Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.