When I put power to my gen. it motors in the wrong direction,I'm assuming it turns the same
direction as the crank.It will light up a bulb
spinning in the direction that it motors while
it is spinning in my lathe. Fritz
your null point is set incorrectly,
there are four screws on the back of the gen, loosen them just enough so that you can move the brush plate. lift the third brush and rotate the the brush plate until the generator doesnt motor, but has a tendency to turn clockwise (im pretty sure its clockwise) then tighten the screws and reinstall.
Matthew - clockwise seen in what direction? :-)
Fritz
When the battery is connected positive to the terminal bolt the generator should "motor" in the clockwise direction when viewed from the gear end. If it turns in the opposite direction the field pigtails are connected improperly. Normally in a third brush generator the field leads should be crossed and connected to the third brush and grounded brush holder. BUT there are incorrectly formed field windings floating around out there that require you NOT cross the field leads for the generator to work correctly. You could have one of these incorrectly formed field windings.
The "null" point setting Matthew suggested is a different adjustment that must be made when reassembling and testing the generator. It sounds simple, but it can be very tricky getting it just right.
I rebuild generators all the time. If you run into trouble feel free to give me a call.
Ron the Coilman
859-881-1677