Fun projects regulator

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2009: Fun projects regulator
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann on Monday, August 24, 2009 - 06:46 pm:

After having had som challenges with cutouts, I bought a Fun project regulator.
I am happy for it, but I wonder if it works as designed.
Right after start, it charges 12 - 14 amps but that only falls to 8 - 10 amps after 10 - 15 minutes driving.
I would have expected it to be less.
When I switch my headlights on, it just about charge - 0,5 - 1 amps which is fine.
I did fooled around a little with it in the beginning and wonder of it's damaged?
After having read that it actually grounds the generator to turn charging down, I was wandering if the grounding of the cutout is insufficient?

Any comments welcome.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jack daron-Indy. on Monday, August 24, 2009 - 06:53 pm:

Did you call John Regan?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Monday, August 24, 2009 - 07:25 pm:

What state of charge was your battery to start with? The instructions state that once you start the car it could take several minutes or several hours of running to bring your battery UP to full charge. You failed to state what you meant by "I did fooled around a little with it in the beginning". Unfortunately sometimes folks buy our regulators to "solve" all their electrical problems but it will not do that. Installing a good VR onto a questionable generator or questionable wiring system/ammeter/battery can sometimes then result in a questionable voltage regulator. Why don't you email me offline and tell me exactly what all you have done and I can then perhaps help you better. Even if you damaged the VR, it can usually be repaired unless it has been left installed and burned to a crispy critter by your system. Not sure where you read "having read that it actually grounds the generator" since that is not totally accurate but please don't experiment around since you can only make matters worse if there is a problem. We like to think our VR is a great addition to a GOOD electrical system but it will not solve any existing problem that a system has unless that problem is the cutout only.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 03:24 am:

Hi John,
I did not call due to distance (less), time difference (most) and language (less). But I will e-mail you off-line allright!
Basicly my system works (I think). The harness is not mint condistion, but no shortcuts or open circuits.
But I will mail you tonight.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 12:37 am:

Michael,
I like your unusual Model T shown on your profile. Is it a Danish made body?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 11:19 am:

Looks like some poor old ladies Babushka hanging off the front. Did you run over somebody? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Alex Alongi on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 02:53 pm:

Agree, Nice body, with the roof rack I wonder if was built for taxi service.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By aaron g on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 09:42 pm:

It has dual overhead windshield wipers!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By aaron griffey on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 09:48 pm:

I have installed about a half dozen Fun Projects regulators. They are great!
Before you install it you just need to set the third brush to 20 amps with the engine running at a very fast idle or the slowest speed you can run with the amp meter still reading the highest.
Then install the regulator.
With a good full charged battery it will charge very low in a few seconds, but if you turn the lights on it will stay on the + side.
What more would you want?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 10:33 pm:

I would rather one followed the included instructions since they are designed so that you end up with the minimum setting possible that still will allow charging with the lights on. If you set the third brush to 20 amps you can damage the generator and make the whole system work harder since you don't typically need 20 amps to carry the lights. I have some original ammeters that read 20 amps when in fact there is 25+ amps actually passing through them. Your method obviously seems to work for you but I worry about folks damaging things while trying to "preset" the third brush to 20 amps (using a cutout?) before installing the regulator. You mileage may vary.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 01:25 am:

Sorry all - i have missed that this thread had developed further since I last looked.
Yes - it is a danish build 4 door body and it IS built for some sort of Taxi service.
It's first owner was a merchant in a small village in southern Denmark, who have just bought the villages sole grocery store, extended the business with building materials and farming goods, seeds etc. He then went to the neighbor, who was originally a cooper, but have extended business into bodyworks. Every village those days had a bodywork mostly building bodies for trucks. They then ordered a running chassis from Ford in Copenhagen in late 21 and builded the car during the winter 1921/22. It was registered sometime in 1922. Apart from being the merchants private car he did run erins for people driving them to other villages or to nearby towns to the extent the train did not go to those towns :-)
I have contact with the merchants family but have so far not been able to find pictures of the time. From a later (1925 or 26) car which have succeeded my car as the merchants car I do have a picture from 1956, where it is all black. Mine got its current look at the restauration in 1955-56 including the rail on the roof. Since it have had that look the longest time of its life (54 years out of 85), and since the result is pretty charming and still look authentic, I have decided to let it be so.
The car have been "star" in some movies and TV shows even :-)
You can see pictures of it on my Picasa album here:
http://picasaweb.google.dk/michael.deichmann2/MinFordTTaxi#
(and I will get the captions translated to english ASAP)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By "Hap" (Harold) Tucker on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 02:41 pm:

Michael,

Thank you for the update. Yes, that was the thread I was thinking about and the link to your pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.dk/michael.deichmann2/MinFordTTaxi# had lots of neat photos. Again, thank you for posting.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap Tucker 1915 Model T Ford touring cut off and made into a pickup truck and l907 Model S Runabout. Sumter SC.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 02:50 pm:

I will translate the picture texts on Picasaweb to english in a couple of days....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael K Johnson on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 03:12 pm:

Michael, Thanks for posting your Picasa pictures for all to see. They really tell a story.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann on Monday, November 02, 2009 - 07:01 pm:

For whome it might concern - I have now added english texts to my Picasaweb album with my T:
http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.deichmann2/MinFordTTaxi#
Also all locations are now added (a tour de force through Denmark :-) and the pictures have been reordered.
The IBM pictures is the beginning of my latest collection: pictures of my vintage cars in front of European IBM office locations ;-)


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