what's the condenser for on a mechanical voltage regulator?

Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
'69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. Even though
he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. (And then an
alternator.) His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.

I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
contacts from burning? I'd heard it was to prevent radio
intereference, which we don't care about. I can't find anything in
the service manual about it. If it's necessary to prevent contacts
burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
> '69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. Even though
> he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. (And then an
> alternator.) His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
> regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>
> I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
> contacts from burning? I'd heard it was to prevent radio
> intereference, which we don't care about. I can't find anything in
> the service manual about it. If it's necessary to prevent contacts
> burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.
>

The condensor keeps the points from burning up. When the points break,
for a short time, current keeps flowing in the condensor. So, the points
don't arc. Then when the contacts close the condensor dumps it's
charge across the closed points and is then ready to absorb the current
from the next break.

Ted

wrote:
>
> Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
> '69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. Even though
> he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. (And then an
> alternator.) His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
> regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>
> I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
> contacts from burning? I'd heard it was to prevent radio
> intereference, which we don't care about. I can't find anything in
> the service manual about it. If it's necessary to prevent contacts
> burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.

I think the main purpose of the condenser was to reduce static on the
radio. Particularly on AM radio.

-jim

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On Feb 18, 8:02�pm, wrote:
> Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
> '69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. *Even though
> he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. *(And then an
> alternator.) *His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
> regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>
> I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
> contacts from burning? *I'd heard it was to prevent radio
> intereference, which we don't care about. *I can't find anything in
> the service manual about it. *If it's necessary to prevent contacts
> burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.

I could be wrong, but I always thought they were for radio noise only
since most don't have them. The points on the voltage regulator
solenoids don't open and close at over 1000 times per minute like the
igniton points (only when key is turned on/off), therefore they won't
burnt out nearly as quick.

Hank

On Feb 19, 5:04 am, "Hustlin' Hank" > wrote:

>
> I could be wrong, but I always thought they were for radio noise only
> since most don't have them. The points on the voltage regulator
> solenoids don't open and close at over 1000 times per minute like the
> igniton points (only when key is turned on/off), therefore they won't
> burnt out nearly as quick.
>
> Hank

Those points DO open and close thousands of times per minute. They
are buzzing constantly, making and breaking contact and forming a
(more or less) square-wave input to the alternator rotor. The
induction of the rotor's coil smooths out the wave somewhat, but also
causes sparking at the regulator points and they will ultimately
either burn out or weld themselves shut. Filing them doesn't help
much; they are silver-faced and once the silver is gone they quickly
fail again.
There is a resistor across the contact points. You'll find it
under the regulator frame, in open air. When the points open, the
current takes the path through the resistor, reducing the current flow
to the rotor and thus reducing the alternator output voltage. If the
voltage gets really high, the regulator's moving contact goes to
ground and takes the rotor current to zero.
The capacitor will reduce radio noise and contact point
erosion, though many regulators will go for years without a capacitor.
The rotor's induction isn't all that great and the resistor absorbs
much of the peaking created by the rotor coil.
After my students wire up the alternator charging systems on
the teaching boards, we can see the constant, tiny spark between the
points if the room is really dark. Those points are moving constantly.
They have to, to keep the voltage exactly where the regulator wants
it. The electronic regulator makes much more sense, modulating the
current instead of repeatedly interrupting it altogether.
I have schematics here of the electromechanical regulator. I
can't find a similar one on the 'net.

Dan

Hustlin' Hank wrote:

> On Feb 18, 8:02�pm, wrote:
>
>>Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
>>'69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. �Even though
>>he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. �(And then an
>>alternator.) �His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
>>regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>>
>>I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
>>contacts from burning? �I'd heard it was to prevent radio
>>intereference, which we don't care about. �I can't find anything in
>>the service manual about it. �If it's necessary to prevent contacts
>>burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.
>
>
> I could be wrong, but I always thought they were for radio noise only
> since most don't have them. The points on the voltage regulator
> solenoids don't open and close at over 1000 times per minute like the
> igniton points (only when key is turned on/off), therefore they won't
> burnt out nearly as quick.

Actually, at least one pair of contacts in a voltage regulator DOES
open/close very fast. Maybe even faster than the engine points.

On 18 Feb 2007 17:02:11 -0800, wrote:

>Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
>'69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. Even though
>he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. (And then an
>alternator.) His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
>regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>
>I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
>contacts from burning? I'd heard it was to prevent radio
>intereference, which we don't care about. I can't find anything in
>the service manual about it. If it's necessary to prevent contacts
>burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.

Radio static only.. nothing to do with the charging system,
regulator or contacts inside.. If you don't have an AM radio
in the car you don' t need it.

Bob

thats wrong a alternator acts like a ac magneto in reverse form it can even act as as a bldc motor with a proper controler the gm 4pin ignition module system works on coliding magnetic fields bouth take place in the primery circuit a ac pulse is turned to dc pulse by the ignition module coming from a pick up coil the second pulse comes from the batery exactly from the potential diference from the alternator when those oposing waves hit ich other with high speed for exampel positive and negative pulses hit ich ither you get a spike down the high tension lead you can ither use ac with ac ore dc puls with ac it still will work those are called ac and dc magneto's so that alternator needs a condenser if not you get static in your baterry who will destroy it after some time doe the reson your alternatir is over charging the baterry with more volteg even tought that us not made you get more power considered the ignition system faster working electrical devices like electric motors etc thats the real reason that condenser is there for! those are low reving alternator build for working mashines like tractors if they are put in a car they will over charge a baterry you get a sport car out of your lazy normal ignition system this is considered as a waste spark ignition system as well by fiering on compresion and exaust at the same time your car will have more power

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The points 'do' arc out and burn in those regulators or you wouldn't
need new ones.... I was always under the impression you needed the
condenser to slow this down.

Sometimes if they have arced while closed, you can thump on the
regulator to get it going again if I remember right. The bad alternator
might have caused this also. Some others you could open and inspect.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
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wrote:
> Just tried my '66 GTO's mechanical voltage regulator on my friend's
> '69 Firebird and it started charging his battery again. Even though
> he had bought a new voltage regulator a month or so ago. (And then an
> alternator.) His does not have the condenser installed on the voltage
> regulator like mine does, but there's a terminal for it.
>
> I'm wondering if the condenser is necessary, maybe to keep the
> contacts from burning? I'd heard it was to prevent radio
> intereference, which we don't care about. I can't find anything in
> the service manual about it. If it's necessary to prevent contacts
> burning, maybe his new voltage regulator fried its contacts.
>

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
g.com...
> The points 'do' arc out and burn in those regulators or you wouldn't
> need new ones.... I was always under the impression you needed the
> condenser to slow this down.

You're right, Mike. The condensor is there to stop RFI but it does it by
stopping the sparking, which is an interrupted DC. Just like the condensor
used to do on points, it provides a low impedance path for high frequency
AC or interrupted DC.

While an electromechanical regulator might not be a critical to spark damage
as ignition points were, the principle is similar.