Calling all electronics type people

[Wobbly]

Anyone electronically gifted around here :?:

I'm trying to work out what I need to get a power feed on the bike and regulate it to strictly 12-13v, rather than the 12-15v that the bike will likely generate ... apparently I need an LDO type regulator or somethin? :shrug:

[dicky]

That'd probably be me, it's what I get paid for.
What is it that you are trying to do?
I'm guessing it's got something to do with a camera?

dicky.

[Wobbly]

Aha! That's right ... should have latched on to that before ;)

I've got a cam that's currently powered off a pack of 8 AA batteries, which is a pain ... so I want to plug it into the bike's electrical system ... but the cam only wants 12-13v and I think pulls 1.2 amp.

So I need to regulate the power from the bike as it goes up to 15v (or 14) when running and charging the system ... and I'm not sure what the affect of the current pulses going on through the system would be either ... so I want something to stabalise the output and regulate it to 12-13v, but sensitive enough that it will regulate it down from a ceiling of 13v (ie. so 13.2v would be regulated down) ...

:?:

[discobob]

If you get a regulator off a Husky or probably many others that dont run a battery (but run headlights) it will acheive what you are looking for. It is a simple bolt on with one wire hanging out. as soon as it gos above 12.5v (from memory ) it turns to ground and keeps a constant voltage.

You would put a wire from the battery to the regulator and run the camera off that same wire. It needs to be earthed to the frame.

Or

Buy a 7ah Alarm battery , weigh's next to nothing , plugs straight into the camera and will last for a few days riding no worries. A lip stick type camera will only draw about 200ma not so sure of the camcorder though.

[discobob]

Sorry I ment a 2ah Alarm battery , 7ah batteries are pretty heavy.

[Wobbly]

Actually, think I've got it sorted! I bought a tricky dicky 12v dc-dc cigarette lighter converter a while back ... does 10-30v to 5v up to 12 volt dc to dc conversion ... I wired it up with a ciggi lighter adapter straight from the battery ... 13.5+ volts into the converter and a steady 12.4v out irrespective of load ... drops during startup of course, but you can rev the bike and it stays constant at 12.4v :up:

[dicky]

That should work fine. Run the cam for a while and check if the adaptor gets hot. If it does then it might cut out if it gets hotter when the bike is running.
Should be OK otherwise.

dicky.

[Wobbly]

Cool ... but now I've got another question for you as well ;)

I'm looking at mounting a brembo master cylinder on the drz but the brake switch on it is the opposite way around (when you pull on the brake lever it opens the circuit on the brembo, whereas on the DRZ when you pull on the brake it closes it). There is 7v running into the brake switch.

So I bought myself a relay, thinking that I could use that to switch things around with another power input into it. Only problem now is that I can only find 'spare' 12v power in the loom head, not 7v. I was thinking that I'd take the positive line goes out of the brake switch and run it into the switch toggle thing (coil) on the relay and then take the other side of the coil to ground (ground on the frame?). Then plug in another 7v input into the shared switch input and run the appropriate (output) side of the switch into the negative that used to run off the brake switch.

But I don't have a 'spare' 7v line. Am I right in assuming that I can't take the same 7v line that I'm using to toggle the switch and run that into the shared input as well? And is there any problem with taking the output (negative) side of the coil and running that straight to the ground?

I really, really know nothing about electrics! :oops:

[Flash]

The brake switch on the Husky is the same, so you could use one of them.

[Muzzard]

I too am gifted in the area of electricity Neil, and I'll tell you about it as soon as I can pry this friggin slice of toast out with this fork...

[Wobbly]

What sort of shape is it ash? Its kind of hard to describe, but the one on this brembo setup is verticle and has two tabs that push into the casting ...

And muzz, I'm just dialing '000' now... :lol:

[Wobbly]

Allright, forget I said anything, works out I must have tested the switch arse about because it works fine by itself :roll:

Oh, and if anyone is interested, a 16mm master cylinder with a 2 piston sliding pin caliper works like crap :lol: Better get that 4 pot on quicksmart :-k

[dicky]

I hope you don't do any mains wiring.

dicky.

[Wobbly]

That's the next project! :D

[Muzzard]

OK, These regulators off the bikes without batteries, are they small transistorised ones that will run lights on any other type of dirtbike that has a charging loop?
Any suggestions for the smallest unit out there?