School me on: (old school) Motorcycle Electrical Systems

[AimlessMoto]

Things I'm curious about, and just want clarification on:

1. On a 6v system, will simply swapping the rectifier/regulator, battery, and bulbs to 12V turn it into a 12v system? Or will you need to change the stator lighting coil as well? (Understood that the Ignition system would remain 6V.)

2. Silicone Rectifiers maintain voltage over all RPM ranges, so you're not blowing out bulbs/overloading the battery, etc... Most older ones are wired the same, Pink, Yellow, Red and Green... Can you run a rectifier in a circuit without a battery?

3. With said rectifier, the Yellow and Pink are leads from the stator, and the Green and Red typically go to your battery... Is it possible to turn the 4 leads to 2 leads by splicing the Yellow to the Red and the Pink to the Green? Thus making it an in-line rectifier on the positive connection? Also creating a floating ground?

For example: Yellow from stator (+) to Yellow/Red on rectifier (+), Green/Pink on rectifier (-) to Ground from headlamp (-), Positive from headlamp (+) to Pink from Stator (-).

4. With a fixed, points stator (one that is static and cannot be twisted to advance/retard timing) the only way to advance the timing is to shrink the gap, and the only way to retard it is to widen the gap. At what point should this be done? When the points are fully open at their widest? Or at the "T" or "F" mark on the flywheel?

5. The condenser stores up the energy from the stator coil when spark isn't being generated... and dumps everything into the Ignition coil/Spark plug... when the points are open, right? So, controlling the timing by opening and closing the gap controls at what degree of the stroke the spark begins... so 20 degrees BTDC (before top dead center) means that in one revolution, if the stroke is 360 degrees, at 340 degrees the spark begins... So advancing the timing is technically making the spark happen later in the stroke or earlier? If it's 15 degrees BTDC, say.. is that 5 degrees advanced, because it's closer to TDC, or retarded because it's 5 degrees later in the stroke?

Thanks in advance!

[R1]

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The power goes in, the power goes out.

You can't explain that.

[AimlessMoto]

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The power goes in, the power goes out.

You can't explain that.

You fail at helpful.

[Degsy]

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Advancing the timing means firing earlier in the stroke. It gives you more burn time.

[Kurlon]

I thought condensers are more for keeping the contacts from arcing excessively than anything?

[AimlessMoto]

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Advancing the timing means firing earlier in the stroke. It gives you more burn time.

Ok, that makes sense. So, if it's stock is 20 degrees BTDC, if I changed that to 22 degrees, i've advanced the timing 2 degrees, right?

I thought condensers are more for keeping the contacts from arcing excessively than anything?

I think that's 50% of it... it acts like a bucket to hold all the charge NOT going to the spark... then when the spark is initiated it dumps the spark into the ignition coil... This helps reduce or eliminate the arching because it's always drawing the charge in. If you're arching too much on the points, then you've got a crap condenser.

I just wanted clarification as to when this happens... my thought was always that it was when the points begin to open. And that changing the gap changes the point in the stroke that the spark begins... the duration of the spark is also affect though... right?


What i mean is, The lobe on the flywheel is a constant... but changing when the points open also changes how wide they open at their fullest.. but since the flywheel cam doesn't change, does that mean the points are open for the same duration and only limited to how far they open?