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Voltage regulator options

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Dana

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
12,666
Location
CT, USA
Looking at options to get DC power from the Cuyuna engine in my UltraStar. It has, of course, a lighting coil but no regulator. I don't want or need the weight of a battery.

All I really need to run is a strobe that draws 200mA, but it'd also be nice to power my handheld GPS (not sure of the draw but it runs a long time on two AA batteries) and my Icom A24 radio (which needsd 11V, not 12V).

The "standard" approach would be the Key West voltage regulator for about $80. No battery required, produces clean DC power, some people have had trouble with them exploding, or frying the lighting coil (though that just takes a fuse to prevent).

Could go with a cheap ($20-30) motorcycle or snowmobile regulator. These require a battery or oher load; some bikers use a large capacitor for this. I believe the single phase Rotax regulator is similar?

The cheapest and lightest option is a basic 7812 voltage regulator and a bridge rectifier from Radio Shack... if the lighting coil puts out 35VAC it can barely handle the power dissapation for .25A if I put it on a heat sink, but that's enough for the strobe... I could add another one for the other stuff if necessary.

-Dana

What has four legs and an arm? A happy pit bull.
 
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