Dielectric grease

Could this be effectively solved by adding an appropriate in-line fuse, if one suspects a 'weak link?'

 

I thought of the same thing but it is critical that the bike not shutoff while riding, which a burned fuse here would do.

 

Riiight, but if the choice were between letting the smoke out of my rectifier or a replaceable fuse, I'd choose the fuse every time.

 

The stator is limited on what it can generate due to being a permanent magnet alrernator. But the rectifier regulator is loaded with diodes which are actually quite robust but can be very sensitive to high voltages. Well there aren't many causes of high voltage on a permanent magnet system but some may include arcing or an open circuit. Arcing in conjunction with the capacitance of the system can cause high voltages a la Tesla coils or spark gap generators. Open circuits on certain types of generators and transformers can cause uncontrolled voltage spikes. The key is it doesn't just take power to kill a diode. Voltage will kill it faster. A lose connection can cause open circuits and arcing. Fuses only protect against power. You need a metal oxide variation to protect against voltage spikes.

Remember in total loss systems the rectifier regulator must get rid of excess current so the more you use the better, right (not totally sure about this).

 

I understood some of those words.

 

I did not proofread my post but fixed some of the confusing words

 

We agree on that! But the best solution is for the system to monitor conditions and report the first sign of something erratic. There is no closed-loop in these motorcycle systems which is an egregious design error. A few diodes, temperature sensors, warning bulbs, etc. and it can post a warning when it sees something "out of bounds", and before the expensive components melt.

 

More shit talking from Knight who is a better designer of motorcycles than any one alive or dead.. Probably uses greasy kids stuff on his hair too.

The question might be, what is in the cleaners that sell for five pesos Canadian? Vinegar is aboot 5% or so acid. Use your cider vinegar for things to eat. Buy the distilled stuff that is not good to eat but is for washing windows and making copper all shiny. Ooops did I just say it woujld clean copper? The MSDS will tell all or most of all mostly, most of the time.

If ya want a more efficient acid, a camera supply can order a small jug of Kodak glacial acetic acid that will last dang near forever even if ya keep on buying motorcycles with shitty electrical systems.

Or for the brave and stout hearted, the big box garden shops have muriatic acid. That stuff is a 10% sln. of HCl and H20 (sciencey for hydrochloric acid and water) Great stuff for those with little patience and a need for instant gratification.

 

Sodium bisulfate works really well. Jewelers use it to clean work pieces after soldering and metalsmiths use it for cleaning non-ferrous metals, usually within the context of sculpture restoration. You can just order the stuff on Amazon in powder form. Add some to water until you get the reaction you want, presto, clean copper, without having to worry about brass or gold plating being dissolved into solution.

Source: I have done these things.

 

A slurry of sodium or potassium bisulfite (aka metabisulfite) and a mild acid is a little better than using water. Any wine or beer making supply should have the sodium bisulfite. Comes in powder form or in UK aka Campden tablets. Used for sterilizing brewing and fermenting vessels. When mixed with water generates sulfur gas, killing off those mini critters that make homebrew funky. Replaced actual burning of sulfur wicks. Great for cleaning untinned copper cookware too.

Lots of raw chemicals and compounds on the market for all sorts of things that if the general public knew aboot they'd shit bricks.. The big one is booze. Too late for Tequila, we have been had on that. Fancy bottles.. There's the old story aboot a jug of JD costing more for the bottle and the label than the contents.

Another is drain cleaner.. especially Drano.. Flake lye..thats it. They used to put aluminum pellets in the lye to speed up the reaction. Small problem. That mix generated Hydrogen gas. Great if one is gonna jihad a garbage disposal..

Another use for sodium/potassium bisulfites and water is to fix the negative on the old 4X5" Polaroid 55 PN film.

One more.. Red wines are sulfited to prevent oxidation and color retention hence the time allowed for breathing when first opened. Trace sulfites are in that stuff at Walmart that us used to keep yer veggies and spuds from getting darker.

Source: Top of me head

 

A word for a green Vette, CLRB but pay no attention to a pro trader LOL! Buy two new vfr 's with spare change! The power of the wolf!

 

Most of which are good solutions (HAH! No pun intended) to the problem, and most are pretty much idiot proof in low concentrations, which is what I was going for. I've used Drano or Drano-like-products in the past to achieve various patinas on copper alloys with mixed results. Strips off the copper oxide pretty damn quick, but it's been my experience that it replaces it with a black copper oxide within seconds. Great for sculpture, not so great for electrical contacts.

 

Yep, what ya got there is copper hydroxide for that blue green patina. So many mixes and ways to do metals both non-ferrous and ferrous. One off items can be interesting to experiment on. Production stuff requiring uniformity is a whole different can of tar snakes..

Back to the greasy stuff.. The prefix "di" suggests in one sense, separation.