Voltage regulator

[Larryejoh]

Does anyone know if James Peterson is still doing his voltage regulators? I emailed him the other day but haven’t heard anything back yet.

[rotorwrench]

I don't know what his status is. It would be good to know. I don't know of anyone that is curreny making 3-brush regulator. The chips that John Regan used are no longer manufactured so that killed the Fun Projects unit. I don't know what the others used to regulate the current output.

[Bud]

Would an 8N tractor voltage regulator work with a Model A Generator?

[ndnchf]

Something to consider - with the latest focused beam LED headlamp bulbs and available LED tail lights, a regulator really isn't needed for a stock 6v generator. I have these in my '31. I use an original cutout and set the generator's 3rd brush at its LOWEST output setting. Now I have brighter and safer lights, and I still have a slight positive charge on the ammeter with the lights on. A bonus is that the generator runs cooler, which contributes to longer life. This seems like the perfect combination to me.

[rotorwrench]

Any generator that uses a three pole regulator is a 2-brush type. They are wired differently. The 9N tractor came with 3-brush generators and have a cut out much similar to the model A but mounted with differences. The early 9N came with a 2-brush for a while that had a regulator. These are small units and are generally sought out by restorers that want originality. They are somewhat rare now days. The regulators were problematic so they quickly went back to the 3-brush adjustable generator. It has a screw slot on the back to adjust the 3rd brush. The cut out was mounted on the steering gear housing

The 8N had an all new generator that is a 2-brush and uses a 3-pole regulator but the mounting is a lot different than a model A.

[nkaminar]

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Years ago it was common to mount voltage regulators to control the generator. They could be hidden or mounted on the firewall. The wire that normally goes to the third brush was connected to the field terminal on the voltage regulator. If you want to try this make sure the voltage regulator is the type that supplies voltage to the field windings and not the kind that shorts the field windings (where the voltage is supplied at the other end of the field windings).

[rotorwrench]

Some 9N genrators had a field terminal but most did not. I refer to them as a power output terminal. The field is grounded on one end and connected to the 3rd brush on the other so these are considered internal field source types. There were 4 different types in the 9N years. Two A types and two B types were used. Two were 2-brush and two were 3-brush. There is a Pdf file that can be sourced about the history of the 9N generators. 1939 was the first year that Ford started to use regulated 2-brush generators in cars and in the tractors but not all models had the new systems. Standard models were still 3-brush unless the optional radio was purchased. Deluxe vehicles came with 2-brush regulated generators.

A person could likely convert a model A generator to a regulated 2-brush type but they would have to add external terminals or have properly insulated wires exiting the case for connection purposes. This type of alteration would be hard to hide for the purist in order to show the car for points. It would be fine for the driver car but would require wiring modifications.

[Bruce of MN]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

A person could likely convert a model A generator to a regulated 2-brush type but they would have to add external terminals or have properly insulated wires exiting the case for connection purposes. This type of alteration would be hard to hide for the purist in order to show the car for points. It would be fine for the driver car but would require wiring modifications.

Does the above address these and the regs that Tom Wesenberg made?

[rotorwrench]

From what I recall and my memory isn't what it used to be, Tom Wesenberg was fabricating a regulator very similar to James Peterson's unit. This is a link to the Peterson unit at Vince's site.
https://www.fordgarage.com/pages/generator.htm

This information has a photo of the two types that Tom made. It attached to the rear bearing plate but from the description , it worked a lot like James' version.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ght=powerhouse

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

If you want to try this make sure the voltage regulator is the type that supplies voltage to the field windings and not the kind that shorts the field windings (where the voltage is supplied at the other end of the field windings).

How do you tell the difference?

[redmodelt]

Tom Wesenburg has passed away so the ones he made are off the shelf too.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...=Tom+Wesenberg

[Larryejoh]

I emailed and called James Peterson. I guess his phone has been disconnected so I don’t know his status now.

[Keith True]

I contacted Mr. Peterson just over a year ago.At that time he was still making them,and gave me a price.I wasn't really thnking,I contacted him without thinking I needed a regulator for a powerhouse generator,can't use his band type on that,and he said he didn't make one for it.

[Larryejoh]

I spoke to him last fall. It was $110 plus shipping. I drugged my feet and didn’t get one then. It might be too late now. I didn’t buy one from Tom Wesenberg also when I had a chance.

[nkaminar]

How to tell the difference between the voltage regulator that supplies voltage to the field winding and the one that shorts the field windings.

There are 3 terminals, Batt for battery, F or Fld for field, and G or Gen or Arm for generator output or armature. The ones made for Ford cars (type B) have are the type that supply voltage to the field winding (type B) and the ones made for GM cars are the types that short the field windings (type A). If you find the ones that are mechanical, you can take the cover off and push on the solenoids to turn the switches on. There will be a cutout like the stock Model A cutout and a switch that supplies voltage to the field windings. I am not sure if the voltage is sensed at the Gen terminal or the Bat terminal, most likely at the Gen terminal. If you push the solenoid for the field windings and the F terminal goes to ground, it is the wrong one. If you push it and it goes to the Gen or Bat terminal then it is the right one. If the voltage regulator is electronic then you will have to experiment with a voltage source and I am not sure how to do that.

There may be a third solenoid which limits the maximum amperage. If you push on this one and the cutout, the Gen and Bat terminals will be open circuit.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-C_Tpmv-J4

[MrBruce]

I ordered one from Mr Peterson a few years ago, never put it in but thought it was a good way to make it look stock. I really thought it would catch on and I did an article and put it in the newsletter but no one ever asked about it. I've got it setting on the shelf.

[Larryejoh]

I found a Ford tractor regulator for 6 volt positive ground “B circuit” 10-12 amp output. This might work.

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/F...0aArXwEALw_wcB

[rotorwrench]

The internals would have to be converted to 2-brush much the same as the later Ford 2- brush generators. The field and armature connections would have to exit the case to hook it up. The 8N had the simplest set up.

[Larryejoh]

I would only have to make a new terminal off the field wire which was connected to the 3rd brush to the field on the regulator. The armature wire which went to the cutout would go to the armature/gen terminal on the regulator and the battery wire from the other side of the cutout would go to the battery terminal on the regulator. The field ground would still be grounded to the generator case on a cutout screw.

[rotorwrench]

The regulator in the link is what my old 850 would use if it still had a generator. It was converted to a 12-volt alternator before I purchased it. The 12-volt set up works well and the batteries are a lot less expensive.

The tractors that had the two headlights plus the rear work light needed more than the 7-amp system of the original 9N of 1939. The 2N that was made during the war years was devoid of all electrics except the magneto ignition. It had to be hand cranked for start. A lot of farmers were used to hand cranking tractors so it was just a way to save materials for the war effort. Most owners of 2N tractors converted them back to electrics. The 8N came out in 1948 but still had the early distributor. It took a few years before the engine was changed to use the modern type distributor. The simple electrical system of the 8N and later NAA & 100 series tractors didn't need a lot of output like a car or truck of the post war era. Output remained low well up until alternators were standard equipment in the 60s.