Electronic voltage regulator

[saildrive2001]

Over the years that I have owned my Elan the biggest problem I have had is with the voltage regulators going out of adjustment & the battery not being charged sufficiently. The idiot light goes out but that's about all the charge you get. Has anyone ever come across a solid state voltage regulator replacement. Ideally it would fit into the same housing as the original.

[billwill]

Aye, it's called an Alternator.


Unless you are fanatic about keeping the original old dynamo system, changing to an alternator is one of the very best improvements that you can make to a Lotus Elan. The voltage regulator is solid state and is inside the alternator, the old dynamo control box becomes merely a handy terminator block where the wires meet, it has no further function.

If you want your originality, but still want the enhancement you can get one of these Dynamotor things which are alternators built into the same body shape of the old dynamo. So it still looks original, but aint.

Search the forum for Dynamotor and you will find several topics about them and alternators.

[saildrive2001]

I would like to keep my car as original looking as possible so yes the Dynalite is an option. There is also a guy in the USA Don Allen who sells a product he calls Gener-Nator, does anyone have any experience of his products?

[DavidLB]

I've had a dynalite on my Type 14 for the last 5 years or so, works fine and looks completely original
David

[billwill]

Later S4s were fitted with Lucas 17 alternators as original equipment in any case were they not?

At least they are shown in my second workshop manual which covers the S4.

[69S4]

If you're handy with a soldering iron you could make your own -

http://ludens.cl/Electron/dynareg/dynareg.htm

or, this guy looks like he might be doing what you want -

http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/

[Andy8421]

[quote="69S4"]If you're handy with a soldering iron you could make your own -

http://ludens.cl/Electron/dynareg/dynareg.htm

The circuit is for a dynamo with the field coil connected to the dynamo output (Bosch dynamos worked this way). Lucas dynamos have the field coil earthed at the dynamo, and the circuit as drawn won't work (as well as being far too complicated).

[billwill]

Putting in an electronic version of a dynamo control box will not give you the benefits of fitting an alternator. Which are
(a) More electric power available
(b) Available at lower engine speeds, including tick-over in traffic jams.

A dynamo is sufficient even in winter, with standard power headlamps, provided that most of your driving is in open country not dense town traffic (and traffic jams)

BUT if you fit higher wattage headlights and/or do much driving in winter in dense traffic, an alternator is your Elan's best friend. Without it you may spend many happy hours persuading friends, family or passers-by to giv you a push start. {been there, done that many times, got the T -shirt}

~~~~

Amazing how many Elan owners in seeking originality also want to include the Elan's original well-known unreliability as well that acronym Lots of Trouble Usually Serious had some truth behind it you know, mainly due to Dynamo electrics and to spring washers on bolts instead of more modern Nyloc nuts.

[billwill]

If you are contemplating going non-original to the extent of fitting non-original electronics in the dynamo control box, then you really, really, really are better off going non-original to the extent of hiding an alternator in a dynamo case

Heck, you will still be able to open the Dynamo control box for the concourse scrutineers and proudly lie .. "See All Original !".

[saildrive2001]

Trying to stay original is a personal thing for me, I have had the car from new & built it from a kit. I have entered it in one concours which was at the LOG this year in Watkins Glen where I did get the award for Best Elan. This will most probably be the only one I will ever enter. I did the restoration to a high level just for personal satisfaction but I intend to use the car, it is not a trailer show car. I have many original parts on the car including the radio & single speaker in the rear, but who wants to listen to a mono radio when you have that lovely twink to listen to?

[Andy8421]

Trying to stay original is a personal thing for me, I have had the car from new & built it from a kit. I have entered it in one concours which was at the LOG this year in Watkins Glen where I did get the award for Best Elan. This will most probably be the only one I will ever enter. I did the restoration to a high level just for personal satisfaction but I intend to use the car, it is not a trailer show car. I have many original parts on the car including the radio & single speaker in the rear, but who wants to listen to a mono radio when you have that lovely twink to listen to?

The question is where you drawn the line. I would guess you have replaced clutch, exhaust, bulbs, filters, bulbs, hoses, discs, pads, suspension joints, tyres, rotoflex and maybe chassis. No historic car on the road today is as it left the factory.

[saildrive2001]

But the parts that were replaced were replaced with the same design of component. As I said, It's a personal thing. I'm not trying to make my car a 2013 redesign of the Elan. I'm a young senior, & my car is a young 44 year old, I'm happy my car looks like it did in 1969 & it tells me that I look the same as I did in 1969, what better friend can you have?