BrokeVW Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 Can the chassis be used as ground for both the AC and DC circuits? I've read the thread with the magazine article posted about DC conversions, and I've been over the Clymer and BansheeHQ Electrical FAQ info several times, and I think I almost have it straight in my head. Please correct me if any of the below is wrong.... --The stock stator is AC only, both on the lighting and ignition circuits. --The lights operate on AC but LEDs or HIDs will not because the regular bulb filament doesn't care which direction the current passes through it or if it switches from + to - and back again, as long as it is passing current it will glow. --The lighting circuit has the voltage regulated to about 12V max to prevent the bulbs blowing. --The AC ground is on the chassis, using one of the bolts for the voltage regulator. If I have installed an aftermarket 200W DC stator and the regulator/rectifier that comes with the stator, I now have a DC circuit with a dedicated DC hot and ground. Can I run that DC ground to the chassis while leaving the stock ground for the AC ignition in place on the chassis as well? I want to use the stock headlight switch to operate new LED lights. I plan to use a relay, the headlight switch will send 12V to the relay, the relay will connect the battery to the lights. If I can use the chassis for both AC and DC ground, I can use the stock light switch wires to operate the relay if I only feed it DC+ into the yellow, after disconnecting it from the old stock AC wire. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Monkey Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 If I remember correctly you will need to run a seperate ground for the DC circuits. If that's not done it will affect the output of the regulator/rectifier. If you look it up there's a whole explanation why. For your headlights, use an AC 12v relay to switch the DC load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Monkey Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 I guess I should've asked if you're still going to be running an AC regulated circuit? Now that I reread your post, feeding the switch DC+ will be fine, disregard the AC relay, and use the DC like you originally stated. Lol, I'm running both AC and DC circuits on mine, and had to use the AC relays... sorry bout that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeVW Posted June 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 If I remember correctly you will need to run a seperate ground for the DC circuits. If that's not done it will affect the output of the regulator/rectifier. If you look it up there's a whole explanation why. For your headlights, use an AC 12v relay to switch the DC load. I had not thought about using a 12V AC relay, I was thinking only of the typical Bosch style 12V DC relays I usually use. I guess I should've asked if you're still going to be running an AC regulated circuit? I had not planned to do so, the stock regulator is only regulating the yellow wire that feeds the stock headlights. Since I was converting to DC, I removed the stock regulator as I didn't think it would be needed for anything, but I can see that if I decide to use an AC relay I would need the AC regulated to 12V to protect the relay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Monkey Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 If you're going strictly DC, you don't need to worry about any of the AC stuff I mentioned. Do you have a dual output stator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeVW Posted June 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 If you're going strictly DC, you don't need to worry about any of the AC stuff I mentioned. Do you have a dual output stator? I have the RaceTech 200W stator and the regulator/rectifier they include with the stator. This is the kit http://racetechelectric.com/i-10388144-95-06-yamaha-banshee-high-power-200w-dc-stator-regulator-rectifier-kit.html Right now I have the stock regulator removed, I have the 2 bullet connector wires from the stator (yellow and white) unplugged from the bullet connectors in the stock harness (yellow and black), and the stock chassis ground wire is not connected (it uses one of the bolts that mount the stock regulator). I checked for continuity between the black bullet connector and the chassis ground wire, and they have continuity. I checked from the chassis ground to the black wire that is at the key switch plug in front of the fuel tank, that plug has continuity with the black bullet terminal and the chassis ground terminal. The key switch black wire does NOT have continuity with the chassis at this point, as the chassis ground is removed and hanging in the air under the seat. The key still works and the bike still starts, runs, and turns off with the key... which I don't fully understand because I thought it needed the black wire to connect to the chassis to work. Apparently the ignition side of things does not need a chassis ground and I'm not sure why. The only wires I have coming out of the stator that are being used are the 4 wires found in the white plastic connector. It looks like I'll need to run dedicated DC ground wires all over then for the lighting and so on, thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeVW Posted July 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Per Evan at RaceTech who sold me the stator and rectifier/regulator when I asked him: "Yes you can definitely use the chassis as a ground for the DCsystem, or you can run return wires to each light and back to thenegative terminal, either way is fine." Per TrailTech .PDF instructions http://gallery.trailtech.net/media/instructions/lights/regrec/010-ELV-71.pdf "Do not connect to frame ground." I'm really not sure why there is so much conflicting info about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Monkey Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Try using the frame. It might just be a problem for people using dual output stators running both AC and DC circuits, and using the frame for the AC ground while floating the ground for the DC side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90Bansheedude Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I am pretty sure that if you use an aftermarket DC stator and rectifier you can use the frame for ground, as it would be the same situation as floating the AC ground by removing it from the frame and running a wire that way you can use the frame for DC ground. This is all for the lighting, as the ignition is a separate coil and system. You dont mess with it, just the lighting circuit. If you are running rectifier and DC lights without floating the ground on a stock stator, you have to run ground wires to the lights and make sure the ground does not have continuity to the frame when hooked up to the lights (make sure light case is not connected to -neg wire and frame) If floating the ground or running DC stator, use the frame for -neg for your DC and lights without problems. Just curious, didn't it come with instructions??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.