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Voltage Regulator

GeneralDisorder

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Is there any other way I can use the VR N3207 on the Alternator N1506?
Maybe - it seems they are essentially the same with the N3207 adding the AC output required by the N2003 LBCD. But there's no guarantee that the lack of that input on pin F will still allow the regulator to properly function. It uses a different Amphenol connector to the alternator so that would need to be changed out.
 

Ronmar

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yea you would have to change plugs, but the 1506 and 1509 alternator chassis appear to operate and be driven in the same fashion, so it might work. it would be a matter of picking the 5 signals needed to drive the 1506(14v, 28v, b-/gnd, F- and SCR drive) from the 6 wires used on the 3207 regulator…

The respective troubleshooting manuals show the pinouts on the connectors and associated signals pretty clearly. if you can source some appropriate male/female pins, you could make up 5 test jumper wires to test this compatibility without having to permanently modify a 3207 regulator, until you prove it works

Not sure what vehicle this is in, if it is an A0 it would be fine, but if it is an A1 with an LBCD, this config would not drive the LBCD. But I don’t think that is really an issue, as without input the LBCD should function like a polarity box. It’s only function is to protect a very expensive alternator from a deeply discharged grossly oversized 4 battery bank. If you drop to 2 batts, it should never be used anyway…

Good luck…
 
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coachgeo

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.... It’s only function is to protect a very expensive alternator from a deeply discharged grossly oversized 4 battery bank. If you drop to 2 batts, it should never be used anyway….
And of course it protects from damaging said alternator and other expensive things if you jump the truck with Polarity reversed on Jumper attachments to batteries creating a back feed of Positive juice down the ground paths/Negative lines.
 

GeneralDisorder

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The LBCD has another function - the huge caps in it help to smooth the pretty nasty AC ripple that the Niehoff brushless alts put out. When I measured nearly 1.5v of AC ripple I contacted Niehoff and one of their engineers schooled me that for their design up to 2v of AC ripple is considered "normal". A working LBCD with good caps should reduce this (at least as far as what the load side sees - batteries will get the full unfiltered output but likely don't care in the slightest). I haven't tested how much but indeed - I also don't know how good the caps are in my LBCD. It looks a lot better from the outside than my original did and my original was from 2008 and was SHOT.

AC ripple *can* be..... non-optimal for electronics. Most will tolerate a bit if designed well but the closer you can stay to chemically generated perfectly flat DC the better. Too much inversion, a bit of floating ground...... say goodbye to capacitors and other polarity sensitive devices. I've seen my share of legs blown off caps on circuit boards because of dirty/damaged DC.

I'm curious if the older A0 trucks with the PPD also have the caps inside them? Anyone open one up?
 
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Ronmar

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And of course it protects from damaging said alternator and other expensive things if you jump the truck with Polarity reversed on Jumper attachments to batteries creating a back feed of Positive juice down the ground paths/Negative lines.
I pretty much said that in the previous sentence…:)
 

Ronmar

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The LBCD has another function - the huge caps in it help to smooth the pretty nasty AC ripple that the Niehoff brushless alts put out. When I measured nearly 1.5v of AC ripple I contacted Niehoff and one of their engineers schooled me that for their design up to 2v of AC ripple is considered "normal". A working LBCD with good caps should reduce this (at least as far as what the load side sees - batteries will get the full unfiltered output but likely don't care in the slightest). I haven't tested how much but indeed - I also don't know how good the caps are in my LBCD. It looks a lot better from the outside than my original did and my original was from 2008 and was SHOT.

AC ripple *can* be..... non-optimal for electronics. Most will tolerate a bit if designed well but the closer you can stay to chemically generated perfectly flat DC the better. Too much inversion, a bit of floating ground...... say goodbye to capacitors and other polarity sensitive devices. I've seen my share of legs blown off caps on circuit boards because of dirty/damaged DC.

I'm curious if the older A0 trucks with the PPD also have the caps inside them? Anyone open one up?
I don’t think the A0 polarity boxes have any caps, but I havn’t been inside one either. There really isn’t any room for any by the looks of the heat sync extrusion, with only a narrow potted area down the center. they don’t have that large box that houses the caps on the LBCD. The caps in the LBCD may help with ripple, but I am still of the opinion their purpose is blunting the massive spike you are going to get when you open the battery relays with the alt at full load/field, before the regulator can throttle that field…

The batteries are the best thing to eat that ripple:) but if you disconnect them I am sure the caps help. I will have to measure my 1506-1 ripple eventually with and without batteries…


F8073B4D-AE11-4A36-802E-9B35DF0254C6.png
 

GeneralDisorder

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Yeah the disconnect spike is likely their main purpose. The voltage regulator is a rather slow responding device on these units.
 

oding912

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I thank all the inputs. You guys are great.

Has anybody tried to jump the ENG from the voltage regulator to the BATT on the fuel pump solenoid? Read something to test if the VR is really damaged.
 

Ronmar

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I thank all the inputs. You guys are great.

Has anybody tried to jump the ENG from the voltage regulator to the BATT on the fuel pump solenoid? Read something to test if the VR is really damaged.
You don’t have to jump it all the way over the engine to the run solenoid To test it. You can simply connect a jumper from ENG to the 24V output terminal on the alternator after you start the engine. The cable on the 24V output terminal connects back to the battery so it always has battery 24v on it…

The wire hack back over to the run solenoid was a modification done by someone who couldn't figure out the alternator excite circuit. The problem is, it enables the regulator which drives the field to full excitation before the engine is even turning. They took the trouble to put in the excite circuit to energize the alt after the engine was running for a reason, I am assuming it was to extend the life of a very expensive alternator…
 
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Skipper M1088

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I have 15 new old stock N-3207 voltage regulators, they are listed on eBay also sinds today. If anybody is interested let me know.
Hi Berend,
I know this is an old post but a google search fount it. do you still have a N-3207 voltage regulator you would be wiling to part with? I bought a non running M1088A1 from Gov. Planet and it was missing as well as the power distribution box cover.

Thank you in advance.
 
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