Can stock alternator produce more volts and power?
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 7:21 pm
Not sure if this is the best place for this or not. if not feel free to move it.

If we look at the schematic of the system, we can see that the rectifier circuit is fused at 10 amps. As we have previously discussed elsewhere, each half of the stator coils on either side of the center tap or ground connection can have different instantaneous loads during their half cycle of the input wave, which is induced by the rotating magnetic field of the permanent magnet rotor. Mentioned already are 25 and 10 watts as examples. Since the circuit is fused at 10 amps and loads are 6volt, the circuit is designed to provide up to 60 watts. Since this is a system that I have read is robust, I believe that the original designers used good engineering principals. In so doing they did not fuse it at it's absolute maximum, but built in a safety margin so that the fuse went well before the coils or other components were self-destructing.
I take from this that each coil must be able to handle the full current before the waveform transitions to the other half cycle and the other coil takes over. So then, if the two halves of the alternator stator are altered to be in series with one another. The ground connection at their center is lifted from ground and insulated so that the coils remain connected but it can’t contact anything, you would have twice the voltage output and the same current carrying capability. This will result in twice the available wattage from the alternator. Since this modification routinely involves installing a modern 12-volt regulator with a bridge rectifier in it, you would see 12 volts at a max of 10 amps or 120 watts available from the system.
It is probably important to consider that an advantage in the original design is that each half of the stator coils conduct for only 180 degrees of the 360 input, consequently they get a rest between conducting half cycles. When configured in series they will have current through them all the time. (Except for the instant when the waveform is passing zero). This is something to consider as changing the duty cycle from 50% to 100% at a given current flow will certainly be harder on it than the original design. What the de-rating should be, I don’t know as some margin of safety was surely designed into the original system. I would not try to get 120 watts out of it though.
It should also be noted that if you changed the system over to 12 volts and kept all the wattage requirements the same, the current needed through the system to provide for the same wattage would be half. As an example, a 6 volt 35 watt bulb would draw about 5.83 amps where a 12 volt 35 watt bulb would be drawing only about 2.91 amps. Of course one of the reasons to consider the change would be to run more or more easily available loads such as a modern electronic tach, brighter lights and/or an electronic ignition.
Elsewhere it has been stated that if the 10-amp 6 volt 60 watt alternator is converted to 12 volts it will still only produce 60 watts but now at 5 amps.
I think this idea comes from the coils being in parallel with one another. The general rule is that current in parallel is additive, so the thought here is that if the max is 10, then they must each handle 5. This rule would apply if they were conducting at the same time, but they are switched by the biasing of the diodes so that their current is never added together, it is always one coil and diode conducting while the other is not, then switching with the changing of polarity. So they are taking turns and each provides all the current to the system during it’s turn.
Also elsewhere it has been stated that the wattage rating is optimistic. Ducati wouldn’t be the first to do that if it is so. That perhaps only at high rpms, that is to say rpm’s used only in racing, can it produce the rated output. I don’t know what the truth is here, as I don’t have a lot of experience with these systems. But if you figure 35 watts for the headlight, 10 for the ignition and 10 for running/brake and the system can keep your battery well charged under normal use, then it must be providing around 60 watts.
Speaking only about the system pictured here, I believe that whatever wattage it can produce at 6 volts, it can produce twice that when reconfigured as described above at 12 volts. I would probably de-rate it owed to the 100% duty cycle though.

If we look at the schematic of the system, we can see that the rectifier circuit is fused at 10 amps. As we have previously discussed elsewhere, each half of the stator coils on either side of the center tap or ground connection can have different instantaneous loads during their half cycle of the input wave, which is induced by the rotating magnetic field of the permanent magnet rotor. Mentioned already are 25 and 10 watts as examples. Since the circuit is fused at 10 amps and loads are 6volt, the circuit is designed to provide up to 60 watts. Since this is a system that I have read is robust, I believe that the original designers used good engineering principals. In so doing they did not fuse it at it's absolute maximum, but built in a safety margin so that the fuse went well before the coils or other components were self-destructing.
I take from this that each coil must be able to handle the full current before the waveform transitions to the other half cycle and the other coil takes over. So then, if the two halves of the alternator stator are altered to be in series with one another. The ground connection at their center is lifted from ground and insulated so that the coils remain connected but it can’t contact anything, you would have twice the voltage output and the same current carrying capability. This will result in twice the available wattage from the alternator. Since this modification routinely involves installing a modern 12-volt regulator with a bridge rectifier in it, you would see 12 volts at a max of 10 amps or 120 watts available from the system.
It is probably important to consider that an advantage in the original design is that each half of the stator coils conduct for only 180 degrees of the 360 input, consequently they get a rest between conducting half cycles. When configured in series they will have current through them all the time. (Except for the instant when the waveform is passing zero). This is something to consider as changing the duty cycle from 50% to 100% at a given current flow will certainly be harder on it than the original design. What the de-rating should be, I don’t know as some margin of safety was surely designed into the original system. I would not try to get 120 watts out of it though.
It should also be noted that if you changed the system over to 12 volts and kept all the wattage requirements the same, the current needed through the system to provide for the same wattage would be half. As an example, a 6 volt 35 watt bulb would draw about 5.83 amps where a 12 volt 35 watt bulb would be drawing only about 2.91 amps. Of course one of the reasons to consider the change would be to run more or more easily available loads such as a modern electronic tach, brighter lights and/or an electronic ignition.
Elsewhere it has been stated that if the 10-amp 6 volt 60 watt alternator is converted to 12 volts it will still only produce 60 watts but now at 5 amps.
I think this idea comes from the coils being in parallel with one another. The general rule is that current in parallel is additive, so the thought here is that if the max is 10, then they must each handle 5. This rule would apply if they were conducting at the same time, but they are switched by the biasing of the diodes so that their current is never added together, it is always one coil and diode conducting while the other is not, then switching with the changing of polarity. So they are taking turns and each provides all the current to the system during it’s turn.
Also elsewhere it has been stated that the wattage rating is optimistic. Ducati wouldn’t be the first to do that if it is so. That perhaps only at high rpms, that is to say rpm’s used only in racing, can it produce the rated output. I don’t know what the truth is here, as I don’t have a lot of experience with these systems. But if you figure 35 watts for the headlight, 10 for the ignition and 10 for running/brake and the system can keep your battery well charged under normal use, then it must be providing around 60 watts.
Speaking only about the system pictured here, I believe that whatever wattage it can produce at 6 volts, it can produce twice that when reconfigured as described above at 12 volts. I would probably de-rate it owed to the 100% duty cycle though.