How to check the scooter voltage regulator for serviceability - theory and practice
Voltage regulator, or as it is also called, relay-regulator, has a clear purpose on modern scooters. The voltage regulator stabilizes the current supplied from the generator so that it can then be distributed to the main consumers, such as light bulbs, sensors, relays, batteries, indicators, starting enrichment, etc. Simply put, the voltage regulator on a scooter is a kind of transformer in the electrical network , which lowers and stabilizes voltages to a level that contributes to the normal operation of all devices and has certain limits beyond which voltage surges are unacceptable.
Consider an example when scooter light bulb constantly burns out. We buy a new one, then another one, without thinking that in fact the life of an ordinary incandescent bulb on a scooter is quite long, and the reason for the frequent replacement of the bulb in the voltage regulator.
The principle of this is quite simple. Let's assume that any electrical appliance of the scooter is designed to operate from a 12-13 V AC mains. In this situation, any device will serve its allotted time without any problems. With an increase in voltage, even by 2 V, the service life will be halved. The higher this threshold rises, the less likely it is for any electrical appliance to work properly and for a long time. This is obvious, and therefore, in these situations, you should immediately check the voltage at the approach to electrical appliances.
Consider the pinout of the voltage regulator of Chinese scooters and mopeds:
For each contact, the color of the wire that fits it is indicated. This is very useful to know, especially if for some reason the plastic connector itself has broken and you don’t know what to connect where, or something has been soldered there. There are a lot of such questions, so I decided to post them so that they don’t ask again.
Now let's look at the diagrams and pinouts of regulators on Japanese scooters:
Here we see the main pinout, as well as the layering scheme. I think everything is very clear.
How to check scooter voltage regulator.
For this we need a tester. In our case, it is mechanical, but you can also use electronic. The main thing is that the tester shows correctly and does not represent a cheap toy.
Measurements will be carried out on the Honda scooter regulator. These are also used in most Chinese scooters and mapeds. So, we switch the measuring device to the KiloOhm mode. We remove the relay-regulator and begin measurements. For convenience, the contacts are marked with letters:
We put the probes of the device on the terminals AB, while the tester shows 18 kOhm.
After that, swap the probes (BA) and look at the readings, the needle should remain at zero. It is important.
Now we install the probes on the outputs of the LED and observe the readings of 33 kOhm.
We swap places on the DC, we get 42 kOhm.
All other measurements do not have contact and are not called. The indicator must be zero.
Thus, you can check the correctness of the voltage regulator of the scooter (in our case, these are Honda Dio, Honda Lead, Honda Tact scooters and scooters with similar regulators). Cardinally other devices may differ in readings, so this must be taken into account.
Voltage regulator or as it is also called a relay-regulator. This part of electrical equipment is very important and it is on it that the durability of the battery and other electrical appliances depends. The relay performs the function of a voltage stabilizer at the level that the generator produces, then this voltage goes to all the scooter devices that use it.
If the voltage regulator was faulty or absent on the scooter, then the voltage would jump and all devices would quickly burn out. The regulator keeps the voltage within certain limits, preventing it from rising and falling too much, usually within 12-14.5 volts. For example, incandescent lamps suffer significantly even from a voltage increase of 2 volts. 
The generator can also produce 35 volts, and the regulator drops this voltage to 12 volts. To charge the scooter battery, you need direct current, it is the regulator that turns the alternating current into direct current. Therefore, the state of the scooter voltage regulator must be watched very carefully so as not to cause trouble.
One way to understand that the relay-regulator has failed is that the light bulbs burn out quickly. They themselves have a fairly high resource and durability, but at the same time they are sensitive to voltage drops.
By the way, when starting the scooter from the starter, there is a strong voltage surge that can also harm, but the regulator on the scooter corrects this situation again.
Different manufacturers of scooters put different relay-regulators, since each model needs an individual one. Depending on the voltage regulator circuit, the connectors may also differ.
The voltage regulator relay on a Chinese scooter differs from the Japanese one even in the number of terminals. So, in Chinese there are 5 (dad), and in Japanese there are only 4.
But the general principle of operation of the voltage regulator in all is almost the same and performs the role of switching voltage using a powerful thyristor, turning the voltage on and off from the generator.
Regulator diagram on a Japanese scooter:
How to check scooter voltage regulator?
To check, you need to stock up on a multimeter that has a voltmeter function. It is needed to measure the voltage at the output of the voltage regulator.
To measure the voltage, you first need to get to your destination. To do this, you need to remove the front fairing. As a rule, it is screwed on with several nuts and rivets (for example, on Honda dio 3 nuts and 4 rivets). Remove the fairing carefully, it is easy to damage. There we need to find a small box in which there are 4 exits (some scooters have 5 exits). The outputs have the following colors: green , red , yellow and white . 
In order to measure the voltage, the scooter must first stabilize in operation, that is, the idle speed must be stable. You can put it on the bandwagon, start it and wait for stabilization. If, or does not hold idle, then read the article:. If all is well, then you need to measure the voltage between the red and green wires. We set our measuring device to 20V, constant voltage measurement mode. If the voltage is within 14.6 - 14.8 then this normal voltage of the relay-regulator. If the regulator is faulty, then this value can fluctuate even by 5V or more in any direction. If the value is less than 14.5V, or exceeds 15V, then the regulator is faulty. 
Now you need to check the voltage supplied to the lighting. Since an alternating voltage is supplied there, we also set our multimeter to measure an alternating voltage of 20V. To measure the voltage supplied to the lighting, you need to measure it between the green and yellow wires. As a rule, the norm for lighting is the voltage in 12 volt, most incandescent bulbs are designed for just such a voltage. + - 0.5 volts is allowed. Do not forget that the scooter is idling and if you add speed, the voltage will rise, but it is not even permissible for the voltage on the regulator to rise to 13+ volts. If the regulator is faulty, the voltage may rise higher. For example, up to 15-16V, but even 13 volts of voltage is harmful for incandescent bulbs. The regulator is clearly defective. Especially considering that this is at idle speed of the engine.
If you see that the voltage regulator is not working, then you need to urgently replace it. Otherwise, very soon other devices will be added to it that simply could not withstand the high voltage.
A 4t scooter voltage regulator relay can be bought for 500 rubles.
If you do not understand what and how to check, or have additional questions, you can ask them in the comments or find the answer in the video:
Do-it-yourself voltage regulator for a scooter
You can make a relay-regulator with your own hands, this requires a little knowledge and a scooter voltage regulator circuit. We will make a voltage regulator for a Chinese scooter with our own hands. The cheapest option is to take a shunt voltage regulator. The nuance is that for proper operation it is necessary to disassemble the generator and remove the wire from the ground with a separate wire.
It was decided to make a do-it-yourself voltage regulator for the reason that the Chinese counterparts are so lousy that there are simply no words here. We look at the photo diagram of the Chinese voltage regulator: 
We will assemble a single-phase generator according to this scheme:
In order to make a relay-regulator, you must first disassemble the generator and remove the stator from the engine. Now we see this picture: 
The photo shows the mass that needs to be soldered, and we need to solder a separate wire to the winding to it. Then it needs to be brought outside. It is this wire that will be one end of the winding. The other end is a white wire.
The scooter generator is one of the most important parts of the scooter, its malfunction indicates the impossibility of continuing to move, the spark simply will not appear. But if you are in doubt whether your generator is working or the cause of the scooter malfunction is in another part, it is strongly advised to check the generator. Many do not know how to check the generator on a 4t scooter, because this refers more to an electrician, which scooters hardly understand. Also, the verification problem will be in the absence of the main tool - a multimeter tester.
Experts identify several reasons for the failure of the generator:
- the formation of a short circuit;
- mechanical failure or broken wires;
- a significant decrease in the magnetization of the rotor.
Main malfunctions
Before the process of checking the generator for serviceability, consider the main malfunctions. Practice shows that the generator breaks down most often on Chinese scooters, where the most common failure is a rotor that loses magnetization. The rotor often loses magnetization precisely because of the fall of the scooter, that is, there is a direct blow. Also, in the presence of a nearby magnetic field, the rotor is discharged.
Checking with a multimeter
To check the charge on the generator, you will need to use a proven method, the main task is to find out the output voltage. First of all, completely disconnect the generator from the scooter, then use the control device and start the engine. After starting, you can check the output voltage, the working generator should show at least 5V with the engine running.
The second stage is to check the output voltage of the switch, this will already require a multimeter. The verification process begins by connecting the commutator to the generator stator, this is done using the wires of both parts. After that, it is required to disconnect the wire related to the switch unit from the ignition coil winding terminal. The next step is to connect two leads - one goes to the engine ground, the second to the main wire on the ignition coil. This main wire is connected to the switch.
After that, you will have to set the voltmeter to the main “constant current” mode and spin the engine with a kickstarter. By these actions, we can find out the output voltage of the switch to the ignition coil. Then connect the switch wire to the coil. Under normal conditions, the output voltage of the scooter should be 200V. For many, such a check may seem too complicated, because most of the terms are unfamiliar, and not everyone can use a multimeter, but if you really want to, you can try and check the generator on a Chinese scooter.
Voltage test
Using a multimeter, it is possible to find out the presence of voltage and its indicators, so you will have to start the procedure by removing some parts of the plastic located in the engine area. On the scooter, you will have to find a large bundle of wires, which is located on the engines. Locate the wire that should be connected to the generator. The next step is to measure the performance of the circuit, the main task of which is to feed the generator coil with electricity. Important: before this test, you will have to disconnect the wiring from the generator, after which you can check the resistance. In normal operating condition, the generator should produce a resistance of 80 to 150 ohms. A deviation from the norm indicates a malfunction of the generator and the need to replace it. In some cases, the presence of the wrong resistance lies in the wiring that has a malfunction. This can be determined by removing the generator and checking the resistance of the coil separately, if it gives optimal data, the reason is in the wires, in particular their short circuits.
Detecting the above malfunctions is not an easy task, most of the scooter owners are not able to check the generator for serviceability, which is why they turn to specialists. With financial opportunities, it is easier to buy a new generator, so you decide how to solve this problem yourself.
Greetings to all! “Flew” with me somehow voltage regulator(Not a relay-regulator, do not confuse) on a Chinese 4 tactic, buying a new one was not planned, since the regular PH on all 4t is shit, I got on the Internet to look for a diagram. I didn’t have to look for a long time, I found a very simple and cheap option: shunting pH. But for proper operation, it was necessary to disassemble the generator and disconnect the wire from the mass, and output it with a separate wire .. Well, okay, I won’t explain further, because not everyone fumbles in electrics. In Chinese 4t, as a rule, there are such launch vehicles: The scheme is shit, the efficiency is shit, the resource is shit. We assemble this one (For a single-phase generator, in our case):
For three phase: 
We have two options for connecting a home-made launch vehicle, I won’t pull and I’ll tell you what and how: The first option (with alteration of the generator):
1) We disassemble the generator, remove the stator from the engine and this is what we see: 
Important: Where it says “It needs to be soldered off”, solder a separate wire to the winding and bring it out, this will be one end of the winding. The other end will be the white wire
Everything done, we collect the generator back. We should get it like this: 
That is, we have two wires coming from the generator (In general, there will be three of them, but we will need two). I will not describe the connection of the RN further, I will show a better picture: 
Done, it remains to connect the yellow wire from the old launch vehicle to the “+” battery. On this, the first version of the alteration is completed. Now our board. the network has a constant voltage.
Dedicated to all owners of Chinese scooters ...
To begin with, I would like to present the wiring diagram of a Chinese scooter.
Since all Chinese scooters are very similar, like Siamese twins, their electrical circuit is practically the same.
The scheme was found on the Internet and is, in my opinion, one of the most successful, as it shows the color of the connecting conductors. This greatly simplifies the diagram and makes it more comfortable to read.
(Click on the picture to enlarge. The picture will open in a new window).
It is worth noting that in the electric circuit of the scooter, as well as in any electronic circuit, there are common wire. The scooter has a common wire - minus ( - ). The diagram shows a common wire green color. If you look closely, you can see that it is connected to all the electrical equipment of the scooter: headlight ( 16 ), turns relay ( 24 ), instrument panel illumination lamp ( 15 ), indicator lamps ( 20 , 36 , 22 , 17 ), tachometer ( 18 ), fuel level sensor ( 14 ), sound signal ( 31 ), tail light/brake light ( 13 ), starting relay ( 10 ) and other devices.
First, let's go over the main elements of the Chinese scooter circuit.
Egnition lock.
Egnition lock ( 12 ) or "Main switch". The ignition lock is nothing more than a conventional multi-position switch. Despite the fact that the ignition switch has 3 positions, only 2 are used in the electrical circuit.
When the key is in the first position, it closes red And black the wire. In this case, the voltage from the battery enters the electric circuit of the scooter, the scooter is ready to start. Also ready for operation is a fuel level indicator, a tachometer, an audible signal, a turn relay, an ignition circuit. They are supplied with battery voltage.
In the event of a malfunction of the ignition switch, it can be safely replaced with some kind of switch like a toggle switch. The toggle switch must be powerful enough, because, in fact, the entire electrical circuit of the scooter is switched through the ignition switch. Of course, you can do without a toggle switch, if you limit yourself to a short circuit red And black wires, as Hollywood action heroes once did.
In the other two positions, the black-and-white wire is shorted from the CDI ignition module ( 1 ) on the housing (common wire). In this case, the operation of the engine is blocked. Some scooters have an engine stop button ( 27 ), which, like the ignition switch, connects the white- black And green(general, body) wire.
Generator.
Generator ( 4 ) generates alternating electric current to power all current consumers and charge the battery ( 6 ).
There are 5 wires coming from the alternator. One of them is connected to a common wire (frame). An alternating voltage is removed from the white wire and fed to the relay-regulator for subsequent rectification and stabilization. WITH yellow wires, voltage is removed, which is used to power the low / high beam lamp, which is installed in the front fairing of the scooter.
Also in the design of the generator there is a so-called Hall Sensor. It is not electrically connected to the generator and 2 wires come from it: white- green And red -black. The hall sensor is connected to the CDI ignition module ( 1 ).
Relay-regulator.
Relay-regulator ( 5 ). The people can call names "stabilizer", "transistor", "regulator", "voltage regulator" or simply "relay". All these definitions refer to one piece of iron. This is what the regulator looks like.
The relay-regulator for Chinese scooters is installed in the front under a plastic fairing. The relay-regulator itself is attached to the metal base of the scooter in order to reduce the heating of the relay radiator during operation. This is what the relay-regulator looks like on a scooter.
In the operation of the scooter, the relay-regulator plays a very important role. The task of the relay-regulator is to turn the alternating voltage from the generator into a constant one and limit it at the level of 13.5 - 14.8 volts. This is the voltage required to charge the battery.
The diagram and the photo show that 4 wires leave the relay-regulator. Green is a common wire. We have already talked about him. Red- this is the output of a positive constant voltage of 13.5 -14.8 volts.
By white The wire on the relay regulator receives alternating voltage from the generator. Also connected to the controller yellow wire coming from the generator. Through it, an alternating voltage is supplied to the regulator from the generator. Due to the electronic circuit of the regulator, the voltage on this wire is converted into a pulsating one, and is supplied to powerful current consumers - a low and high beam lamp, as well as a dashboard backlight lamp (there may be several of them).
The supply voltage of the lamps is not stabilized, but is limited by the relay-regulator at a certain level (about 12V), since at high speeds the alternating voltage coming from the generator exceeds the allowable one. I think this is known to those who burned out the dimensions when the relay-regulator malfunctions.
Despite all its importance, the device of the relay-regulator is rather primitive. If you open the compound with which the printed circuit board is filled, you can find that the main relay is an electronic circuit from a thyristor BT151-650R, diode bridge on diodes 1N4007, powerful diode 1N5408, as well as several strapping elements: electrolytic capacitors, low-power SMD transistors, resistors and a zener diode.
Due to its primitive circuitry, the relay-regulator often fails. Read about how to check the voltage regulator.
Elements of the ignition circuit.
One of the most important electrical circuits in a scooter is the ignition circuit. It includes a CDI ignition module ( 1 ), ignition coil ( 2 ), spark plug ( 3 ).
5 conductors are connected to the CDI module. The CDI module itself is located in the bottom of the scooter body near the battery compartment and is fixed to the frame with a rubber retainer. Access to the CDI block is hampered by the fact that it is located at the bottom and is covered with decorative plastic, which has to be completely removed.
Structurally, the ignition coil is located next to the starting relay. To protect against dust, dirt and accidental short circuits, the coil is covered with a rubber cover.
Using a high voltage wire, the ignition coil is connected to the spark plug. A7TC (3 ).
On the scooter, the spark plug turned out to be cleverly hidden, and the first time you can look for it for quite some time. But if you "go" along the high-voltage wire from the ignition coil, then the wire will lead us straight to the spark plug cap.
The cap is removed from the candle with a little effort on itself. It is fixed on the contact of the candle with an elastic metal latch.
It is worth noting that the high-voltage wire is connected to the cap without soldering. The stranded wire in insulation is simply screwed onto the screw contact built into the cap. Therefore, it is not worth pulling hard on the wire, otherwise you can pull the wire out of the cap. This is easily eliminated, but the wire will have to be shortened by 0.5 - 1 cm.
Getting to the spark plug itself is not so easy. A socket wrench is required to remove it. With its help, the candle is simply twisted out of the seat.
Starter.
starter ( 8 ). The starter is used to start the engine. It is located in the middle of the scooter next to the engine. Getting to him is not easy.
The starter is controlled by a start relay ( 10 ).
The start relay is located on the right side of the scooter frame. A thick red wire comes to the start relay from the positive terminal of the battery. This energizes the start relay.
Fuel gauge and indicator.
14 ) is built into the fuel tank.
There are three wires coming from the sensor. Green is common (power minus), and the other two sensors are connected to the fuel level indicator ( 11 ), which is installed on the dashboard of the scooter.
Fuel sensor ( 14 ) and indicator ( 11 ) are one device and are powered by a constant stabilized voltage. Since these two devices are separated from each other, they are connected by a three-pin connector. Positive supply voltage is supplied to the fuel indicator and sensor via a black wire from the ignition switch.
If you open the three-pin connector coming from the fuel sensor, the fuel indicator will stop showing the fuel level in the tank. Therefore, if your fuel indicator does not work, then check the connector between the sensor and the fuel indicator, and also make sure that they are receiving power.
It is also worth remembering that the supply voltage to the sensor and indicator is supplied when the ignition switch is in the closed position ( 12 ). According to the diagram, this is the right position.
Turns relay.
Turn relay or breaker relay ( 24 ). Used to control the front and rear turn signal lamps.
As a rule, the turn relay is installed next to the instruments (speedometer, tachometer, fuel level indicator) on the dashboard. In order to see it, you need to remove the decorative plastic. It looks like a small plastic barrel with three leads. When the turn signals are on, it emits characteristic clicks with a frequency of about 1 Hz.
After the turn signal relay, a turn signal switch is installed ( 23 ). This is a conventional key switch that switches the positive voltage from the turn relays (gray wire) to the lamps. If you look at the diagram, then with the right switch position ( 23 ) we apply voltage through the blue wire to the right front ( 21 ) and right rear ( 32 ) lamp pointer. If the switch is in the left position, then the gray wire closes to orange, and we supply power to the left front ( 19 ) and left rear ( 33 ) lamp pointer. In addition, parallel to the corresponding indicator lamps ( 19 , 20 , 32 , 33 ) signal lamps are connected ( 20 And 22 ), which are placed on the dashboard of the scooter and serve as a purely informational signal for the scooter driver.
Sound signal.
Sound signal ( 31 ) of the scooter is located under the plastic fairing of the scooter next to the relay-regulator.
The supply voltage of the sound signal is constant. It comes from the relay-regulator or battery (if the engine is off) through the ignition switch and the horn button ( 25 ).
Low/high beam lamp ( 16 ). Yes, the one that lights our way in the dark.
The lamp itself is double with two filaments and three contacts for connecting to an electrical circuit. One of the contacts, of course, is common. Lamp power 25W, supply voltage 12V. It burns godlessly with a faulty relay-regulator due to the fact that it does not limit the voltage amplitude at the level of 12 volts, which leads to the fact that a voltage of 16-27 volts, or even more, is applied to the lamp. It all depends on turnover.
Therefore, if at idle the lamp shines very brightly, and not at full heat, then it is better to turn it off and check the relay-regulator. If you leave everything as it is, then the low / high beam lamp will burn out, which is sad. Its cost is great.
In the photo next to the turn signal lamp (red). Lamp power 5W for supply voltage 12V.
