Re: 6V to 12v Conversions REGULATOR
Does anyone know the difference between a moose voltage regulator and a rectifier with a zener diode?
I did some searching on the Moose Volt Pack, and I could not find any technical information (although it appears to be a simple zener based design). So, I'll just explain the difference between a zener based regulator and a "iinear regulator" (the more sophisticated type).
A zener is like a pressure relief valve. When the pressure (voltage) gets above its setpoint, it opens, and allows current to flow through it back to ground.
A linear regulator acts more like a valve. When the pressure (voltage) gets above its setpoint, the valve chokes off the flow of current, until the downstream pressure (voltage) is where it needs to be. When voltage is below its setpoint, the "valve" is completely open.
The operational difference is two-fold:
1) With a zener, the current through the zener increases as the voltage continues to increase above its setpoint (or at least tries to increase), and the stator provides more current. This could cause the stator to overheat. So, with a zener the stator voltage is limited to match the system voltage, but the current from the stator continues to increase.
2) With a linear regulator, the current through the regulator does not increase like a zener does. The current is limited. The stator voltage, will continue to increase.
Since there is no current increase, there is usually no risk to the stator when using a linear regulator.
I did some searching on the Moose Volt Pack, and I could not find any technical information (although it appears to be a simple zener based design). So, I'll just explain the difference between a zener based regulator and a "iinear regulator" (the more sophisticated type).
A zener is like a pressure relief valve. When the pressure (voltage) gets above its setpoint, it opens, and allows current to flow through it back to ground.
A linear regulator acts more like a valve. When the pressure (voltage) gets above its setpoint, the valve chokes off the flow of current, until the downstream pressure (voltage) is where it needs to be. When voltage is below its setpoint, the "valve" is completely open.
The operational difference is two-fold:
1) With a zener, the current through the zener increases as the voltage continues to increase above its setpoint (or at least tries to increase), and the stator provides more current. This could cause the stator to overheat. So, with a zener the stator voltage is limited to match the system voltage, but the current from the stator continues to increase.
2) With a linear regulator, the current through the regulator does not increase like a zener does. The current is limited. The stator voltage, will continue to increase.
Since there is no current increase, there is usually no risk to the stator when using a linear regulator.
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