Adding LED lights to Snowblower no rectifier or capacitors required, how to.
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- In this video I explain how you can upgrade your snowblower, snowthrower to LED lighting without having to go thru the trouble of wiring in a bridge rectifier and capacitor, etc.
I show how to do it on a Tecumseh Snowking going onto a 1987 Ariens. However the same principle will apply to other engine as well, such as Briggs, honda and more. In order to do this, your machine will not have DC voltage in use.
For Tecumseh engines use alternator part 611104 with the standard 3 magnet flywheel part 611093.
The DC end of that alternator puts out 3 amps 36 watts. As long as you use a light or lights under 36 watts your fine. I will install an Auxbeam 4 inch 18 watt flood light. These lights are nice and bright and a huge upgrade from the old Halogen. I have enough juice available to use 2 if I desired. you than also still have 5 amps AC available to power other thimgs as well as more lights if you desire, using a bridge rectifier and capacitors. Thanks for watching, don't forget to subscribe as its a huge help, hit the like button if you find this helpful. - Наука та технологія
Part number disclosures AND wiring info? Somebody give this man a promotion... I've dug typically good resources for several nights already with nowhere near this amount of solid data.
Glad you found it useful.
An ALTERNATOR produced AC, not DC, hence the name alternator. If you add 1 diode in series with the output you turn AC into half wave rectified DC. If you use a full wave bridge rectifier you get full wave pulsating DC. This wave alternates between full voltage and zero volts for each AC wave. If you put the proper size capacitor across the full wave output you end up with filtered pure DC without the pulsated DC coming out of the full wave bridge. You also get a higher voltage from the filtered DC.
Thanks for clarifying, electrical is not my strong suit. I do know that alternator was one of the higher end ones, second from the highest rated amperage one they offered for Tecumseh horizontal aluminum block’s and had AC and DC. The LED was connected to the DC side eliminating the need for a rectifier and getting rid of pulsating created by unregulated alternating current without use of a rectifier, the point of the video, for those who just want to tap into the DC side without dealing with adding a rectifier. I know it is listed by Tecumseh as an AC/DC alternator, it’s been a minute I don’t recall the ratings on each end, however it creates DC which was my concern, not how and more than enough. How it takes ac and converts it into DC on its own was a mystery to me, but it does, which is what I wanted and the final objective. I wasn’t too worried about it as long as it did, which it does and get’s the job done, because I have steady LED lighting, which was my goal. I still have the AC side untapped into if I ever wanted to add heated hand grips, etc. This video was created to show people how to use stock parts without any added parts to power an LED light with enough juice steadily without pulsating. Otherwise you have to tap into the single wire AC alternator, add a rectifier and all that jazz rather than plug and play with stock parts Tecumseh produced. It was easier for me to swap out the less powered single wire AC alternator 90% of Tecumseh’s had and put this one on, giving me the same end result as those who went thru the trouble of adding a rectifier with the other side ready to power more as I add things and need it. My reason’s for going that route. I have rectifier’s but found this option on snowblower forum and picked one up and went this route over the alternative. To me, better and easier.
Literally a life saver. My entire modification project got put on hold since I didn’t have any clear answers on how to add a battery for a bunch of electrical mods. Some people gave me ideas on the charging electronics, you helped me find the correct alternator I needed. Thank you!
Your welcome!
Just got a free ST824, and the thing is in great shape. I'd just leave it alone, but this will be perfect for my 2nd or back up machine to my dlx sho for business so now I'm thinking LED lights and maybe even 12v starter and all that other fun stuff. I do have a 10hp Tec from a junk 1028 that may go into this new (to me) 824... This video is answering lots of questions I have.
Great info. Thanks
I have a dumb question I think I have that same unit you have their I got the same lights do you have to hook up a 12 volt relay for that to work
No the side you hook up to in this video is the direct current side, no relay is needed. You only need a relay for the other wire which is alternating current and would probably need a relay. So if you ever want to add hand warmers or a battery that will charge than you would need a relay, but just for hooking up lights like I did in this video, which is direct current you don’t need a relay. Just hook it up like I did in the video and your good, no relay or capacitors are required. That’s why I used that larger stator, it already puts out enough power direct current that you don’t need a relay or capacitors. If you use one of those smaller stators that only has alternating current than yes you need a relay and capacitors. The point of this video was to be able to hook up lights without needing relays or capacitors. That stator is already powerful enough and had direct current off the one wire so that you don’t need relays or capacitors. It’s a direct plug and play hook up. If you tap into the other wire which is alternating current than you would need a relay, but just for lights you only need the direct current side of it. Down the road if you want to add heated grips or other items that require power power such as to a battery to charge it for a 12 volt starter using the other wire which is alternating current than you need a relay. You’re using the direct current side of that stator. LED light’s need direct current so they don’t blink. That’s why I used that larger stator. You’re going direct from the stator to the lights, using direct current, so no relay is required. Relays are used when you take something hooked to alternating current like the alternating current of the stator and want to hook it to lights that use direct current. Relays convert alternating current to direct current. That’s what a relay does. Your using direct current from that stator to lights that require direct current, you don’t need to covert the power, so you don’t need a relay. That’s why I used that larger stator with direct current, so you could bypass having to use a relay or rectifier or capacitors. You don’t need any of that stuff with that stator, it eliminates the need by passing having to add any of that. The only thing you need other than just hooking the light up directly is an on/off switch if you wanna be able to turn the lights off when not needed. An on off switch isn’t required, you can use it without one, but than the lights will always be on, so I added a switch so I could shut them off during the day, but it’s not required. Everything you need is in that video, if I didn’t use it, you don’t need it.
The people who add relays/rectifiers and capacitors are using those much smaller stators that only have AC. The relay is used for those setups so the lights don’t blink, that’s all the relay does. Because if you hook up lights that are direct current to a stator that puts out alternating current the lights will blink, so fast it’s almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but when filmed you can see the lights constantly flash on/off, on/off. All of that was eliminated using that larger stator, which was the point of the video. No need for relays/rectifiers or capacitors. Just make sure you don’t use a light that draws more current than the stator is rated for or you will burn out the stator. The light I used was perfect, there was juice left to spare and it’s more than bright enough. You can go a little bigger, just make sure the light you use has a rating that is less than the actual rating on the stator. If you exceed it, you will burn out the stator. Otherwise it’s straight forward and covered in the video.
@@Mr_Tecumseh I have the same lights that you have the 18 Watts bought up from Amazon the snowblower has three wires connectors on the plug too hot and I think the other ones the ground I don't know how big the stator is it is a 10 horse Tecumseh but someone told me I might have to put a relay in there and in a little square I don't know what the other one was but I hooked it up the lights come on and I turn the idle down they go down I hope I got it right and you mentioned hand warmers I didn't know you could hook hand warmers up on that too but I'm not going to do that it's a real nice old snowblower it never had lights and I found where to hook them up at and I hope my stator is like what you have there thank you for replying back
@@davidlautwein1338 If the lights dim when you idle it down you did it right. With direct current the speed of the engine determines how much power is being produced, with alternating current, the lights would stay a steady brightness no matter what speed the engine is running so you did fine. The only thing I would keep in mind is don’t leave the light on when you throttle the engine down. To be safe only use the lights when the engine is running at full swing, because you put more work on the stator powering the light when you run it at low speed. The stator I used in this video which is also the one you have was only used on top of the line snowblowers that had all the bells and whistles. Most snowblowers that have the hook up for a light used a cheesy small alternator that gave out minimum power for lights. The videos that you have seen that required the voltage regulator and capacitors were people hooking up led lights using that basic little stator which is the common one. Those were alternating current stators only. The reason you had to use a voltage regulator and capacitors with those base stators was because they are alternating current only stators that have a single wire. The stator we use has two wires the one which is also alternating current and direct current. The old halogen lights were alternating current systems so if you upgraded to an led and you had a halogen light with that basic stator you had to use a voltage regulator to convert the AC to DC to properly run DC led lights. I did it the way I did it to avoid having to convert AC to DC plus that stator produces a lot more power than the standard one. So what you end up with is a stator that has the DC hookup ready to go plug and play no regulator/rectifier or capacitors needed. Plus you still have all that extra juice from the alternating end of the stator left to tap into if you ever wanted to add more electrical components to your machine. Yes they sell aftermarket heater grips online that will slide onto the handle bars of your machine after you take the stock ones off if you wanted to add the heated grips. The really high end snowblowers also had key electric start that had a battery on board. That is why that stator has a second wire for alternating current so that you can provide power to AC heated grips as well as charge the battery while the engine is running. So that the battery is fully charged when you go to start it again. But for now unless you add those items you don’t need the alternating current side of the stator, so I left mine untapped into and could use it in the future if I ever wanted to add those things. But yea you’re all set, you don’t need any of those other components for your light. That’s why I went with that higher powered stator that already had a DC hookup, so I didn’t have to bother with a bridge rectifier/regulator or capacitors. It was easier to just use a stator already equipped to handle the LED without adding those extra components. I shared it online to show others you can hook up LED lights without the need for those added components. Basically another method of installation. Also in my opinion a better method because your using equipment that was designed to handle the lighting instead of alternating equipment that was never really intended for LED or uses outside the stock methods for those alternators. So you’re all set, you have no worries. One other thing you will notice, I have seen people hookup LED lights to those stock stators and while they work, over time it will burn them out, also another issue is if you hook into the stock alternator without a rectifier the LED gives off a strobe effect, essentially what that means is the light constantly blinks, it’s not steady. It blinks so fast you can’t see it with the naked eye, however if you film the machine with the light on and watch the video you will see the LED blinks nonstop. Now if you film your machines light, you won’t have any blinking, there is no blinking because you have a direct current led connected directly to a DC stator. You’ll see. But that’s why a rectifier is required if you hook up an LED to one of those stock AC alternators. You’re not getting direct current, it alternates on/off on/off. You don’t need that and won’t have that issue. Because you’re on DC.
I hope that helps explain what my method of connecting the lights does.
@Mr_Tecumseh thank for help
Any chance do you have the part number for those hand warmers to put on that unit
I hooked it up without the relay and they work but someone keeps telling me I need the 12-volt relay in there do I need to put that back in there I appreciate if you let me know thank you
No you don’t need the relay. The side you hooked up to is direct current. You may need a relay if you use the other wire which is alternating current, but as long as you hooked it to the direct current side like I did in the video, no relay is needed.
Wiil this work on my Craftsman 24" Snowblower?
If it has a Tecumseh 8 thru 13hp, yes.
I just did that but with m’y push mower
@@gedeonclavet2946 Did what?
Hi! My engine got the 18w alternator. When the engine is running, I get 16 Volts output at full throttle. Do you know if thats correct or is my alternator broken?
16 volts should be plenty for a 12 volt system. Thats more than enough to charge the system and run it. Sounds fine.
@@Mr_Tecumseh Thanks! I thought so too. But when connecting a bridge rectifier, and 2 condensors (paralell over the led light) I get 0V out of the curcuit. If i take away the condensors I get 13-16V (depending how much throttle I have) but my LED only starts when it have a "clean" DC voltage input. Maby the condensors are faulty?
Nice vid!
Stator assembly looks beefy!
Hoping you could help me out. I have the Tecumseh stator with 10 rappings and 1 red wire with a diode in it.
611116 is the part number.
I can try, what are you trying to figure out about it?
@@Mr_Tecumseh I'm getting 16.8 volts, 6.3 amps and 105 watts. Using just the inline diode it has installed from the factory, My 18 watt LED pods exploded. It's only supposed to produce 36 watts. Why is it so high?
@@brandonlaw2010 If the diode side is the DC side that charges a battery it would be above 12 volts typically around 14, in order to charge a battery.
Not sure why it blew out your LED's. though. How long did it run before they blew out?
@@Mr_Tecumseh only a few minutes. I'm going to try using a briggs AVR rectifier regulator.