ignition timing

[DewCatTea-Bob]

By: Steve...
" It also gives a wiring diagram showing a "westinghouse" regulator. "

____ Thanks for including the link to that rare/old wiring-scheme, I've never before seen such a colorized-diagram for the oldest Ducati-models.
__ However, that unit which you have assumed to be a "regulator" is in fact merely just an old-style rectifier, only !
Back in those days of merely adequate charging-power, all required voltage-regulation was left to be handled by the battery alone,, as the available alt.power & power-load systems were intended to be 'balanced' close enough for the battery to cope with any of the (insufficient & excess) power differences which temporary occur during normal riding.


" The current regulation to the battery is governed by switching on one or two coils via the headlight switch. "

____ That's been a very common and quite logical method for handling alt.power-production, as then the charging-system only produces it's full power whenever the lights are also turned-on, thus helping to maintain a "balanced" system ! _ That's how it gets-by without need for any regulator-unit.
Even newer systems which include v.reg-units, still employ the same dual-switch trick, so as to save the regulator-circuit from being over-worked and help keep system-voltage from becoming too high (when lights are off).


" My understanding now is that these early singles have an alternator,with battery igniton DC.
So my bike has a DC coil,correct AAU, "

____ I'm fairly certain that that's all correct !


" fitting the new Electrix alternator,plus reg/rec.
the Electrix 12 coil alternator is 6 volt as I asked them to supply it to me as such, "

____ I'm sure that they provide the very-same alternator regardless of requesting it for 12 or 6 volt systems, and merely sent you a '6-volt' type regulator to go with.


" I will post some pictures of the original regulator tomorrow. "

____ When you do post more pix, how about including pictures of all* the other stock items which you've removed from your old-Duke, as well ? - (* Aside from those you've already posted.)


" See the full document taken from this site.It says this booklet is for "magneto" bikes but I think this is misleading as we have recently discovered from the very informative posts on this thread. "

____ Back when I first started paying any attention to motorcycles (in the early-60s), I recall most everyone making a big-deal out of whether or not a cycle -('bike') had a 'magneto' or "mag" ! _ Seems it was pretty important back then, as it was mostly considered to be an engine-performance concern like dual-carbs or overhead-cams, etc., as everyone seemed to be extra-concerned with go-fast items back then !
So it seems that anything even coming close to equating an actual magneto, was thus declared as such,, either to help sales, or to provide bragging-rights. _ And the myth of DUCATIs employing a magneto has ever-since been ignorantly passed-along by many who've been so conditioned to think-likewise.


Dukaddy-DUKEs,
-Bob