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Re: Battery not charging. :: UPDATE

Posted by sgtslag on May 13, 2013; 12:22pm
URL: http://vintage-and-classic-hondas.81.s1.nabble.com/UPDATE-2-Battery-not-charging-tp4039420p4040692.html

Check to see if your meter has a Diode Test Mode on it.  If it does, use this, and the schematic shown in the previous post.  The Diode is a one-way gate for electricity:  it only allows electrons to flow in one direction, blocking flow in the opposite direction -- when Alternating Current (AC) is applied to it, it blocks flow until the AC is of the correct polarity, then it conducts most of it (rectifying/turning AC into DC, or Direct Current), dropping 0.6 Volts across itself, if it is a silicon Diode [germanium Diodes are only used in very special situations (more expensive to make, less durable than silicon), and they drop only 0.4 Volts?].

Anyway, by using the Ohm-meter, you cannot guarantee a proper resistance reading, unless you know that your Ohm-meter will apply a particular voltage, on a particular resistance range...  The Diode Test mode applies enough voltage to turn the Diode on, and it measures the voltage drop across it, checking to see that it is 0.6 Volts, verifying that the Diode is working properly.  This is the only way to be certain that your R/R is working properly, unless you have the same Ohm-meter as what Honda engineers were using when they wrote that manual.

Remember:  using the Diode Test Mode, you will only get a passing reading (usually a beep, accompanied by a numerical reading, varies by meter -- consult the owner's manual) when the polarity is correct; the reverse polarity should read as an open.  This applies to the Yellow/Green wire tests (individual Diodes shown in the schematic diagram).  Cheers!
1979 CB750K (sold, 2012, but not forgotten)
1983 Kawasaki 440 LTD Belt Drive (sold, 2011)
1993 Kawasaki Voyager XII