C4S/shunt regulator test

[ducati guy]

Is there an easy way to test a C4S/shunt regulator combo? I was thinking of hooking it up to the power supply with a load resistor that would approximate the current draw (~52 mA). Reasonable?

[Paul Joppa]

You mean, hook it up and see if it smokes? That ought to work...

If the shunt regulator can handle all the C4S current then you don't need to simulate the load for a quick check, but the internal voltages and currents won't be the same as in normal operation so a full simulation as you described is a better check.

[ducati guy]

Thanks. I'll hook it up and see what happens!

[Grainger49]

IIRC, VoltSecond had a test for C4S boards using a 9V battery.  It would test the LED orientation, transistor wiring but I don't know if it gets to the rated current.

Is that possible?

[ducati guy]

Tried the full power test and everything appears to be working fine. Voltages and current are as expected. Was a bit concerned since I had never had a printed circuit board made before and despite checking many, many times, worried about a mistake in the connections.

[Grainger49]

You always worry about the smoke test.  On my first kit, 1965, cheap, Japanese, wrong instructions, wrong schematic (I had to be told I couldn't know), paper/foil/wax cheap caps we (my brother and I) exploded the wax caps on several attempts.  Luckily the kit had extra parts.