Wiring questions...

VonFuct

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Wiring gurus, I need some help. I worked up this diagram but now I wanna make a couple changes. First off, does anyone see any problems with it as is so far? Second, I want to add in a relay for the headlight but not sure how it gets wired in to the mix. Also, I have a cool momentary push button switch I'd like to use for the kill switch but not sure if it will work or not. In my head, it's backwards for what I need (closed circuit when pushed and open when not depressed). Also, if I wanted to run a small battery for powering my lighting in case the bike dies, how would I go about doing that and how small of a battery could I get away with?
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I used a .8 amh sla battery wired directly onto my capacitor. Works fine. Hit my toggle switch, lights come on and kick start. Off I go. This sla battery I've seen on here. The size of a pack of cigarettes. Used for alarm systems.
 
You can use the normally open push button as a kill switch if you connect it between ground and the green wire from the PAMCO. You would not need the kill switch as shown in your diagram for a capacitor setup, but keep the switch as shown if you are going to use a battery. The normally open push button kill switch must be rated for at least 400 Volts as that is the spike voltage on the green wire. Not recommended for a battery setup because there would still be current flow from the battery to the coil / PAMCO after the engine stops.
 
Thank you Pete, I was hoping you'd chime in! What do you think of running a small battery for lighting along with two capacitors, redundancy being the key here. And run them parallel or in series? What about using a relay with the momentary button switch I have to function as a kill switch (if the switch is not rated for at least 400 volts)?
 
Thank you Pete, I was hoping you'd chime in! What do you think of running a small battery for lighting along with two capacitors, redundancy being the key here. And run them parallel or in series? What about using a relay with the momentary button switch I have to function as a kill switch (if the switch is not rated for at least 400 volts)?

Relay may release as the voltage from the PMA decreases as the engine winds down, so the engine will start again and continue to cycle on and off. With battery, the relay will be de energized when you release the push button but the current will continue to flow to the coil / PAMCO, frying both if the engine is not running. Not much purpose in having both capacitors and small battery, but if you insist, wire them in parallel.
 
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Hi VonFuct,
and no signals neither, eh? Ah well. Back when I started riding bikes didn't have signals, hand signals were the only option and half the cars still had semaphore signal arms. And my first copy of "The Highway Code" still had illustrations of the whip signals required of a horse and cart operator.
But here's a thought:- ditch the capacitors, run a small battery instead. A gel-cell or other non-leaker. But don't install it on the bike.
Keep it in your jacket's side pocket and plug it into the bike with a special cord like you would a heated vest.
That way you don't need a key or a switch because you are the key and the switch and you can watch from the cafe window as some poor thieving bastard tries to kickstart the bike to ride it away.
 
A battery is always better than a capacitor. If you install a battery, the capacitor performs no function and can be removed.

If the taillight is an LED, your bike is only going to consume approximately 75 to 105 watts, when driving down the road at around 4000 rpm. If you have a Chinese PMA rated at 200 watts at 4000 rpm, that means your rec/reg unit has to try to get rid of 95 to 125 watts of unused power. Your electrical system is unbalanced and may have trouble dealing with the excessive heat that will be generated.
 
Relay may release as the voltage from the PMA decreases as the engine winds down, so the engine will start again and continue to cycle on and off. With battery, the relay will be de energized when you release the push button but the current will continue to flow to the coil / PAMCO, frying both if the engine is not running. Not much purpose in having both capacitors and small battery, but if you insist, wire them in parallel.

Okay, I'm picking up what you're putting down about the kill switch. The purpose of running a capacitor and a small battery to power lights is I'm not a big fan of having zero lights if and when the motor dies for whatever reason. The battery would be used only to power the head and tail lights when the motor was not running... or at least, that's how I saw it in my head. And the dual capacitors were for, one to have a back up in case one were to go bad, and two to aid in starting.
 
A battery is always better than a capacitor. If you install a battery, the capacitor performs no function and can be removed.

If the taillight is an LED, your bike is only going to consume approximately 75 to 105 watts, when driving down the road at around 4000 rpm. If you have a Chinese PMA rated at 200 watts at 4000 rpm, that means your rec/reg unit has to try to get rid of 95 to 125 watts of unused power. Your electrical system is unbalanced and may have trouble dealing with the excessive heat that will be generated.

The battery and capacitor both have different jobs in the way I'd like to run it. The capacitor for kick starting and the battery to power the lights if and when the bike stalls or dies on the side of the road.
 
I have an Anti-gravity battery, 8-cell, and it works fine. Kick only with signals, lights and everything else. And is tiny. Weighs 1 pound. If I didn't run all the accessories, I could use the 4 cell. I have a switch on my headlight to turn off my lights before I kick to save juice. When it starts, I flip the switch on. Little battery would take up less space than 2 capacitors and a battery. Why not just run a battery? You are charging anyway. They're not cheap, but I don't want to break down because I bought some cheap item.
 
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Redundancy is my thinking, two is one and one is none so why not have three?

Okay, so I added in a relay for the lighting, changed the kill switch (will have to find a N.C. version instead of the N.O. one I have) and threw a small battery in the mix (not sure how it should be wired in though). Does it look correct still? How should the battery be wired in to give me lights if and when the bike is not running?
 
Not going to guess at the wire-in for the battery, as I'm not sure. But it would have to charge, so it would need to come off the charging system, obviously. But those little batteries don't last long if running just lights. Which, I have to ask, why you want lights on if the bike dies. Just curious. Seems as though you don't have much confidence in your bike.
 
Its the first time I've ever heard of someone wanting to have 2 separate electrical systems on their bike. I suspect there is a bit of history here where VonFuct must of had some electrical problems in the past. It would be simpler to just have confidence in one system, and improve your bike to make it so.

Now small airplanes use dual magnetos to ensure they don't get engine failures, but its obvious why they do that.
 
Hmm, I personally wouldn't use that scheme as a basis. You're going two different directions; the M-unit adds complexity and the number of circuits, while most PMA/ kick-only schemes seek simplicity. You haven't stated if you want a battery system nor what ignition you'll use.
Here's a decent system using an M-unit:
A488B90C-0508-4F3E-B302-8D53F042AA89.jpeg

Here's a simplified PMA with capacitor system
pma cap.jpeg
 
I have a small 0.8a battery like the one shown in his dia. and a capacitor . I'm wondering if I can make both work with the m unit. I have the m button and the m lock as well. I'd like to make the entire set up work with a hidden battery
 
I’d get an Antigravity 401 and call it a day. When people ditch real batteries they tend to want to lose electrical components, not add every electrical accessory they can find. The 401 is still extremely small and easy to hide, but it’s a real battery that has the potential to run everything you want to run.
 
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