ok well i just decided to put my mower all back together and i just happend to find a 1n4007 diode so i solderd it in line and i started it up and measured with volt meter i was getting anywhere between 14-23v dc depending on rpms...is this good or bad....and is it safe to hook up to battery with the max being 23volts...i know cars only use about 14v to charge their battery????
One diode wired in-line like that wont convert AC to DC, although some industrial engines (with a 1-wire charging coil) do use a single diode wired in-line, but this is simply done to prevent voltage from the battery feeding back into the charging coil, and draining the battery when the engine isnt running.
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A perfectly functioning automotive alternator that had a 14 volt output charging into a battery, would instantly spike up to over 100 volts when disconnected from its battery...
You'll need to conect your charging coil to a fully charged 12 volt battery to get an accurate output voltage reading.
