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11-29-2016, 04:40 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Prescott, AZ
Posts: 38
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John Deer Voltage Regulator
Just had my second Ducati failure. 1st one lasted 175 hrs. second one lasted 400 hrs. Has anyone had any failures after installing the John Deer regulator? Also, has anyone had a failure of the Ducati after moving it inside the cockpit?
At $175 a pop this is getting old.
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11-29-2016, 10:13 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: arvada, co
Posts: 445
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Bob,
I am still on my original Ducati at 165 hours and watching it closely. I have a new Ducati and John Deere on the shelf just in case.
It sounds like both your Ducati's have been on the firewall, with the air tube from the plenum. Correct? I am not a fan of having the VR in the cockpit. I have a friend with years and years of Kitfox time and VR in the cockpit. He has had 5 fail over the years and has had them expel thin white cloud of stuff. Not toxic or vision impairing, but alarming none the less. He was not a fan of the VR in the cockpit.
I too am interested to hear how the in cockpit VR's fair over time. Anyone?
__________________
Patrick Claar
Arvada, CO BJC
RV12, #401, Flying 2013, N612PC
RV6, 1996-2010 sold
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11-29-2016, 01:46 PM
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Mill SC
Posts: 333
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I have just replaced my original VR after 285 hours inside the firewall.
I replaced with another Ducati as I'm SLSA and relocated inside the cockpit as per Vans.
So far so good and I'll post any problems here.
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11-29-2016, 03:55 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Elkton, Md.
Posts: 1,652
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I have built two 12's, one with the vr under the cowl and my current one has it in the cockpit. The first vr on my early 12 lasted 200 hrs and when I sold it at 330 hrs. It was on it's 2nd vr.
The first vr on my current 12 (mounted in cockpit) lasted 150 hours. I subsequently installed a jd and it lasted 60 hours. It doesn't appear that the new location is an improvement. I am currently using another jd, but I have a small cooling fan blowing on the fins. This is an experiment and if it does not work I am relocating it under the cowling, possibly near the open hole in the cowling.
My advice? Carry a spare. I recently had a failure 500 miles from home and had it fixed in 15 minutes.
__________________
Wag Aero Sport Trainer built,sold and wrecked
N588DF RV12 #336 built, sold and alive and well in New York
N73DF RV12 #244 built, sold and alive and well in Florida
N91 RV RV9 I wish I could say I built this one! Mark Santoleri hit the ball out of the park on this gem.
Currently restoring a 1978 Citabria GCBC
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11-29-2016, 04:02 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Omaha, NE (KMLE)
Posts: 2,247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by n233va
Has anyone had any failures after installing the John Deer regulator?
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Yes. Mine fried (in flight, nice burnt plastic smell in cockpit) after probably less than 10 hours. Fortunately the voltage only went to about 16V or so, then settled back down to 14. We had just taken off a couple of minutes earlier, so I returned to the airport and landed.
Given the experience of others, I'm guessing it was infant mortality. No way to tell, since all of them seem to come from China and all appear to be the same part -- but from how many different sources? It's anyone's guess. I may try another one, but not until next year. I don't like the output or cost of the Ducati regulator, but my confidence in the JD replacement clone is very, very low.
__________________
Dale
Omaha, NE
RV-12 # 222 N980KM "Screamin' Canary" (bought flying)
Fisher Celebrity (under construction)
Previous RV-7 project (sold)
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11-29-2016, 09:44 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Clearwater, Florida
Posts: 398
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Geez guys . . . what is going on with these things?
This VR anomaly appears to be RV-12 specific, as other fleets have the VR failures much less frequently.
I hope all of you with failures are reporting each failure to Rotax. There is a downloadable Rotax form for reporting such items.
They can't fix it . . . if they don't know it's happening.
Astounding.
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11-30-2016, 08:11 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Fall City, WA
Posts: 138
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I submitted, under warrantee (140 hours, less than 18 months) my fried VR to Aircraft Spruce/CPS/Rotax in July for a replacement refund. I have ~ 20 "reminder" emails into CPS. Still have not heard back from Rotax.
I think they know this is an issue. Frustrating...I had hoped for better from Rotax.
__________________
B2RV12
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11-30-2016, 08:41 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 421
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I like my john deere - I do keep a spare in the plane, but haven't had a problem. I don't have the hours that others have on it, and it does charge well, almost too well - i see the occasional warning when it hits the upper limit on voltage really when its been sitting for 30 days without flying....but conversely I don't see the discharging it seemed I was always seeing with the ducati VR....especially with the lights all on...my plane is loaded up too with dual touch, etc, a/p panels, ads...a lot of electrical load when everything is working.
Those trickle chargers, even the ones that supposedly condition the battery, snowflake mode, etc, they are just wrecking your battery imho, it needs to be charged properly when flying.
Mine is still on the shelf with the original holes and some experimental work similar to how others mounted it - i kept the blast tube, and used some washers with heat sink compound on the washers attached to the holes and bolts, but also a small space under the VR to allow some air circulation. I really think that our firewall and shelf get so hot with that small space, that is what is frying those ducatis.

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11-30-2016, 09:20 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 863
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave12
This is an experiment and if it does not work I am relocating it under the cowling, possibly near the open hole in the cowling.
My advice? Carry a spare. I recently had a failure 500 miles from home and had it fixed in 15 minutes.
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If you get there you may want to try this solution:
http://vieilleburette.blogspot.com/2015/03/ducatti-voltage-regulator-relocation.html
I have about 100 hours on it. The temp strips indicate that the regulator temperature never exceeded 70 deg. C. As a reminder, analysis of the failed regulators shows that most failures are caused by solder degradation due to high temperature combined with vibrations.
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