Wizard,
I don’t know about the two cycle Rotax engines, but the Ducati on the 912 series is NOT a shunt regulator. It is simply a full wave bridge that turns OFF once the “C” pin senses ~14 volts. The heat generated at the regulator is proportional to the output current. At low output power, negligible heat is produced. At zero output, no heat is generated.
I’m confused by your claim that the charging system needs an additional ground wire to the engine. The stator charging coils are isolated from any ground reference. Once running, the only current in the engine ground wire is from the three temperature sensors.
Yes, I agree that heat is the enemy of electronics, but these regulators don’t die from electronics failures. I have examined dozens of failures and ALL the failures are mechanical.
Eric, if you want to put this problem behind you, or you need convincing you have a problem, I would be happy to discuss this with you... but a forum is not the place.
