Can I replace my rectifier with one of these?

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct.jsp?sku=1467474&CMP=e-2072-00001000&gross_price=true

Not sure if that's the right one, but I rebuilt an old Beta Zero a few years ago and some of the electrics for the fan were missing.

I went to Maplins and explained that I needed to rectify the AC produced from the gen (can't remember the output of the gen, but I did tell them) to DC at 12 volts.

They sold me something very similar and it worked a treat.

So it might be worth getting the gen output and asking in Maplins or other electronics shop.

A diode is like a non return valve and lets current flow one way but not return(AC) This converts it into a pulsing current but uni directional

If you think of current (amps) as the rate of flow like water from your tap. The voltage as the pressure of the flow An example is a tap run of the mains water supply ( high pressure) or that supplied from a header tank(lower pressure) Some diode packs on bikes are also designed to control the voltage as the revs rise so does the voltage out put from the stator This could damage the electrical equipment ie .fan ect

A rectifier can cut off 1/2 of the AC but you need to "fill in" that missing part. A capacitor can do that well enough. Some of these components will get hot when running.

Bike regulators are really voltage limiters but I beleive they are only needed to protect light bulbs. They basically, dump voltage to ground when it goes over about 14 volts.

http://www.bikebandit.com/moose-racing-regulator

Thanks for the info guys reckon I'll go ask the guys at maplin... I dont see the point in paying £20+ for something when you can get the same thing to do the same job for a fraction of the cost.

If I find a much cheaper alternative I'll let ya know.