Dynohub Age and Use
 

Do SA dynohubs lose output with age, or do they generally keep strong? I'm searching for one and was wondering if an older hub would still be viable. I know the magnets can't be separated from the keeper or else they lose their magnetism, but what about raw age and output? Does anyone specifically have any experience with older, pre 1952 Dynohubs?

I have a Sturmey Archer AG from 1958 which I am currently using to power a planet bike blaze. It has worked fine for at least two years or so, and seems similar in output to my (much) newer Schmidt hub.

I don't have any much older than around 1970 but the ones I do have are still putting out just fine, the OEM lights leave a bit to be desired. I am currently running a 1973 AG hub on my Twenty with a B&M Retro headlight and a Spanninga LED tail light, other than the fact it is a 2.4watt versus the 3 watt of the front hub dynos it does the job.

Aaron:)

I think my Dynohubs date from 1951-1955; they generally work fine. I still use them for my daily commuters, and haven't had any problems. I get better light from newer lights; on the original English lights, the lenses have yellowed more. (Why do you ask about 1952?)

Prior to 1952 the adjustment cone was underneath the dynamo unit. I was wondering whether this added to the level of difficulty in refreshing the bearings. Have you ever worked on a pre 1952 unit?

all comments ive read, have in common this quote "Dont mess with it unless it malfunctions" no refresh needed.

Hmmm so the best course might be just to roll in some oil through the port and let it go at that?

exactly...im waiting for a 1974 dynohub...but have read a lot about this....im still to determine the correct spoke lenght to use on my 16" rim....

Three Dynohubs here: '51 GH6, '48 GH6, and a '54 FG. All three work as well as they did when new.

-Kurt

Is only one cone adjustable? I assume you're talking about a front dynohub, correct? I have a rear dynohub from '51 or '52 (can't remember) but I haven't done much with it (I'm not even sure it works) which is why I've been silent on this question. With the front hub, if you can't adjust the cone under the dynamo (on the right side of the hub), isn't it still possible to adjust the left side cone? If so, that should be enough. It would be nice to grease the bearings, of course....

What rim are you using, and how many spokes?

I haven't gotten into the bearings on my '51 Dynohub yet, but I plan to do it fairly soon; will let you know what I find. As for power output: I think it's doing what it was designed to do.

28H spokes RIGIDA Rim 16" x 1 3/8 with a 1974 Dynohub

i was advised on 144mm and 158mm

If you're brave enough, disassembly/assembly instructions for the Dynohub are available here: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/sa/sagh6.pdf

Yeah, that should do it. That's for 2-cross. Gonna do it yourself? Fun!

Is it possible to take the dynamo part out without running into de-magnitization issues? Can you just pop the dynamo out as a unit to get to the cone underneath it, without running into problems?

As long as the magnet and armature are not separated it should be fine.

Ok, good. I recently won a GH6 on eBay, and I was worried about cleaning and regreasing. I'm not quite sure from the directions how to do it. When it arrives and I can put my hands on it I'll have a better idea.

I want to use it on a Raleigh 3 speed--26 x 1 3/8, 590 rims. What size spokes will I need? I'm leaning toward buying an alloy rim, too, as long as I'm at it, unless it's easy and cheap to lace it up in my stock Raleigh westrick rims.

Hi I do not have much experience with dynamo hubs but I did buy what appears to be a nice shimano one this summer to go with the Nexus 8 IGH hub. I haven't used it yet but it looks real nice.

I take it the armature isn't the well in the shell but a different part? I'm hoping I could just pop out the whole dynamo as a unit, get in underneath, and then put it back in. I have no plans to actually work on the dynamo itself.

im gonna gather all the pieces and try to lace it myself....then send it somewhere for truing
:thumb:many thanx!

2 cross? isnt that the normal way to lace this?

THanks John-- that's the best I've seen. I've looked at that diagram before, but without the color it's somewhat hard to tell what's what.

Yes...at least on the hubs I have. I had one that looked like it had been full of water at some point and did not work well at all. I tore it completely down (without separating the ring and armature) cleaned up the housing, repacked the bearing and did as much cleaning as I could to the assembly. Worked a whole lot better when I got it back together.

Aaron:)

I have a number of decent lamp sets from bottle generators around. They seem to be rated for 12v 6w. Would these work rigged to a dynohub, or do I need an actual dynohub lamp set? I'm guessing the dynohub lamp set has some kind of kill switch because the hub is always generating power?