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What are the advantages / disadvantages between the two?

They are basicly the same as far as usage...

Biggest difference is the Mechanical uses an Ampmeter and the Solid State uses a Volt Meter...

The mechanical is wired for the shunt needed to make the ammeter work and the Solid state does not have this...

Using the solid state you tap the spider harness on the dash to get your voltage and ground to the dash...

For Factory/Original restoral you will need the Mechanical, for a Motorpool or your own tastes Solid State is fine...

That is the big question what do you want and go from there...

Hope this helps...

The mechanical is stock, very reliable, cheap and repairable.

The transistorized is somewhat reliable, very sensitive to temps and polarity, EXPENSIVE and not field repairable.

Wes,

Some of the Solid State are field repairable... I opened mine (being an electronics tech) and it was not full of putty/goop or other stuff like a lot of electronic parts now a days... I can easily work on it should it go out... I mean replace components...

Hope this helps...

You can only guess at what you need and the parameters it should be set to. The Transistorized 25 ampers don't have any field service data or common military parts availability out there. Even the Army didn't fool with them. They were just swapped out when they malfunctioned. This is great for the MV dealers who want to sell lots of them but not worth a crap for the restorer unless he wants to just keep throwing money at it. A qualified electronics tech could probably sort out a problem with one but even then he will stumble and screw up a few times trying. When I say "Field Servicable" I mean there is a manual and parts out there for Joe Smuck to use to fix, troubleshoot or adjust it with.

The mechanical regulators meet the Field Serviceability criteria to a "T". They are simple enough for anyone to puts with.

Where's the best/cheapest look for a used mechanical one?

wesk wrote:You can only guess at what you need and the parameters it should be set to. The Transistorized 25 ampers don't have any field service data or common military parts availability out there. Even the Army didn't fool with them. They were just swapped out when they malfunctioned. This is great for the MV dealers who want to sell lots of them but not worth a crap for the restorer unless he wants to just keep throwing money at it. A qualified electronics tech could probably sort out a problem with one but even then he will stumble and screw up a few times trying. When I say "Field Servicable" I mean there is a manual and parts out there for Joe Smuck to use to fix, troubleshoot or adjust it with.

The mechanical regulators meet the Field Serviceability criteria to a "T". They are simple enough for anyone to puts with.

What manual/publication deescribes field service of the mechanical regulators?

Look to anyone that has converted and see what they did with the old one. Your right up my alley if you want to keep everything origenal! I haul these things for pepole that buy them (Jeeps)and when I come accross a seller that converted, I ask them if the old parts where part of the deal, if not I take them. I just gave away a regulator that came off of a M38A1.

TM 9-1825B 1952 edition or newer. These manual exerpts that apply to our electrical equipment are already loaded on my old Yahoo Group and we are working on moving them here.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/M38 ... Electrics/