Testing voltage regulators that overheat under load

[Alan]

You might notice the gauge climbing, and the regulator feels hotter than it should, even with a light load. Before it gets too hot, let’s conduct some quick field tests, do some meter checks, and employ a few smart tricks to determine if it’s actually failing or just being overworked.

 

[LEDZepp]

Had a situation with a site generator where the gauge was creeping up and the regulator was too hot to touch.
Figured it was done for, but after doing a few voltage checks and load tests, I found it was just overworked.
That saved me from having to replace the whole thing

 

[shortedtwice]

Saw something similar happen with a friend’s machine. It was a warm day, light load, and the regulator felt like it was on fire. A few quick checks in the field and some smart meter tests revealed it was a wiring problem not a faulty part. Troubleshooting came through once again.

 

[solderandchill]

My old rig started overheating the regulator even when it was idling, and I totally freaked out.
I grabbed my meter and checked the output, grounds, and load draw.
It turned out a bad battery was putting too much stress on it.
Once I figured that out, fixing it was a piece of cake.