Voltage Regulator/Rectifier/Charge Controller to charge battery on pull start 15hp

Joined
Feb 28, 2015
Messages
18
Hello everyone,

I have a little 15hp tohatsu motor made in 1985. I've looked at the parts manual and noticed that i had a extra piece, which is a plug sort of deal hanging out right by the kill switch for the outboard

I have a battery, but i have yet to hook it up to the outboard for charging (its a pull start).

I want to know if i need a charge controller or regulator or anything special to keep my battery from dying. so far in my research, i've seen these charge controllers for 12v satellite panels, rectifiers, and these voltage regulators on amazon. Do i even need anything special like that, or can i just plug the battery into those 2 wires that come out to the plug?

I plugged a spotlight into those 2 wires im talking about, and it worked, with more brightness power when my rpms were up.

Thanks!

Josh
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Put a voltmeter (set to 20V DC) across those two terminals and see what the output is at higher rpm. There are lots of unregulated charging systems on the planet that do not cause any battery stress so a regulator would likely not be needed. If you get an erratic voltage reading on the DC scale, try the AC scale. I cannot imagine an external connection with an AC output would be done for a boat. I'm guessing that motor has a rectifier under the cover and the output is simply unregulated DC in which case connect the battery and go. I would install a battery disconnect to avoid any chance of discharge during storage. A phone call to a dealer would likely produce the answer you need.
 
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