The following explanation only covers FL250’s produced between 1981 and 1983. This is my personal view of how the electrical system of the Odyssey works and it is not intended to be a professional guide for it.

 The components you need for a basic 12 Volt DC circuit cycle are the following

ENERGY SOURCE

The Energy Source of the Odyssey is concentrated inside the generator, right behind the starter pulley. The energy is generated by the magnetic field coming from the rotor when it energizes each of the three following coils:

1. The exciter coil
2. The pulse coil
3. The lighting coil

There are two basic separate circuit cycles inside the Odyssey.

The first circuit cycle is formed by the exciter coil and the pulse coil together. We will call it the “engine circuit”. Their work only deals with the performance of the engine. This includes, among other jobs, regulating the timing for the gasoline ignition. The coordinated work between the two of them is accomplished by the CDI. The job of the CDI is later explained in the SWITCH section.

The second circuit cycle is formed by the lightning coil. This coil is totally independent from the other two. Its only function is to make the tail and head light work. We would call this cycle the “lighting circuit”.

THE SWITCH

The function of a switch is to interrupt the flow of energy. There are three switches I can recognize in the Odyssey.

1. The Engine Stop switch. This only interrupts the flow of energy inside the engine circuit. It is placed on the right side of your steering wheel.
2. The lightning switch . This interrupts and regulates the flow of energy inside the lightning circuit. The switch allows you to choose between the Low beam and the High beam for the head light. It is placed on the left side of your steering wheel.
3. The CDI. It is the “black box” of the Odyssey. It is placed below the ignition coil. It is like a mini computer that receives and sends on and off signals to the engine. It picks up signals of when the cylinder is about to reach the top and send a signal to the ignition coil to power the spark plug. The ignition coil is a very dangerous power supply inside the Odyssey. It is commanded by the CDI. It is a capacitor that receives low energy and multiplies it more than ten times to release it to the spark plug. In a regular car, a spark plug can receive up to 30,000 volts. Just imagine that kind of increase, from 12V to 30,000V. I am not sure how much the Odyssey receives but I have tried to pull the cable while the engine is working and I did receive a huge shook up (Don’t try this at home folks!!!!).

THE LOAD

All the energy generated needs to used for some purpose; It needs a load. The loads for the Odyssey are:

1. The Head and Tail light bulbs
2. The spark plug

THE GROUND

Among the principles of physics, there is the one that states “energy cannot be destroyed”. This is exactly the work of the ground, it makes sure energy is not destroyed.

After the load is done using the energy it needs, whatever energy is left must be transported somewhere else. Therefore, the ground, in the form of a cable attached to the chassis of the Odyssey, transports the energy that is left back into the system to make a more efficient use of it. The energy gets recycled in the circuit.