Help with Alternator

[Leester]

I acquired an alternator a few years back in trade for some stuff. Said to be from a Mercedes, possibly a 107 body. It was represented as rebuilt and it appears to be. This alternator has a double pulley. Will have it tested before trying to use. 

Am having trouble posting photos but at the rear is a white plastic housing with three male prongs, which I assume is for a voltage regulator which I would have to obtain. Are voltage regulators “matched” in some way to the alternator’s output? I noodled around the interweb but really couldn’t find anything that looked like something I could buy and plug in there.

Hoping to avoid frying this thing. Thanks in advance for help. Lee

Will try posting photos later.

[Leester]

Ok, here's an earlier posting that shows what I have. In the lower picture in reply 2 you can see the white housing housing with the black center. What I have doesn't have the black center piece which I take it is the voltage regulator. Can I just order the part using the Bosch numbers in WRe's reply and plug it in?

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=34040.msg249490#msg249490

[Leester]

It appears that the answer is a bit complicated but the short answer is that the voltage regulator does have to be matched to the alternator. The good news seems to be that this alternator is probably in the 1975 to 1985 date range and as near as I can tell, the same voltage regulator is used throughout Mercedes alternators of this era.

I found an excellent and informative u-tube on disassembly and rebuild of a Bosch (albeit Volvo) alternator:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ZMnrtTFzE