Thanks Jeff. I will try the multimeter this weekend and see what I can
come up with. Just curious (and I know very little about electronics)
why would I need a "wire wound" pot? What are the other types?
Thanks again!
Peter Zaborski
76 TR6 (CF58310 UO)
Calgary AB Canada
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff S. Hapke [SMTP:hapkejs@cig.mot.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 02, 1997 4:41 PM
> To: Peter Zaborski; 'TR6 List'
> Subject: Re: rheostat
>
> You will need a wire wound pot. I'd guess at about 2 amps for all dash
> lights.
> Just as a reference point a headlight beam will draw 4-5 amps. You can
> definately put your 10 Amp ammeter in series at the pot and measure
> the
> current, without worry.
> I found the same thing inside my dimmer pot, fried traces. I was able
> to do
> some creative soldering, and now I can get several levels of
> intensity.
>
> On Oct 2, 4:29pm, Peter Zaborski wrote:
> > Subject: rheostat
> > You may recall a post I made last week concerning really dim
> instrument
> > lights. Well thanks to some pointers from some of you I have begun
> the
> > process of getting real instrument lights back in my TR6. Here is
> what I
> > have so far...
> >
> > Bypassing the rheostat altogether results in all dash lights
> functioning
> > as I would like. The brightness is definitely good. So that remains
> an
> > option for me. I would still retian the (now bypassed) rheostat so
> that
> > the dash control would stay the same.
> >
> > However, I thought I would try to actually have a controllable level
> of
> > instrument lighting (now that I know I can have it full strength for
> > relatively no effort). So I took apart the rheostat and found that
> some
> > of the tracers were missing due to presumably too much current at
> soem
> > point in the past going through them and frying them off. Here is my
> > plan...
> >
> > I have determined that a modern "potentiometer" (or "pot") will
> perform
> > the same function as the rheostat formerly did. The pots are easily
> > obtained from most electronic shops (and they cost almost nothing
> > compared to the $60 US or so the rheostat costs). The challenge is
> to
> > find a pot which has the same characterisitcs as the rheostat and
> will
> > physically be adaptable to the housing of the rheostat and/or dash.
> >
> > In order to get this info, I need to know what to do. My plan
> involves
> > getting a number of resistors and placing them one at a time between
> the
> > terminals on the rheostat to determine which resistance produces the
> > lowest level of lighting I want for my "dimmest" setting. That way
> if
> > the resistor which gives this level is 500 ohms for example, I can
> look
> > for a 500ohm pot at the electronic store. Of course the other value
> I
> > need is how much current should this pot be able to take. Pots are
> rated
> > in watts (voltage * current). Does anyone know what kind of current
> goes
> > through the instrument light circuit on a TR6 (under normal
> conditions)?
> > I assume that 14 volts is the correct voltage. I don't want to fry
> my
> > multimeter trying to measure the current if the value is a lot
> higher
> > that the meter is built for (10 amps max).
> >
> > Any help from the eletronic wizzes woudl be greatly apprecaited.
> Thanks.
> >
> > Peter Zaborski
> > 76 TR6 (CF58310 UO)
> > Calgary AB Canada
> >
> >-- End of excerpt from Peter Zaborski
>
>
>
> --
> ___________________________________________________
> Jeff S. Hapke Motorola CIPG Arlington Heights, IL
|