At 14:01 +1000 13/10/97, Malcolm Walker wrote:
[Dan Massey]
>> For my two cents worth, I wouldn't waste the money. The dash lights are
>> barely usable as it is, even with the dimmer set to the brightest
>>setting. If
>> it were me, I would just jumper the rheostat out, and leave the knob in
>>place
>> just for apearance sake.
>
>When I had a late job a couple of summers ago I drove a god-awful Ford
>Fairmont wagon. I found that night driving was much easier when the
>gauges could be dimmed. However, I'd bet my lousy Ford display was a lot
>brighter than the average TR display.
>
My vote is with Dan Massey. The TR6 dash lighting seems to have been
designed for dim and dimmer. At the first opportunity, I intend to bypass
the rheostat. If I am blinded by the glare, I will make suitable
adjustments.
However, if it is necessary to dim the dash lights, then why not fit a two
position rotary switch (three position if you also want to turn the lights
fully off) with a fixed resistor in place of the rheostat and use the
original knob. This should cost 10 to 20% of the price of a replacement
Lucas rheostat and should not wear out as quickly.
An earlier email suggested a fixed resistor of about 200 Ohm to dim the
lights. This seems a bit high. The normal dashboard lighting current
should be around 1.6 Amp, so 0.2 to 0.4 Amp should provide a usable dim.
This will require a resistance of 30 to 50 Ohm. Has anyone found the
optimum value by experiment?
The resistor will dissipate around 10 to 12 W and should be given plenty of
space and ventilation.
Trevor Jordan
74 TR6 CF29281U
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