IHADAV8.com - Turbo Buick Tech, and Nonsense

Tech Area => General Buick Tech => Topic started by: earlbrown on September 16 2012, 01:06:24 AM

Title: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 16 2012, 01:06:24 AM
Damn thing ended up with an iffy connection on the way to my parents house tonight. I noticed it turned over a little slow and was down to 8.5 volts by the time I got to the road.


Nothing like removing that panel using an old ass pair of wire bending pliers just to wiggle that damn bulb.

To top it off, when it finally busted off from jump starting it with a 45A alternator my damn chip's "theft BS setting" reset itself and killed it.

........and on the way home the commander's theft proof setting's page blew out the window.


I might have to make another "how-to" post. Although I'd rather find the dumbass that designed that circuit and make a snuff film.
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 16 2012, 09:33:58 AM
I fixed mine by removing the cluster, and burnishing ALL of the exposed copper contacts.

There's a thread on here somewhere about it.

Stupid design
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 16 2012, 09:46:39 AM
Cut the brown wire going to the L terminal on the alternator and insert something like a 135 ohm resistor, solder it in, cover with shrink wrap.  Take the end of the brown wire that goes to the bulb in the dash and connect it to a switched source of 12 volt power.  You can do this under the dash, or under the hood..  It is not crucial to have exactly a 135 ohm resistor as anything from 50-200 or so should work.

If you wish to be elegant and have a light that works, simply stick a bulb socket in the brown wire along with a bulb, instead of a resistor.....a man of your many talents can surely stick it in the hole vacated by the original volt light.
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 16 2012, 09:47:54 AM
:D
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 16 2012, 09:57:05 AM
stick it in the hole had no secondary meaning for the record.... :rock: :O
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 16 2012, 10:35:51 AM
The Astroglide may short it out..

(http://ffdt.info/Smileys/tfnn/taser.gif)
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 16 2012, 10:51:46 AM
Don't say short around Earl....gives him a complex
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 16 2012, 11:59:06 AM
http://www.installationinstructions.com/FYI/alternator_charging_tech.pdf (http://www.installationinstructions.com/FYI/alternator_charging_tech.pdf)
Title: Re: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Scott87 on September 16 2012, 03:14:55 PM
Almost certain he said he uses spit...  Either will cause a short..

The Astroglide may short it out..

(http://ffdt.info/Smileys/tfnn/taser.gif)

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Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 16 2012, 10:59:38 PM
It is not crucial to have exactly a 135 ohm resistor as anything from 50-200 or so should work.

If you wish to be elegant and have a light that works, simply stick a bulb socket in the brown wire along with a bulb, instead of a resistor.....a man of your many talents can surely stick it in the hole vacated by the original volt light.


That's where the trick is going to cum in. I need to figure out the "perfect" pull-up resistor to lay on the line. I want it to be open enough to still allow the idiot light to work yet take the bulb, the socket, the tracers and all the rest of that crap out of the equation.

Oddly enough I could just replace the "VOLT" get in my dash with one that says "You've got about 3 minutes before your entire car is dead. Good luck."
 I don't think that Supra pump helped either. Last night my battery got sucked down like this chick I knew in high school was doing it. I'm still a little numb on the end.



This just in: Looks like that .pdf is the ticket. I'm guessing my volt bulb's socket doesn't have the resistor inline. I guess it was changed for a normal one before I got my GN.
I just need to head on down the harness and find a better place to solder one in to take all the dash's contacts out of the way.
  Might be just the excuse I've been looking for to finally put in my new speedo cable. It'll be nice to not have the cruise control quit making 8#s on the interstate and then try and throw me through the windshield.



And, yes, spit is the ticket. To quote Lara, one of my old porn costars:

"What's the point in taking it up the ass if you're going to use lube? It defeats the whole purpose."

Good times  :tongue
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 16 2012, 11:47:58 PM
Very few turbo buicks had the socket with the resistor across it.  I have never seen one.   It would do no good in this case anyway as the socket is the part not making contact.  If you want a lite in the slot, then you can take a normal socket and solder a couple of wires into it.  pick up 12 volts ignition switched for power and run the other side to intercept the brown wire under the dash....

If you want to be elegant and put a resistor across the socket base, google should provide the resistance value...again, I don't think it is very crucial even when paralleled with a bulb -just large enuf to keep the bulb burning when it is good
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 17 2012, 01:11:39 AM
On my car the failure was between the bulb and the socket. Once I removed the trim panel and the color gels it was a simple wiggle to restore my charging system.


This flaw just gets at me from all angles. Not only does it cause a failure for no reason, it hides the failure until the car is completely dead AND gives you the chance to get away from home before stranding you.

It's almost virus like.
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: daveismissing on September 17 2012, 08:38:36 AM
As a starving student I had a regulator crap out on me so I extended a wire from the alt to the lighter socket via a switch and manually applied periodic charge monitoring my voltmeter. eek
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 17 2012, 08:59:16 AM
That's a strange one, Earl...never saw the bulb and socket have a problem

I always prefer a volt gauge, anyway, so I can see if the alternator is working properly....ju st ordered this one to replace my wide band gauge....now if it were only programmable so I could set it to flash red if it dropped below 13 v or so  http://www.aemelectronics.com/voltmeter-gauge-759 (http://www.aemelectronics.com/voltmeter-gauge-759)

New wb will be in the glovebox
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 17 2012, 09:33:47 AM
Maybe you need an aftermarket dash...
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: daveismissing on September 17 2012, 10:55:30 AM
This guy will make you anything you want:

http://www.mcnallyelectronics.com/digital_boost_gauges.htm (http://www.mcnallyelectronics.com/digital_boost_gauges.htm)
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: $1987 GN$ on September 17 2012, 11:23:04 AM
If you can solder here you go. Just use some good parts and multi turn pot.
Pretty basic want.
About 5 bux of parts the box or led will cost the most.
(http://www.ihadav8.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3709.0;attach=1876)

AJ___
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: SuperSix on September 17 2012, 11:28:10 AM
What will that circuit do?
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 17 2012, 03:38:27 PM
It looks like an adjustable idiot light based off of voltage.
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: $1987 GN$ on September 17 2012, 05:29:38 PM
Was away.
Correct Earl.
Oh adjust the variable till the led turns on when the battery voltage drops to your required level.

AJ___
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 17 2012, 06:00:26 PM
I've never seen a zener diode used like that in the voltage divider.

 What's the benefit of doing that instead of a normal resistor on both sides? Current consumption?
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: $1987 GN$ on September 17 2012, 06:48:49 PM
Basically turns the op to a comparator.

AJ___
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 17 2012, 07:20:56 PM
I built a differential thermostat two winters ago to control my homemade solar heating system.


After I got it built (and buggy as hell) I learned that you should use op-amps for comparator circuits instead of comparator chips. GRRRRRRRR


Teaching myself electronics is more harder than learning how to keep a keep a factory ECM in tune!
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: Steve Wood on September 17 2012, 07:28:15 PM
If you would try tuning in F sharp instead of D flat, that ecm would come around in no time
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: earlbrown on September 17 2012, 09:12:38 PM
I haven't taught myself about cheeses yet. I can't tell a sharp from a flat from a chedder
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: daveismissing on September 17 2012, 10:53:43 PM
Well, the comparator is faster and cleaner, it just has open collector aka single ended outputs. If you buffer the signal it works ok.
   
Title: Re: FU$&*ING idiot Volt light.....
Post by: daveismissing on September 17 2012, 11:00:17 PM
http://tinyurl.com/cheezeswow
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