I have a Boost gauge with the Blue indiglo light.
I had it mounted in the car. I had bought it off of E-bay from a seller with a store.
After a year the light went out.
Contacted seller to try to get help from him.
He was a really nice guy and did work with me. He sold me another guage for $15.00 shipped.

So now I have it sitting in the garage doing nothing.
I was messing with it and the new one.

Here is what I figured out the guage has a box that controls the light.
It takes the 12V power and drops it to a Max of 3.5 volts.

What I need to know is does anyone know of a component off hand I can buy from Radio Shack or soemthing like that to use to get use out of the guage instead of sitting in the garage collecting dust?

Any help is appreciated.

I know wiring and stuff like that but on this stuff I am lost.

 

Hi tech,
If I am reading it right you're saying that the original box went bad? If that is the case you should be able to run a resistor in-line in its place to drop the voltage down. It works as a voltage divider. The key is to find the proper resistor. If not that, they may suggest a voltage regulator. Either way you shouldhave a fixfor only a couple of bucks.

 

Yes thats what I need to do.
Like you said I need to figure out which resistor to get.
There is a store that sells resistors really cheap. They have pretty much every electrical part you could ever need.
http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/
This place is 1 mile from work.

 

To calculate the size resistor you'll need, use one of the equations listed on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider
The first equation will do.

Let's say for arguments sake that your battery is 14V. Then to get 3.5V you'll want a resistance 3 times larger than the resistance of the boost gauge. That's 75% (10.5V) across the resistor and 25% (3.5V) across the gauge. You'll want to take actual readings and calculate the values yourself to get the best value.

 

The easiest thing to do is to take the box apart to see what resistor it has. Resistors, as long asthey areof typical carbon-type (the one looks like micro-sized peanut-butter cookie), are colour-coded IAW their Ω ratings and you simply get the same colour-coded resistor.

If, however, the resistor is not the typical carbon-type, here'sa sampleequation. But I am missing one element so this may not apply in this case.

E = I x R.
I = E/R.
R =E/I.
P = I x E.

Where:

E = Voltage
I = Current in "A"mps
R = Resistance in Ω (Ohms)
P = Power in "W"attage

If the bulb is:

1W: 3.5V means the current is rated at 0.28571A.
3W: " 0.8571A.
5W: " 1.428571A.

To get the same current flow from a 12V source:

1W: Requires 42Ω resistor.
3W: " 14Ω resistor.
5W: " 8.4Ω resistor.

You may not find the exact Ω rating resistor, in which case you may want to go with higher-rated resistor (e.g., if 8.4Ωis required, use 9 or 10Ω resistor).

Someone please double-check my work. This is the best I could do with my pea-sized brain.


JPN

 

Tech, A resister will work, but you have to use a surge resister (one that can handle more current) as it will have toabsorb thepower you are looking to take off.
The best thing you can do is find a transformer(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformer)that that turns 12v to 5v. Then put a 3.5v zener diode(http://www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions...?id=1N5334BRLG) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_diode) or(http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...ids/zener.html )across the output. (they have polarity, so it will only work in one direction, arrow pointing to +, I believe) These transformers are not as uncommon as you think, as most electronics run at 5v in the curcuit board itself.
An old car radio or better a car amp will have one inside that converts 12v to 5v.
Put the components together on a breadboard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadboard ) and plug it in.

 

↑This reply now made me feel like my brain is salt grain size.....


JPN

 

LOl now you know how I feel having to ask this quiestion in the first place!!!

 

AAAAaaHHhhhhh!!!


JPN

 

I don know????????????????? {+~O}

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh

 

Tech, how do you know the bulb hasn´t gone bad? Are you planning to install this gadget outside the gauge or inside?

 

I know the bulb isn't bad because when the new guage came I just took the little box with the resistor or what ever is in there and plugged it into the same guage in the car and it made the guage work again.
I will be installing it inline outside the guage.

 

Hi Tech, JPN, and everyone,

Tech, you may use either a resistor, a voltage regulator, or a resistor/zener diode
combination. Do you have any idea how much current the lamp draws?
If you have an ohmmeter you can try measuring from input to output on the
(working) voltage converter unit that you have( with power and the bulb disconnected).
If you get the same value when you reverse the ohmmeter leads then it's probably a
resistor and your reading may actually be the right value of resistance if something
else is not connected to it.
My Intrnet is down at home, but if you need any help I'll check back on Monday.
Kanji, how have you been? I know you and the others gave Tech some good
advice.
I'll try to catch you Monday.

Best wishes to everyone,
John

 

I will try that when I get a chance.
Right now all I know is that it goes from a 12 volt source and to the light is 3.5 volts.

 

Hi Tech,

Can you open the box?(I think you would have already done that
if you could). How many wires come out of the box?

John

 

No haven't had time to open it or mess with it.
2 wires in 2 wires out.
When I can I will try to get a pic of the box.

 

Tech, you can skip my last long winded entry. (JPN made me do it !) Go to Radio Shack andcannibalize one of those universal voltage converters that plug into your cigarette lighter. (They are used for portable video games, cd players etc.)Snip the lighter input plug off, wire it where you like, set it to your voltage and wire the output to your gauge. I hope this makes things easy. Eric

 

Hi Tech,

If it's got 4 wires it's probably not a resistor. Does the gauge
instruction sheet say anything about EL or electroluminescent?
If it has an EL panel in it you may have to find another little power unit
for it. If that's the case it's not going to work with standard parts
you get at Radio Shack etc. because the lighting panel requires
AC at a few hundred volts, in most cases from a specific converter.
(Then again Skycraft might just have something that would work).
If it's got a bulb or LEDs then a small voltage converter as Eric
mentioned or even a voltage regulator IC would work (cost 3-4
dollars for the IC and parts).
I've never seen one of these gauges, so that's all I know. Can you
post the instruction sheet or a website or something that might have
more information?

John

 

>(JPN made me do it !)

This is why I hid myself into the corner, left the forum for approx 10 days being ashamed.

I too, haven't seen an ELtechnology in automotive applications, though I wouldn't be surprised to see one. 4 wires in one gauge? Could there be 2 tiny bulbs? I kind of like to have the same gauge anddissect it.

Hi John, I'll PM you about my updates just to keep the topic from deviating to the outer space, which I do sometimes[8D]. Pretty much the same, with some expected changes because the red-tail airline will soon become triangle-tail.


Kanji/JPN

 

Hi Kanji, Tech and everyone,

Sorry, I haven't replied sooner,it's been a hectic few weeks
here at work. I'm really drained mentally and physically.
Things should slow down in a couple of days. I know
all of you go through the same thing...
Kanji, I got your message, I'll be back on here in a couple
of days.

Best regards,
John