Date:         Wed, 8 Dec 2010 21:38:47 +0000
Reply-To:     Marius Strom <marstrom@MICROSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marius Strom <marstrom@MICROSOFT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Voltage Stabilizer in Instrument Cluster
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <4cffd7e9.c74ee50a.6667.2518@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I'd need to do some research, but isn't the part on the dash basically an LM7810T regulator?  It's a part you can get from digikey for pennies.

I'll try and pull my instrument cluster tonight to take a peek, but I think this should be a direct-fit replacement (does anyone have a photo of the regulator installed on their cluster?)

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of David Beierl
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 11:09 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Voltage Stabilizer in Instrument Cluster

At 12:49 PM 12/8/2010, Anthony Egeln wrote:
>  The upshot was that the voltage stabilizer should be replaceable with 
> any matching 10 volt part.

Trouble is 10 volt regulators aren't that thick on the ground, that not being a typical electronics supply voltage.  However there are readily available adjustable ones like the LM317T (http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LM317.pdf ) where you set the output voltage with two resistors.  These folks will sell you one for twenty one cents with a buck shipping (but they have a $5 minimum order) http://www.taydaelectronics.com/servlet/the-187/LM317T-LM317-Voltage-Regulator/Detail
.

So you can pay money for the real thing or work for the generic, your pick.  I can tell you resistor values if you need them.  You shouldn't need the capacitors shown in the sample circuit -- the gauges don't care about transients.

Yrs,
d