Date:         Thu, 7 Jun 2012 12:50:38 -0400
Reply-To:     pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: cluster troubleshooting
In-Reply-To:  <CA+n284Mm5Eu3+k9-tvvNj6_=CwBwx3hBzzgNygGN4Cpu83vbjA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

We made some good progress on this project last night, but there something
that is puzzling me about the foil.  In the bank of resistors on the back
of the foil, the third one down is a diode which goes from ground to
positive 12v.  What is the purpose of this kind of arrangement??


On Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 11:25 AM, pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@gmail.com>wrote:

> I plan to eliminate mine altogether and make a wiring harness like Jarrett
> did here:
> http://www.kpcnsk.com/?p=138
>
> (for all the plugs, I figure I'll just cut their rectangles out of the
> foil, and solder wires directly onto the metal tabs)
>
> I figure the result should be much more reliable (and trivial to repair if
> any problems developed).
>
> Not a fan of the foil...
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 11:12 AM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>wrote:
>
>> If you're soldering direct to the foils, make sure your wires are
>> mechanically secured so they cannot put even slight stress on the foil.
>>  It's thin and the adhesion to the polyester substrate is getting flaky
>> (and may get worse from soldering).  You may find it better to mechanically
>> secure the wire end right next to the foil and use your conductive paint to
>> actually make the connection.  Small holes through the flex circuit and a
>> couple sets of thin twisted wire to secure your working wire, about half an
>> inch apart, come to mind.  In between the traces of course.
>>
>> Yrs,
>> d
>>
>
>