Date:         Thu, 7 Apr 1994 20:18:59 -0500 (CDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Gerald Skerbitz <gsker@lenti>
Subject:      Re: Stupid Electrical error

On Thu, 7 Apr 1994, S.Smith wrote:
> hmmm sound strange  - while i dont explicitly know the ciruit for the dash
> lights the way the variable birghtne usually works is with a variable
> resistor in series with the dash lights - the thing that is puzzling is
> that the lights should be able to take the maximum voltage your battery
> or an alternator puts out without burning anything .....
> 
> check all those fuses again with a VOM !

While Joel Walker on April 7th at 20:12 said:

> it sounds like you have fried that little voltage regulator that is on
> the printed circuit foil ... it's a little 3-legged thing soldered onto
> the foil. i'll check further when i get home (bentley is not at work!).

What's happened. I've pulled out the dash and visually inspected the printed
circuit foil (a $107 part) and can't see anything obvious.  So, I pulled 
out the three dash lights, and two of them have no continuity across 
their terminals.  However, the turn signal and battery LEDs don't light 
either, so I can't imagine how the dash lights being fried would affect 
them.  I'm going to pull them out.  Would continuity in one direction be 
enough verification that they're ok?

I found the "voltage regulator" thing.  The parts fiche (thanks Joel!!!) 
calls it a "vibrator."  My wife wanted to know why it wasn't installed in 
the seat <grin>.  I can't imagine how I would check it, but it has 10V 
printed next to it on the card, so if I managed to send 12V+ through this 
thing the wrong way and it was expecting 10V, I can imagine I might have 
toasted it.  Anyone know a way to test it?

Thanks, 

--
Gerry
Gerald Skerbitz <gsker@lenti.med.umn.edu> U of MN Med.School.Admin 6-5379
1984 VW Vanagon Waterboxer 1915