Indiglo dials assistance required..... Dom/Andy K?.

[TINTIN]

Right, so here's the scenario. When i got the car it had these fitted already and they worked fine. Over time they started to drop out every so often, flicker between colours/brightness until eventually they gave up working all together. So for the past two years i have been driving around with only the original bulbs in there to see what was going on. It works but only just.

Today i thought i would look into this as it is beginning to get rather annoying. Having ripped half my dash out to trace wires and what not i have discovered a few issues. Please excuse the photos



This photo shows the wires how they run. There is a live and earth running into the little black box with a twin wire running out which later has four plugs for each dial.

The flat three wire affair runs to a switch to allow flicking between shades of blue and green. Having fitted TEMP live and earth to the box i checked the feeds out to the four plugs and the three wire affair and each and every wire is earth



This shows the twin wire affair with the four plugs



And this final picture shows the box and how the wires come in and out of it.

My question is this. Surely the twin four plugged wire should share both an earth and a live. Likewise, the three wire affair should have the same plus a return live feed?

I believe that maybe the black box thing has broken, maybe i'm wrong but is it not like a relay and as such could be stuck? Is there a way to bypass it or would i need something to lower the out going voltage to the dials?

[gilly-06]

as far as i can remember mate they run at a much higher voltage than 12v check with a volt meter to see if there is power coming from the unit

[TINTIN]

Thank you for your reply. As stated, all i have coming out of the unit through all five wires are earths.

[Dom]

Pass - the EL panels need a high voltage as stated previously - sometimes 200-300 or more volts. They step up the voltage using onboard converters which use transormers. It could be you're measuring the resistance of these to ground which could be correct.

What are the exact resistance measurements to ground ?

[TINTIN]

Bugger, i knew you'd start getting technical lol

Resistance i couldn't tell you i'm affraid. The tool i am using is a twin clip pointy thing which shows live and earth as well as a complete circuit should you clip to one. If that makes any sense?

All i know is the out put from the five wires, two to light panels and three to switch all show up as earth when you switch the the lights on via the cars main switch. I'm assuming that the current isn't being transformed in the box and distributed to where it should be. God i suck at electrics

[TINTIN]

I've been reading up online and it seems the boxs are known to die. A few of the ricer boys have suggested using these

12 Volt Universal Glow Gauges EL Power Inverter 3 Plug | eBay

[MSG]

Have a look at this thread there may be some previous information on there: (lol)
Plasma dial kits

[Andy K]

Pass too

[MSG]

well! that was a joke Tintin, took you back to your old thread!! these generate light when high voltages are applied to the dial EV panels.

Any ways, from what i can see having searched, the black box is an Inverter to generate high voltages to run the Electro Luminacent panel gauges, these require a DC high volts, and illuminate when high voltage is applied to them, how they change colour I don't know, perhaphs the polarity reverses and it generates a different colour. How they generate light when current passes between two conductive membranes is beyond the scope of my brains!

So the 3 connectors appaesr to be for the high volts to the dials, the two thick wires are the 12v supply, -ve ground and the other one presuambly to your parking light switch, and then the 3 way ribbon cable is your dimming control, or the colour select contorl, so the flat 3 way wire could well go to the intensity control panel.

When you started to get intermittent problems, this could be due to a dry joint on the pCB, or ust a loose connection on the external wiring.

[TINTIN]

I have cut out and temp replaced the the main earth and live to ensure they were ok as i thought one or the other may have had a break in them due to the initial poor routeing of them. Now of course nothing is different other than the fact i know the feed and ground are ok.

I would pop the black box thingy apart but as you can imagine its a sealed and siliconed box. I guess the best bet is try one of the items above and if that cures it great, if it doesn't then rip the whole lot out and burn it like the dog that it is lol

[TINTIN]

Pass - the EL panels need a high voltage as stated previously - sometimes 200-300 or more volts. They step up the voltage using onboard converters which use transormers. It could be you're measuring the resistance of these to ground which could be correct.

What are the exact resistance measurements to ground ?

Pass too

Jedi knights, you were my only hope Thank you any way

[_Joycey_]

Let me have them lol

[TINTIN]

Let me have them lol

They don't bloody work dude

[Astra Dan]

You need a pukka meter in there to read off the volts, not that poxy Fischer-Price thing you got.
It's worth getting in the box to check for loose/ dry joints, but I'd bet it's dead.

[TINTIN]

Feel free to take the old one apart when the new one arrives dude. Not sure on shipping times from state side but then not sure on fitting times upon delivery either, lol

[_Joycey_]

They don't bloody work dude

I'd get them to work

[TINTIN]

I'd get them to work

Then sort your sodding engine out first :P

[Adam]

mine still work after 4 years in the cav but the colour change button thing has stopped working

[TINTIN]

mine still work after 4 years in the cav but the colour change button thing has stopped working

Send me a pic of the one you have and if mines any good to you you can have it as that too gets replaced with the new control box thingy dude.

[Pitstoppete]

aint these hit the bottom of your wheelie bin yet Smoky Joe?
can i drive my auto over them and film it please?

[Adam]

Send me a pic of the one you have and if mines any good to you you can have it as that too gets replaced with the new control box thingy dude.

well thats mighty kind of u...it was off a group buy we had on here 4 years ago...will get a pic in a few just having a cuppa in from work

[TINTIN]

well thats mighty kind of u...it was off a group buy we had on here 4 years ago...will get a pic in a few just having a cuppa in from work

Failing that, check the pic in mine, if it looks the same its yours.