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Topic: Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter (Read 3222 times) previous topic - next topic

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

digging through my shop manuals again tonight.
im starting up a new project for a 12pos rotary sw that will monitor various wires for potential... long story and another post but.........

does anyone want to take a shot at what voltage potential drives the Bar display on a full digital cluster?

i am getting confussed in my shop manual.

i am starting to think its 12v,

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #1 –
id imagine its lower then 12's cause the dash will display under 8v's. this could be because of the 12v regulator though.

I would think that the sensors themselves would put out about 5v's. I know "masterblaster" documented the speedo mod where (bondocougar?) did quite a bit of documentation on the buttstuffog dash.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #2 –
yeah,  the full digi cluster doesnt have that IVR with heat resistor though.

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #3 –
wish I had a digital dash here. my dads.got all kinds of toys you'd like. we even have an osiliscope.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #4 –
i havent touched an oscope since 1995,
my real wish list item for last christmas was a Huntron,, didnt get one

its like a meter on steroids,

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #5 –
Quote from: jcassity;415391
yeah, the full digi cluster doesnt have that IVR with heat resistor though.
That's true. It doesn't need IVR, because there are no buttstuffog gauges.

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #6 –
yep, but its symantics really becaue some gauges dont require voltage step down.
the volt meter mod i did on my son's bird is direct 12v feed,,
im still researching this.,, i am going to have to find out the answer either way.
what i didnt count on is there being 3 different wiring layouts for these clusters....... unique critters.

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #7 –
jcassity, Have you tried using a multi-meter to check each voltage and amp? ...just an idea.........
"Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle." ~ Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Holy Man  Wikiquote

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #8 –
i basically just got the cluster back together recently for bulb swap in that fixed another odd ball issue.

i havent figure out a way to do what your saying , the ideal situation would be to have the cluster installed and measure but ..... the harness(s) that plug into the back arent accessable if your luster is installed.

i may have to bench test it.
my idea is a go for base electronic clusters and a super easy mod for buttstuffog clusters and thats because of a few reasons.

im just hoping on trying to figure out how to use the full electronic cluster "meter" as an on board multimeter and integrate that into a 12 pos rotary switch that can see the voltage on certain pre-wired points in the car to assist in troubleshooting.  Kinda like a built in break out box without the box.

ever since i gutted my sons oem buttstuffog battery meter and replicaated its looks to oem  with a "real" volt meter that see's a "real 12v input", it got me thinking about how i can tie this into a 12pos sw and pic certain points in the car that can be monitored by simply rotating a switch and watching the on board meter.

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #9 –
Couldn't you just find a good aftermarket volt-meter, mount that window pillar to the left of the driver and just put the original OEM back together as is?

You could possibly get a volt-meter combo with amp-meter and maybe even a small tach. Velcro could be used to mount the meter(s) to the pillar to eliminate destroying the pillar with screw holes. The wires could be run discretely down and 'behind' the pillar to where it meets the dash and then into the dash to connect where they need to. If one wanted to, they could paint the meter housing to match the color of the interior of the car so it 'integrates' better.
"Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle." ~ Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Holy Man  Wikiquote

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #10 –
well,, one requirement is that this be hidden and not effect the original look of the car.  it will basically be the thing you use in parallel with pulling the codes.
it will become your multimeter so to speak during time when you trouble shoot.
the rotary switch will remain on pos 1 during normal operation but.. when you have trouble.
you rotate the switch to see voltages on strategic pre wired points such as down stream from fuse links, ect ect
 

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #11 –
Quote from: jcassity;416053
well,, one requirement is that this be hidden and not effect the original look of the car.  it will basically be the thing you use in parallel with pulling the codes.
it will become your multimeter so to speak during time when you trouble shoot.
the rotary switch will remain on pos 1 during normal operation but.. when you have trouble.
you rotate the switch to see voltages on strategic pre wired points such as down stream from fuse links, ect ect

OK. They make an aftermarket kit that plugs into the data link that  gives you the amperage, volts, oil pressure, tach, trouble codes. It's  93 pin and you can put it where you can find to put it or mount it to  the dash with Velcro. I can't recall which show it was, but it's on  Powerblock TV, the Muscle Car section. It'll take some sifting of  episodes to find it and I don't have time today to try to do that for  you, but I'll try to get this done as soon as I can. Maybe this evening?
"Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle." ~ Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Holy Man  Wikiquote

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #13 –
Quote from: Haystack;415404
wish I had a digital dash here. my dads.got all kinds of toys you'd like. we even have an osiliscope.

Got four scopes, but no cluster as I have a serious dislike for digital dashes... Only one I had went into the trash can...

My guess is the driver IC supplies a signal that lights each segment as pressure, temp, speed etc increases... There won't be a voltage change other than on/off for each segment, plus if accidentally grounded the IC would likely be damaged...

Full electronic cluster question about voltage potential on battery meter

Reply #14 –
i was thinking that same thing the other day tom,, the individual LED's are triggered individually.