A short in the system will NOT hurt the power supply, but it will keep all
the lamps from lighting. If you have one shorted lamp, NONE of them will
light. If the transformer isn't grounded, NONE of them will light. If the
cluster isn't grounded, none of the lights in the cluster will light. If
one light is open, the other the lights will work except for the open one.
Remember, each red needle is a separate light. If the transformer is good,
and no lights work, and the headlight switch is known to be good, one lamp
or more have probably shorted out. You need to disconnect them one at a
time to find out which one it is by seeing when the remaining lights resume
to work. Then reconnect them one at a time to make sure you don't have
another short. Gauge needles are a common culprit of shorted lamps. I have
had the lights work until a specific needle moves, and then all the lights
go out. That would indicate a shorted needle light. Disconnecting the light
wire that that particular gauge will allow the others to light.
If the power supply dies, it usually makes the lights grow dim over time,
frequently they start out somewhat bright and then get very dim in a few
minutes. I have also heard of them failing suddenly, although this has
never happened to me. You should have an extra KNOWN TO BE GOOD power
supply if you plan to do any work on this system. You should probably
collect a few extra clusters/switch nameplates, etc. as well in case you
need to work on various components.
Again, make sure that you have a good ground for both the transformer and
the cluster (or light). Good luck!!
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Imperial59@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: IML: electroluminescent lighting power supply
My question is could I have done something wrong during my repairs
that > would have caused the power supply to die? I'd hate to get my power
supply > repaired only to kill it again because my system had problems.
What should > I check for to ensure this does not happen again? I figure
testing for > shorts would be a good idea. Any other suggestions?
A short in the wiring could take out the power supply, but mostly likely
it is just old. The capacitors in the unit dry out over time and fail...
Rebuild it and hope for the best!
Steve B.
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