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Re: What did I do?

To: Phil Bates <jello@ida.net>
Subject: Re: What did I do?
From: Tab Julius <tab@penworks.com>
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 12:19:12 -0400
It's been that way for a long time, and it's worked perfectly.  It gets 
memory power from the cigarette lighter, I think, and "ignition/accessory" 
power from whatever wire that was back there that had voltage only when the 
car was on.  I've had no problems with it.  I think the DPO was trying to 
get memory power from the speaker wire he installed tapping into the lights 
or horn.

The turn signal switch is in an assembly that you basically take the old 
one off and drop in the new one.  All wiring is by a multiwire connector - 
no room for error, one hopes.  Just disconnect the old and reconnect the 
new.  Of course, I'm omitting the fun in getting the steering wheel off, 
etc.  But that's basically what the switch replacement came down to.

The only thing that was non-standard was that speaker wire that was tapping 
into the multiwire connector, probably to the lights or horn or 
something.  I snipped that, since I'm not using it on the other end.  I'm 
not a big fan of co-opting speaker wire to carry other voltage anyway - too 
many opportunities for error.

I didn't go near the radio, but now occasionally the radio doesn't come on 
right away, or at all.  Once it's on, though, it stays on, at least until I 
shut the power off.  That's the mystery.

- Tab

At 09:52 AM 9/2/00 -0600, Phil Bates wrote:
>Agreed - there is a very fair chance that the problem is the key/ignition
>switch. The question I have is this - exactly where is the radio wired now??
>I don't think that was spelled out clearly.  Anyhow, assuming that things work
>properly (like the ignition switch) the proper place woudl be to hook the 
>clock
>wire to the hot going into the ignition, and the radio power to the switched
>ignition pole, and make sure you have good connectors, and a good ground.  If
>the ignition or wiring is messed up elsewhere, than the elsewhere needs to be
>fixed first.  (Again, assuming the electrical system is in good working order)
>this shouldn't be all that difficult, so if there is something wrong, 
>either it
>is something complex outside of this circuit, or something simple to fix.
>
>Good Luck!
>Phil Bates
>
>
>
>Trevor Boicey wrote:
>
> > Tab Julius wrote:
> > > Any ideas?  Why sometimes power, other times no power, and other times no
> > > power for the first 30 seconds?
> >
> >   Anything improve if you shake the key?
> >
> >   Maybe the "accessory" feed from the ignition is dodgy.
> >
> >   The DPO might have sensed this and planned for alternate
> > power from the light circuit. This also allows the radio to
> > work without the key, since the light circuit is always live.
> >
> > --
> > Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
> > Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
> > ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
> > "Is this cool or not, I can't tell?" - Eric Cartman


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