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dimmer ckt from Van's

 
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ckhand(at)earthlink.net
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:50 pm    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

I hooked up my instrument lights to the Van's dimmer ckt I installed and powered things up. Power distribution is working and I have battery voltage at the +12V terminal screw on the dimmer board. Also show good ground on the dimmer board's ground terminal screw. Potentiometer is working properly and connected to the right terminals on the board.
Output I'm getting at the Load terminal on the dimmer board varies from 0 to about 6 mV rather than the expected 2.5 V up to battery voltage.

The dimmer ckt is new out of the box, but I bought it well over a year ago and didn't test it prior to now. Has anybody experienced similar issues with the Van's board, and are there any suggestions on how to fix it without having to buy a new one?
If I give up on the dimmer ckt from Van's, I need to find something else with a poteniometer/dimmer knob the same size or larger since I already have the current one installed in the panel.

Thanks for any help or advice you can give me.
Chris Hand
RV-6A, finishing stages


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flyboy.bob(at)gmail.com
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:27 pm    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

I've got one about the same age but haven't hooked it up yet.

I think Van's is pretty good about replacing defective items?

Good Luck,
Bob
On 2/15/06, Chris & Kellie Hand <ckhand(at)earthlink.net> wrote:
Quote:


I hooked up my instrument lights to the Van's dimmer ckt I installed and powered things up. Power distribution is working and I have battery voltage at the +12V terminal screw on the dimmer board. Also show good ground on the dimmer board's ground terminal screw. Potentiometer is working properly and connected to the right terminals on the board.
Output I'm getting at the Load terminal on the dimmer board varies from 0 to about 6 mV rather than the expected 2.5 V up to battery voltage.

The dimmer ckt is new out of the box, but I bought it well over a year ago and didn't test it prior to now. Has anybody experienced similar issues with the Van's board, and are there any suggestions on how to fix it without having to buy a new one?
If I give up on the dimmer ckt from Van's, I need to find something else with a poteniometer/dimmer knob the same size or larger since I already have the current one installed in the panel.

Thanks for any help or advice you can give me.
Chris Hand
RV-6A, finishing stages




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ckhand(at)earthlink.net
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:39 pm    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

Fixed this tonight and posting solution for the archives in case others run into similar problems.

It was a manufacturing defect but the fix was quick and easy, and I didn't want to wait for shipping a replacement even if Van's was willing to exchange it. Was also a good learning experience as I realized in troubleshooting this that these simple dimmer circuits could easily be built with just a few dollars worth of parts.

Took the ckt board out of the plane and hooked it up on workbench. Only parts on the ckt board are a terminal block, a single 100 ohm resister, and a heat sink mounted LM317 voltage regulator. Looked up a LM317 data sheet on-line to figure out what I should see at which pins.
Turns out, the LM317 output pin was putting out the correct output voltage, varying from 2.5 V to (batt volt - 2.5) V, but I wasn't getting that voltage at the terminal block the output/load wire connects to. In looking closer, the through-board pin for the output terminal had a bad solder joint. Pin stuck through the board with just a little solder on top of the pin but no connection to the pad/board.
A little touch up with the soldering iron fixed the problem and after re-installing, it works as designed.

One thing I don't like about these boards is the terminal block connecting method - just stick a wire into the block and mash the wire down with the little screw. Seems like kind of a crude/weak method after all the crimped and soldered connecters we so carefully put together....

Chris Hand
RV-6A, finishing stages....
---


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nuckollsr(at)cox.net
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:43 pm    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

At 10:32 PM 2/17/2006 -0800, you wrote:

Quote:

<ckhand(at)earthlink.net>

<snip>
Quote:
One thing I don't like about these boards is the terminal block connecting
method - just stick a wire into the block and mash the wire down with the
little screw. Seems like kind of a crude/weak method after all the
crimped and soldered connecters we so carefully put together....

Are these the terminals strips like those shown in:

http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Wiring_Technique/Screw_Clamp_Terminal_Strips.jpg

The first time I saw those on aircraft hardware, I think
it was on the Vision Microsystems VM1000 some years ago
and more recently on the product illustrated in the photo
above.

If these are the same devices you're seeing for attaching
wires . . . your concerns are well founded. We go to a lot
of trouble to get gas tight joints to wires and to provide
insulation support adjacent to the joint. These are the prime
directives of environmentally robust joints. These terminal
strips do neither.

Bob . . .


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ckhand(at)earthlink.net
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:39 pm    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

Yes, that's exactly what I've got on the dimmer ckt board.
I noticed that's also the style of connector used for the CHT and EGT sensor
wires in the "brain box" for my IK2000 engine monitor.

Chris

---


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nuckollsr(at)cox.net
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:10 am    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

At 07:33 PM 2/18/2006 -0800, you wrote:

Quote:

<ckhand(at)earthlink.net>

Yes, that's exactly what I've got on the dimmer ckt board.
I noticed that's also the style of connector used for the CHT and EGT sensor
wires in the "brain box" for my IK2000 engine monitor.

That's too bad. That style of wire-to-board interconnect
system is really not suited to airplanes . . .

Bob . . .


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Bruce(at)glasair.org
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:23 am    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

BTW, Vision Micro went to d-sub connectors several years ago.

Bruce
www.glasair.org


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nuckollsr(at)cox.net
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 9:21 am    Post subject: dimmer ckt from Van's Reply with quote

At 11:20 AM 2/19/2006 -0500, you wrote:

Quote:


BTW, Vision Micro went to d-sub connectors several years ago.

Bruce
www.glasair.org

Oh good. I suggested that way back when the first
time I had occasion to contact them.

Bob . . .


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