This is a simple project for all of you whose low fuel indicator is no longer working.Or even if you just want to fit one to your car.


I purchased this one from a local electronics store,it is simple to make & cheap to buy,as well as a small plastic box to house it in.Where you mount the unit is up to you.
If you do not feel confident with your soldering skills,either practice or get a friend to solder the circuit board together for you.Remember to much heat from the iron can damage these fragile components.



In place of the light supplied,I used a spare lamp holder,& after cutting away the plastic above the terminals,solder the two wires on & bend the two terminals on the holder back.
So they will not touch onto the printed circuit board on the instrument cluster,you will need to fabricate a plastic washer to fit over the holder,this will insulate the brass terminals on the holder from touching the gauge printed curcuit,similar to the one I made in the picture above.This is important as this is a stand alone unit & will work independently of the original circuit.
You should receive a fairly comprehensive list of instructions with the kit,which will help you to build,test & set up the light to come on at the desired low fuel level.
I will be posting my next project soon which is a replacement for the intermittant wiper circuit,using the existing switch & it's delay funtion.
Feel free to ask any questions.

Neil

 

Any idea of where to get something like this in the US? I did a search of Dick Smith Electronics and they don't seem to have a US distributor.


[Modified by Jim Martley2, 9:22 AM 10/28/2003]

 

Jim,Dick Smith is just one of many local electronic stores here in Perth.Do a search in your area for stores like this or check your local yellow pages.Most have a kit section.
Neil.

 

i am interested in your next project,,,thanks :thumbs:

 

Instead of using the plastic washers to insulate, you could use an exacto knife to trim and peel away the copper "wire" on the printed circuit where the bulb screws into.

 

Be careful in doing that,a lot of the copper wire is linked to other circuits,safer just to insulate it.