I have been slowly keeping my nose to the grindstone lookin for a job, and also keeping my mind busy by working on the sytem. I was able to flush mount the fuse holder into the consol the way I wanted to(no pics yet). I also mounted the basscube controls and the remote bass volume knob next to it. Yesterday I spent the morning doing some minor cleaning on the engine with some degreaser(never done it in 12 yrs) and was suprised how many white parts I have on my motor! Once that was done I went to work replacing the big 3 wiring with 0 awg, all the terminals were soldered and I made a small panel to mount the fuse holders on to clean it up. Funny enough when it was all said and done, my battery was charging .4v higher and my check engine light went out...
Last night I was bored and sketched out a little diagram of what I needed to do wiring wise, got a list of the small parts that I would need. Today I got all the small parts, made a few hrns's to make running multiple wires easier and will be in the truck tomorrow to install them.
I am waiting for some LEDs I had to order to replace the broken ones in my amp. Not sure how but I noticed late last week that 1 of the 3 blue pwr leds was smashed. Thankfully the people at the phoenix phorum had a link to the lights that would work. I am also going to mount a 10k thermistor(thermal resistor) inside the amp on the heat sink and wire it into the factory temp display so that it will now monitor the amps temp. I am going to wire a 2nd thermistor with a relay so that I can push a button and check the outside temp(I have a hrns ready for it).
Some how my trucks old cardomain page got deleted so I have started a new one. It is short and only shows the audio projects so far but more will come. I would like to have the amp installed and done in the next couple of weeks.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3237206
Replies (5)
swez on 02/9/2009 12:25:54
Sounds like a nice little project. You do know that LED's are like diodes and therefore a polarity must be observed. If possible, replace all 3 so they all match in form, fit and light output.
The temp gage project is a pretty neat idea. Good luck with calibration issues as you go. Where do vehicles with outside temp monitors locate that sensor? My past few cars had/have that feature and it's nice to know how they do them.
Nice kick up on the voltage readings after installing the Big 3 kit. The number seems small, but every bit helps.
Swez
ttocs on 02/9/2009 13:03:37
I have been quietly giggling everytime I get in the truck and the check engine light is still off. Not sure if it was the cleaning of the motor or the extra voltage that helped but it would make sence. The factory power and ground wires now being 12 yrs old had started to corrode and I am sure there was some resistance there as well as at the old ground connections. I will post a pic of the difference between the two as it shows a BIG difference between the two wires.
I found out about the explorer overhead with the temp gauge from a ranger forum. The factory system uses a thermistor that is mounted up by the radiator fan, I have just had mine inside the truck showing the interior temp for the past couple of years. I am going to mount a relay back by the amp that will switch between the two thermistors mounted in the back. There is a large grommet under one of the jump seats that I am going to just poke the external thermistor through to get the outside temp. I am going to use the normally closed portion of the relay for the amp temp so that the constant read out will show the amp temp and a simply momentary push button will slap the relay to the normally open portion and read the outside temp.
The leds should be in today or tomorrow. I am glad I noticed it as after doing some research I found out that PG uses some strange 4.8v leds mounted in series and one of the three as a funny type of voltage regulator for another circuit so it may have not even worked correctly. There is a BIG following of PG fanatics on the phoenix phorum and they have pics of a previous members similar repair. It is nice to have a piece of car audio that has actually held its value as they just sold an amp like mine for the same amount I paid for it.
ttocs on 02/9/2009 13:06:37
so now I am curious if everyone else is seeing the same thing I am or if I need to put the pipe down......... all the way at the top of this post by my name, is everyone else seeing a little fat harry dude with a brown van that the door is opening to as he looks inside it? Is this a new thing or something I have just never noticed? It reminds my sick sence of humor of some pedofile's van, "wanna go for a ride? Free candy!".
swez on 02/9/2009 14:21:14
These LED's are unique as most are very low voltage, (1.2 volts or so) and use an external limiting resistor to keep the voltage constant and in range. (Parallel wired) They can last up to 100,000 hours of use. Try that with filament bulbs...
In your case, if wired in series, if one burns out, they all go out. The advantage in series, is the voltage drop to each lamp keeps the voltage in range. Each bulb acts like a load resistor to regulate voltage and current. Cool idea, as long as one does not die in the string.
BTW: My brother and I pack several types of flashlights and a headlamp for wading/fishing at night. The pure LED versions are 5-12 lamps each and 3 AAA batteries, (In series) that last a long time. They are great for a short, wide beam that seems to draw fish rather than spook them.
The other lamp is a high intensity Xenon beam that can be focused for long range viewing. These use 1 or dual 3 volt batteries and they don't last all that long either. These throw a long, focused beam and best for walking out at the end of the night or spotting critters at the far banks.
They are also best when extracting a wayward fly into the trees. In fly fishing, we have to be very aware of the 180 degree arc of the line at 30 feet fore and aft in a cast. This happens a lot to rookies, but even experienced fly guys make mistakes.
One night I had a nice walleye come out from his cover to see what the light thingy was all about. He was pretty good size, (~3 lbs) and very curious too. If I had my net handy, I would have had him for dinner. He swum round in the light for a good minute before retreating to his logjam for cover. (Really weird experience huh?) Trout do the same.
I can't wait for spring to return and have all this ice and snow go away. It's been a long and unusually harsh winter, so the kiss of spring will be most welcome.
Swez
PS Do you have or use an LED head strap lamp for night riding on your bike or working on your gear at night? They come in handy and you have free use of both hands. Where your head is pointed, the light beams there. (Cheap too... under $30.00 for a good one)
This model uses 3 LED's and a Zenon beam in one lense. (Nice)
http://www.streamlight-flashlights.com/trident.html
swez on 02/9/2009 15:03:14
Yep, he's there on my screen too and the picture changes too.
Pick up the pipe and relax... you're not going coo-coo!
Last night I was bored and sketched out a little diagram of what I needed to do wiring wise, got a list of the small parts that I would need. Today I got all the small parts, made a few hrns's to make running multiple wires easier and will be in the truck tomorrow to install them.
I am waiting for some LEDs I had to order to replace the broken ones in my amp. Not sure how but I noticed late last week that 1 of the 3 blue pwr leds was smashed. Thankfully the people at the phoenix phorum had a link to the lights that would work. I am also going to mount a 10k thermistor(thermal resistor) inside the amp on the heat sink and wire it into the factory temp display so that it will now monitor the amps temp. I am going to wire a 2nd thermistor with a relay so that I can push a button and check the outside temp(I have a hrns ready for it).
Some how my trucks old cardomain page got deleted so I have started a new one. It is short and only shows the audio projects so far but more will come. I would like to have the amp installed and done in the next couple of weeks.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3237206
Replies (5)
swez on 02/9/2009 12:25:54
Sounds like a nice little project. You do know that LED's are like diodes and therefore a polarity must be observed. If possible, replace all 3 so they all match in form, fit and light output.
The temp gage project is a pretty neat idea. Good luck with calibration issues as you go. Where do vehicles with outside temp monitors locate that sensor? My past few cars had/have that feature and it's nice to know how they do them.
Nice kick up on the voltage readings after installing the Big 3 kit. The number seems small, but every bit helps.
Swez
ttocs on 02/9/2009 13:03:37
I have been quietly giggling everytime I get in the truck and the check engine light is still off. Not sure if it was the cleaning of the motor or the extra voltage that helped but it would make sence. The factory power and ground wires now being 12 yrs old had started to corrode and I am sure there was some resistance there as well as at the old ground connections. I will post a pic of the difference between the two as it shows a BIG difference between the two wires.
I found out about the explorer overhead with the temp gauge from a ranger forum. The factory system uses a thermistor that is mounted up by the radiator fan, I have just had mine inside the truck showing the interior temp for the past couple of years. I am going to mount a relay back by the amp that will switch between the two thermistors mounted in the back. There is a large grommet under one of the jump seats that I am going to just poke the external thermistor through to get the outside temp. I am going to use the normally closed portion of the relay for the amp temp so that the constant read out will show the amp temp and a simply momentary push button will slap the relay to the normally open portion and read the outside temp.
The leds should be in today or tomorrow. I am glad I noticed it as after doing some research I found out that PG uses some strange 4.8v leds mounted in series and one of the three as a funny type of voltage regulator for another circuit so it may have not even worked correctly. There is a BIG following of PG fanatics on the phoenix phorum and they have pics of a previous members similar repair. It is nice to have a piece of car audio that has actually held its value as they just sold an amp like mine for the same amount I paid for it.
ttocs on 02/9/2009 13:06:37
so now I am curious if everyone else is seeing the same thing I am or if I need to put the pipe down......... all the way at the top of this post by my name, is everyone else seeing a little fat harry dude with a brown van that the door is opening to as he looks inside it? Is this a new thing or something I have just never noticed? It reminds my sick sence of humor of some pedofile's van, "wanna go for a ride? Free candy!".
swez on 02/9/2009 14:21:14
These LED's are unique as most are very low voltage, (1.2 volts or so) and use an external limiting resistor to keep the voltage constant and in range. (Parallel wired) They can last up to 100,000 hours of use. Try that with filament bulbs...
In your case, if wired in series, if one burns out, they all go out. The advantage in series, is the voltage drop to each lamp keeps the voltage in range. Each bulb acts like a load resistor to regulate voltage and current. Cool idea, as long as one does not die in the string.
BTW: My brother and I pack several types of flashlights and a headlamp for wading/fishing at night. The pure LED versions are 5-12 lamps each and 3 AAA batteries, (In series) that last a long time. They are great for a short, wide beam that seems to draw fish rather than spook them.
The other lamp is a high intensity Xenon beam that can be focused for long range viewing. These use 1 or dual 3 volt batteries and they don't last all that long either. These throw a long, focused beam and best for walking out at the end of the night or spotting critters at the far banks.
They are also best when extracting a wayward fly into the trees. In fly fishing, we have to be very aware of the 180 degree arc of the line at 30 feet fore and aft in a cast. This happens a lot to rookies, but even experienced fly guys make mistakes.
One night I had a nice walleye come out from his cover to see what the light thingy was all about. He was pretty good size, (~3 lbs) and very curious too. If I had my net handy, I would have had him for dinner. He swum round in the light for a good minute before retreating to his logjam for cover. (Really weird experience huh?) Trout do the same.
I can't wait for spring to return and have all this ice and snow go away. It's been a long and unusually harsh winter, so the kiss of spring will be most welcome.
Swez
PS Do you have or use an LED head strap lamp for night riding on your bike or working on your gear at night? They come in handy and you have free use of both hands. Where your head is pointed, the light beams there. (Cheap too... under $30.00 for a good one)
This model uses 3 LED's and a Zenon beam in one lense. (Nice)
http://www.streamlight-flashlights.com/trident.html
swez on 02/9/2009 15:03:14
Yep, he's there on my screen too and the picture changes too.
Pick up the pipe and relax... you're not going coo-coo!
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