Real Time Engineering voltage limiter.

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That is cool. There was a post floating around with how to make your own with parts from radio-shmack. funny how timely this post is. this morning on the way to work my ammeter hits -40 for a split second and the engine missed a beat. I better get to it before something gets fried...
 
player1up said:
That is cool. There was a post floating around with how to make your own with parts from radio-shmack. funny how timely this post is. this morning on the way to work my ammeter hits -40 for a split second and the engine missed a beat. I better get to it before something gets fried...
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The amp gauge is not related to the IVR. -40 for a split second will be a loose connection somewhere. At the amp gauge itself, altenater, bulkhead connecter, system voltage regulater, even battery cables. Good luck
 
thanks redfish, I know that the ammeter discharge shouldn't have anything to do with the gauge volt limiter but I had planned to do both the bypass and the newer volt limiter at the same time I went through the wiring.. I guess the time is now. I think my issue is at the alternator as I have some strange vibration at the alt, it vibrates so fast it's like it's molecules will separate.. (only just off idle)
 
There is a simple "under hood" bypass of the amp load on the bulkhead connecter and amp gauge. Article in alpar.com tech archives. I saved the page but cant provide a working link this morn. What I saved is
Vintage Chrysler electrical repairs and updates 2.htm.
Anyway you are on the right track. Easy look overs include ground connections, strap to firewall, and battery cable. An oil soaked connection at ground cable to block can cause come and go electrical problems.
Those connections on altenater backside as well. Good luck
 
360scamp said:
http://rt-eng.com/mediawiki/index.php/RTE_ABlimiter

I found this while looking at the newest Mopar Action ( page 89).

$50 for one but they buy the stock ones for 5 bucks so they can reuse the shell. I must have about 5 billion of those things in my garage, I used to snag them from the junk yards for back ups.
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I just purchased one after reading the same article 360scamp, it arrived yesterday. I got tired of trying to get the Radio Shack circuit to insert into the can with out shorting out the 5V regulator. The article says it protects the instrument cluster better than the regulator alone and it also doesn’t dissipate much heat. Sounds like a better part.

By the way, Longgone, it is not the same part as the www.demonivr.com/ part.

Has anyone else used this device, I was wondering if I need to retain the capacitor on my instrument panel? I have sent multiple emails to there tech people but they don’t seem to respond. I also asked about recycling old bi-metal limiters but again no response.

Will post again when I get it installed.
 
Blues65 said:
I just purchased one after reading the same article 360scamp, it arrived yesterday. I got tired of trying to get the Radio Shack circuit to insert into the can with out shorting out the 5V regulator. The article says it protects the instrument cluster better than the regulator alone and it also doesn’t dissipate much heat. Sounds like a better part.

By the way, Longgone, it is not the same part as the www.demonivr.com/ part.

Has anyone else used this device, I was wondering if I need to retain the capacitor on my instrument panel? I have sent multiple emails to there tech people but they don’t seem to respond. I also asked about recycling old bi-metal limiters but again no response.

Will post again when I get it installed.
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No. You no longer need the noise supression capasiter as there is no noise in solid state.
And no its not the same part as the DeMonIVR.
My lil Demon aint in any magazines but instead it's currently in Fords, Jaguars, VWs, motor homes, boats, and mopars.
I answer every email inquirey and look forward to extending the part warrenty to 2 years comming July 1st.
Let us know how those diagnostic LEDs help you. LOL
I wont respond to this thread again. Good luck
 
Blues65 said:
I just purchased one after reading the same article 360scamp, it arrived yesterday. I got tired of trying to get the Radio Shack circuit to insert into the can with out shorting out the 5V regulator. The article says it protects the instrument cluster better than the regulator alone and it also doesn’t dissipate much heat. Sounds like a better part.

By the way, Longgone, it is not the same part as the www.demonivr.com/ part.

Has anyone else used this device, I was wondering if I need to retain the capacitor on my instrument panel? I have sent multiple emails to there tech people but they don’t seem to respond. I also asked about recycling old bi-metal limiters but again no response.

Will post again when I get it installed.
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Sorry Blues65, I worded that post wrong. I didn`t mean to infer that it was the same part only that it`s another limiter. Let us know how it works.
 
Please tell me I'm not the only one who read this and thought, "the flux capacitor won't work without plutonium." :twisted:

Semper fi...
 
I have been operating my instruments with the 7805 linear 5v regulator (Radio Shack part) since 2001 and almost 50k miles. It works great and $1.79 for the regulator and about a buck for the heat sink I wouldn't ever consider any of the other options including the RTE unit. The Demon IVR looks like a fancier packaging of the same device.
 
Dave, I am interested in the Radio Shack 7805 linear 5v regulator and heat sink. Are they separate items? Or is it one unit that plugs in or do I make my own connectors/wiring?
 
The 7805 is a TO-220 package device ( http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/7/8/0/5/7805.shtml ), i.e. three leads on one end and a metal mounting tab on the the other end. The heat sink for Radio shack is just a piece of extruded alumnium. I made a little L-bracket that I attached to the heat sink that allowed me to mount it to the back of the dash. Also after soldering wires to the 7805 I covered the joints with heat shrink tubing and used some 5-minute epoxy to glue the leads to the heat sink. The 7805 is intended for circuit board mounting and the weight of the soldered on wires flexing can break off the lead coming out of the device. The epoxy just supports the wires so the component leads don't see any load.

I have a Barracuda which has the IVR integrated into the fuel gauge (same as Darts and dusters with the Ralley guage cluster). I opened the fuel guage and stuck a piece of mylar between the contacts verse cutting out the bi-mettalic element. The leads of the 7805 go to the 12 volt source on the fuel guage and the 5 volt supply terminal. I just used ring terminals on the wires under the nuts holding the fuel guage to the circuit board. The third wire is ground, the 7805 also grounds through the mounting tab if you have maintained continuity to ground. I mounted the ground wire to one of the frame screws so I have belt and suspenders ground for the device.

I have heard reports that the guages read slightly low using the 7805 but in my case the oil pressure and water temp read slightly higher than before and the fuel guage has always been slightly over full mark when full and there is a gallon left in the tank when the guage is just above the empty mark. If you are concerned about low reading guages you could use a 7806 (6 volt) but you wont find that at Radio Shack.

Also, if all the guages are at full scale it requires about 1.5 Amps. The 7805 is rated for 1 Amp without a heat sink and more with a heat sink. The mfg spec sheets don't say how much more they just make reference to staying below the rated operating temperature limits. In any case it's very very unlikely that all three guages will ever be a fullscale at the same time and if it were ever to happen the 7805 has thermal overload protection built in and will shut down until everthing cools off so there is no danager to the guages.
 
dgc333 said:
I have been operating my instruments with the 7805 linear 5v regulator (Radio Shack part) since 2001 and almost 50k miles. It works great and $1.79 for the regulator and about a buck for the heat sink I wouldn't ever consider any of the other options including the RTE unit. The Demon IVR looks like a fancier packaging of the same device.
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That`s what I used too from Radio Shack. The entire set-up was less than $5.00.
 
The down side of the 5 Volt regulator is the lack of short circuit protection. When installing the regulator you must heat sink it to the metal Voltage Limiter case and it is easy to inadvertently ground the 12 volts input or 5 volt output leg. If this happens a instrument panel circuit board trace can be overheated and burned or a gauge fried. Although I put shrink tubing over the regulators legs; when I attached the wires I pulled the legs up to attach the wires and the shrink tubing left some of the leg exposed. Luckily I tested the device in a salvaged instrument cluster not my car. I could have found a better way to install the regulator but other projects took priority and I lost interest in building the circuit.
 
Blues65 said:
The down side of the 5 Volt regulator is the lack of short circuit protection. When installing the regulator you must heat sink it to the metal Voltage Limiter case and it is easy to inadvertently ground the 12 volts input or 5 volt output leg. If this happens a instrument panel circuit board trace can be overheated and burned or a gauge fried. Although I put shrink tubing over the regulators legs; when I attached the wires I pulled the legs up to attach the wires and the shrink tubing left some of the leg exposed. Luckily I tested the device in a salvaged instrument cluster not my car. I could have found a better way to install the regulator but other projects took priority and I lost interest in building the circuit.
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If you were to short the 12 volt source to ground you pop a fuse in the fuse panel, no damage to the cluster or the device. If you short the 5 volt output of the 7805 the component has internal short circuit protection and the device shuts down, no damage to the cluster or the device.

The 7805 is intened for through hole mounting on a circuit board and the leads are only designed to support the weight of the device. For strain relief and support of the leads I embedded the leads in 5-minute epoxy after mounting the device to the heat sink. No more worries of a short at the leads or a lead breaking off the device.

The RTE website states that if you loose ground on the 7805 the output will be equal to the input and 12 volts will fry the guages. I looked at the 7805 block diagram and it appears that if the device looses it's ground then there is no output (I have an extra device I intend to check to see). In anycase there are two ground paths and and I don't see it as an issue. It's much less likely to happen than the contacts in the mechanical regulator seazing up and doing the same thing.
 
super70bird thank you for the link, I printed it. And as always, Dave you are a great help.
 
GoFish said:
Please tell me I'm not the only one who read this and thought, "the flux capacitor won't work without plutonium." :twisted:

Semper fi...
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I was thinking "Yeah. 220... 221, whatever it takes." from Mr. Mom!
 
dgc333 said:
If you were to short the 12 volt source to ground you pop a fuse in the fuse panel, no damage to the cluster or the device. If you short the 5 volt output of the 7805 the component has internal short circuit protection and the device shuts down, no damage to the cluster or the device.

The 7805 is intened for through hole mounting on a circuit board and the leads are only designed to support the weight of the device. For strain relief and support of the leads I embedded the leads in 5-minute epoxy after mounting the device to the heat sink. No more worries of a short at the leads or a lead breaking off the device.

The RTE website states that if you loose ground on the 7805 the output will be equal to the input and 12 volts will fry the guages. I looked at the 7805 block diagram and it appears that if the device looses it's ground then there is no output (I have an extra device I intend to check to see). In anycase there are two ground paths and and I don't see it as an issue. It's much less likely to happen than the contacts in the mechanical regulator seazing up and doing the same thing.
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Your right Doc (Navy Corpsman?) when I bench tested the device I did not fuse the input. I repaired the trace, and then burnt it again. I was just trying to warn others to be sure to check out the device before installing it. Good tip about epoxy to the regulator legs though.
 
Do second gen a-body cars with a rallye dash have an IVR located somewhere other than behind the instruments?
 
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