Club 80-90 Forums

Small problem with the 'switch panel' that controls the fridge ignition,waterpump etc. etc.
Does the 'water level' gauge and the 'battery condition' lights work together when the button under the gauge is pressed or should they work independently? My water tank gauge always shows full when used and I suspect that I have a 'short' somewhere but its not in the wire between gauge and tank.
I have contacted Labcraft (the manufacturer) but they don't make this anymore and nobody has been there long enough to remember it.
Any one got any bright ideas?
Thanks

kentishvanman wrote: Does the 'water level' gauge and the 'battery condition' lights work together when the button under the gauge is pressed or should they work independently?

together

My water tank gauge always shows full when used and I suspect that I have a 'short' somewhere but its not in the wire between gauge and tank.

guage works on electrical resistance... it may be scaled up..remove it and clean

is the panel a 'zig' unit? with seperate gauge, if it is whats the model number?

My control panel performs the same job as a Zig unit but was made by a firm called Labcraft who now only make lighting.
Don

ah! I assumed the year as you didn't say...

Kev,
Yes I should have given the year. It was first registered in Dec 1987.
Looking at your photos do I assume that you changed your control panel?
The only problem with my panel is the faulty gauge and that is no big deal.
It just bugs me that 'it don't work proper'
Re sender unit in water tank. I have cleaned that up but it didn't solve the problem
Don

No I haven't changed it .. it came as standard in '86.

yes it would bug me too.

so you have had the sender out.. was it a resistance type? or a mechanical type?

The only way that the gauge could read full when the button is pushed is an earthing/shorting fault in my opinion.

try testing the sender? in maybe a bowl of water, and a circuit with a bulb and power
as for the gauge that works on current, lower it is... the needle will hardly move.
I don't personally think it's that though.. unless it's shorting out

Kev,
It's the resistance type.
Will test it when I get time. I think there is a short somewhere and as I have tested the wiring between panel and tank and that's o k I began to think maybe the panel was faulty hence my original question 'do the battery condition lights only come on when the test button is used' or should they be registering all the time and the test button is for the water tank contents only.
Don

[IMG:640:479]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/ ... 004002.jpg[/img]

I gather then, yours is not like this.

can you take a pic and post it up or e-mail it to me ... maybe someone will recognise it and be able to clear that question up

Kev,
Exactly like that. It looked different in the original photos
Don

Then my friend, it should read the water level and the battery condition... at the same time.

I will take a look at my set up too ..see what we can see

When you press the button the gauge and the battery life should come on together but when i press the button then the gauge does tell me how much water is in the tank so i'm not sure what could be wrong

doodlebug wrote:............ when i press the button then the gauge does tell me how much water is in the tank so i'm not sure what could be wrong

The same thing happens on my Auto-Sleeper. Mind you, a previous owner has removed the water tank so that may be the problem.

could be a fault with thetank sender unit??

Bear with this geriatric,
Haven't seen the inside of my water tank for many a long year, but what is left of my memory of the 'Sender' was a tube about the same depth as the tank, made of metal/aluminium? It had some holes to allow the water to find the correct level within it and was open at the bottom end.
The electrics comprised about 3 resistors soldered at intervals along a length of wire within the tube, insulated from it at the top, (and not touching the sides of the tube) the lower end of the wire being attached (electrically) to the lower end of the tube, the tube body being earthed through the return side of the twin cable.
The principle of operation seemed to be that battery voltage was applied through the meter to earth via the resistors in series and the tube body.
The water then acted as a conductor between the tube body and the wire. The level of the water would thus shorten the path to earth by allowing the current to flow from the wire to the tube body without passing through all (or some) of the resistors.
Thus with a high water level.... less resistance... more current through the meter... higher reading.
Half full... some resistance in circuit... lower current... lower meter reading.

If the wire is shorted near the top of the tube... meter will read full.
If open circuit.........meter will read empty.

Now what was the question?????

Mike