Best Constant 12 Volt Source for Gauges (12 Volts Even During Starter Cranking)
04-19-2014, 03:51 AM
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Best Constant 12 Volt Source for Gauges (12 Volts Even During Starter Cranking) Is there a place on a 1999 Firebird Formula where I can get a constant (un-switched) 12 volts that is not diminished during starting.
I have a pair of 7 Color Glowshift gauges in my Formula. They work great except that they reset color during starting. There's a wire (yellow wire, step 5 of the instructions linked below) on each gauge that is supposed to go to a constant 12 volt source in order to "remember" what color they've been set to.
http://www.glowshift.com/instruction...ture-Gauge.pdf
http://www.glowshift.com/instruction...ture-Gauge.pdf
Currently, the 2 wires are spliced into an orange wire that used to go to my cigarette lighter (cigarette lighter was removed to make room for the 2 gauges). That orange wire is NOT ignition switched. We used a multimeter to test that orange wire and it gets approximately ~11.4 volts (even when the car is off). However, if the starter is cranking, then the voltage drops down to approximately ~8.4 volts. Once the engine has started, the voltage rises to over 12 volts. That brief drop to ~8.4 volts is apparently enough to make the gauges "forget" that I set them to be red.
If I route those 2 wires to the fuse box instead, will I get better voltage during starting? If so, which port should I use? BATT?
Or do I need to find a different wire? A wire that's between the battery and the starter motor, to wire the gauges in series before the starter so that the gauges can get voltage before the starter causes the voltage drop during starting?
Thanks for your help! My resetting gauges have been driving me crazy! I just want them to stay red!
I have a pair of 7 Color Glowshift gauges in my Formula. They work great except that they reset color during starting. There's a wire (yellow wire, step 5 of the instructions linked below) on each gauge that is supposed to go to a constant 12 volt source in order to "remember" what color they've been set to.
http://www.glowshift.com/instruction...ture-Gauge.pdf
http://www.glowshift.com/instruction...ture-Gauge.pdf
Currently, the 2 wires are spliced into an orange wire that used to go to my cigarette lighter (cigarette lighter was removed to make room for the 2 gauges). That orange wire is NOT ignition switched. We used a multimeter to test that orange wire and it gets approximately ~11.4 volts (even when the car is off). However, if the starter is cranking, then the voltage drops down to approximately ~8.4 volts. Once the engine has started, the voltage rises to over 12 volts. That brief drop to ~8.4 volts is apparently enough to make the gauges "forget" that I set them to be red.
If I route those 2 wires to the fuse box instead, will I get better voltage during starting? If so, which port should I use? BATT?
Or do I need to find a different wire? A wire that's between the battery and the starter motor, to wire the gauges in series before the starter so that the gauges can get voltage before the starter causes the voltage drop during starting?
Thanks for your help! My resetting gauges have been driving me crazy! I just want them to stay red!
Last edited by IAmIronVan; 04-19-2014 at 05:27 PM.
04-19-2014, 07:18 AM
#2
the terminal marked Battery in the fuse panel is what you want to use as its a constant 12 volts. also there is a thick red wire under the steering column that is a constant 12 volts.there's many places to pick up constant 12 volts like headlight switch or your power seat etc.
