[Mgs] voltage stabilzer

[Dodd, Kelvin]

Thanks for the correction and explanation Paul. I'll shut up now.  : )





Kelvin



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Hunt [mailto:paul.hunt1 at blueyonder.co.uk]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 1:36 AM
> To: Dodd, Kelvin; mgs at autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: [Mgs] voltage stabilzer
>
> That's not borne out by the Parts Catalogues.  It's true that
> the part number did change when the North American spec with
> first three then two gauges powered from the stabiliser, but
> it is the same part number for UK cars which stayed with only
> one electric gauge until the 77 model year.
> When UK cars changed to electric temp gauge as well as fuel
> they still kept the same stabiliser.  The stabiliser works by
> a heating coil bending a bi-metallic strip.  The heat is
> derived from current, but the current depends on two things -
> load resistance and system voltage, and the load resistance
> varies as the sender resistances go up and down.  The
> stabiliser takes all this into account, maintaining a
> constant *average* output voltage, irrespective of gauge load
> and with system voltages down to about 10v.  Whilst it's
> possible to manufacture a stabiliser with a heating coil that
> could only take the current from a single gauge on full scale
> deflection and maximum alternator output voltage without
> burning out, there is no point.  A stabiliser designed to
> take the load of two or three gauges on full scale deflection
> and maximum alternator output voltage will give exactly the
> same average output voltage with only two or one gauges.  If
> a stabiliser gave different outputs according to current from
> the number of gauges, it would give different outputs as the
> current through any of the gauges varied as its sender
> resistance went up and down, which would defeat the object.
>
> Oh, and they are polarity-insensitive :o)
>
> PaulH.