[Spridgets] Voltage testing

[Michael Rowe]

I spent two days tracing my turn-signal circuit to no avail.  There was continuity and current everywhere.  In the end, at the plug by the steering wheel, there was current in, and jumping the signal wires to the battery made everything work, but jumping the current in  to the signal wires did not work.  Then I read an article in Popular Mechanics that discussed tracing voltage.  There were less than 10 volts into the circuit - the flasher was passing current, but not enough to make everything work.  A new flasher solved the problem.  

This is a very hard way to learn simple things.

I figured out why my turn-signal buzzer goes on when the lights go off.  The buzzer is in parallel with the flasher can.  When the flasher is closed, there is little drop in the voltage across the terminals, not enough to activate the buzzer.  When the flasher is open, there is a voltage drop that activates the buzzer, but not enough current through the buzzer to light the lights.  

Michael Rowe
'74 Midget
'60 Bugeye kit
Long Island, NY