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Thread: Question | Gauge Lighting Sources (Switched & Unswitched)

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    Question | Gauge Lighting Sources (Switched & Unswitched)

    Hey guys, so I've read through the how-to and even did a couple searches but there doesn't seem to be a definitive or preferred method (as there are many ways to achieve the same result) for where to tap into for a switched & un-switched source for gauges. I just installed a new boost gauge and the vacuum portion of the gauge is working but I can't for life of me get the thing to light up. I know I have a good/solid ground and I'm using add-a-circuits to connect my yellow wire (un-switched source) to the fuse for the cigarette lighter and the red wire (switched source) is connected to the fuse for the 'audio/radio'. I sent an email off to the manufacturer but am starting to wonder if I've just got a bad gauge??? Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

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    Here's what my fuse box/connections look like. Again un-switched is tied into fuse #3 (Cigarette lighter) and switched is tied into fuse #1 (Audio).
    WP_20150930_007.jpg

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    Mechanical or electric vaccum/boost gauge? If it a mechanical gauge then the gauge's abilty to display vaccum/boost does not need any electrical source to operate and it also has nothing to do with the electrical source needed to illuminate the gauge.

    With electric gauges you need a switched source to power the gauge for operation and a separate power source for the gauge lightning. The lightning should be tied into the dash light dimmer switch so the aftermarket gauge illumination can be dimmed with the factory gauge cluster. Pull the headlight switch housing out of the dash and use a test light to find the dimmer switch to identify the correct wire. Since you're using and add-a-fuse you should be able to draw power from the dash light fuse but I am not certain if this will allow you to dim the aftermarket gauge(s).

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    Quote Originally Posted by throttle jockey View Post
    Mechanical or electric vaccum/boost gauge? If it a mechanical gauge then the gauge's abilty to display vaccum/boost does not need any electrical source to operate and it also has nothing to do with the electrical source needed to illuminate the gauge.

    With electric gauges you need a switched source to power the gauge for operation and a separate power source for the gauge lightning. The lightning should be tied into the dash light dimmer switch so the aftermarket gauge illumination can be dimmed with the factory gauge cluster. Pull the headlight switch housing out of the dash and use a test light to find the dimmer switch to identify the correct wire. Since you're using and add-a-fuse you should be able to draw power from the dash light fuse but I am not certain if this will allow you to dim the aftermarket gauge(s).
    It's a mechanical gauge but as stated in my OP the problem isn't with the vacuum portion of the gauge (that's working just fine), it simply won't light. I previously had an AutoMeter gauge installed and loved it however it needs to be re-calibrated and I was looking for a change so I got something new. I had the AutoMeter installed exactly as you described however this new gauge requires a 12v constant (un-switched) source as well as a 12v switched source so unfortunately the dimmer wire won't work. Nevertheless I appreciate the reply. Hopefully I'll hear back from the manufacturer tomorrow as I'm really starting to think I may have just received a bad gauge. I just figured in the meantime I'd post up here in case there was something that I had done wrong or was missing that was blatantly obvious to others and I was just missing
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    What brand gauge did you buy? Can you post a pic of the installation directions so we can get an idea of what the manufacturers expect? The directions should state or at least indicate why you need both a constant a switched source. Certain gauge series such as the Auto Meter Lunar Series were clear that the gauge was not to be wired to the dimmer switch because doing so would damage the EL (electroluminescent) lighting.

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    Thumbs up Gauge lights

    Tim Skelton's site has it wired into the blue wire with red stripe on the headlight switch.

    You can hook it up to any hot wire to check if the gauge lights actually work first.

    I think the cigarette lighter is always on so I wouldn't leave it permanently on that one.

    Gauge lights.JPG

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    How many fuse do you have in the add a fuse ? you need 2 one to protect the circuit your adding and one to protect the circuit your tapping.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BRIANV View Post
    How many fuse do you have in the add a fuse ? you need 2 one to protect the circuit your adding and one to protect the circuit your tapping.
    I was using two, learned that lesson when hardwiring my radar detector in the car. Thanks though.

    Merlin & Cayman150, unfortunately both of instructions referenced aren't helpful in the case of the GlowShift gauges because they require two sources of direct power (one switched and one unswitched) and they (GlowShift) recommend that it not be tied in to a dimmable circuit because it will cause the gauge to flicker. I had previously had one of the AutoMeter gauges in place and used those exact methods to do the install; unfortunately for this one they wouldn't work, I tried. Good news is, long story short, I finally got it to work. For whatever reason I wasn't able to get things working using the cigarette lighter circuit as my unswitched/constant source so I ended up just running two dedicated wires through the firewall and tied them direct to the battery (for positive/unswitched and negative); and yes the positive has an in-line fuse For the switched source I ended up using an add-a-circuit in slot #8 in the fuse panel beneath the dash on the drivers side. Now everything works like a charm and as expected (on with ignition and off when the trucks shut-off). I've attached a pic below just because. Thanks everyone for the help & replies

    ~[ATTACH]29281[/ATTACH
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Quote Originally Posted by throttle jockey View Post
    What brand gauge did you buy? Can you post a pic of the installation directions so we can get an idea of what the manufacturers expect? The directions should state or at least indicate why you need both a constant a switched source. Certain gauge series such as the Auto Meter Lunar Series were clear that the gauge was not to be wired to the dimmer switch because doing so would damage the EL (electroluminescent) lighting.
    Sorry Throttle Jockey, missed your post in there. It's a GlowShift gauge...I know some people on here are not fans but I wanted something different and liked the variable color options. The instructions, in case you were still curious or for future reference, can be found at the link below:

    http://www.glowshift.com/instruction...oost-Gauge.pdf

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    Quote Originally Posted by Daydreamer View Post
    I was using two, learned that lesson when hardwiring my radar detector in the car. Thanks though.

    Merlin & Cayman150, unfortunately both of instructions referenced aren't helpful in the case of the GlowShift gauges because they require two sources of direct power (one switched and one unswitched) and they (GlowShift) recommend that it not be tied in to a dimmable circuit because it will cause the gauge to flicker. I had previously had one of the AutoMeter gauges in place and used those exact methods to do the install; unfortunately for this one they wouldn't work, I tried. Good news is, long story short, I finally got it to work. For whatever reason I wasn't able to get things working using the cigarette lighter circuit as my unswitched/constant source so I ended up just running two dedicated wires through the firewall and tied them direct to the battery (for positive/unswitched and negative); and yes the positive has an in-line fuse For the switched source I ended up using an add-a-circuit in slot #8 in the fuse panel beneath the dash on the drivers side. Now everything works like a charm and as expected (on with ignition and off when the trucks shut-off). I've attached a pic below just because. Thanks everyone for the help & replies

    ~[ATTACH]29281[/ATTACH
    Ahhh I get it now. My gauges are old school. Cool, I like these glow ones though. Can you set them so they glow brighter or flicker if they get to a certain preset reading so you will notice an issue quicker?

    In the race cars we used to set the gauges so that the needles tended to point straight up for NORMAL operating circumstances. Tach was set to 7-8k straight up. water temp at 180, etc. This way during the race you didn't have to look at each gauge for several seconds to determine if it was within range or not as they all have different readings and purposes. If the needle wasn't straight up then there was something wrong. Of course for the OCD in us the gauge faces weren't always the prettiest things being all out of alignment and such so when people look into the cars before and after races they would always question it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cayman150 View Post
    Ahhh I get it now. My gauges are old school. Cool, I like these glow ones though. Can you set them so they glow brighter or flicker if they get to a certain preset reading so you will notice an issue quicker?

    In the race cars we used to set the gauges so that the needles tended to point straight up for NORMAL operating circumstances. Tach was set to 7-8k straight up. water temp at 180, etc. This way during the race you didn't have to look at each gauge for several seconds to determine if it was within range or not as they all have different readings and purposes. If the needle wasn't straight up then there was something wrong. Of course for the OCD in us the gauge faces weren't always the prettiest things being all out of alignment and such so when people look into the cars before and after races they would always question it.
    Yeah, sorry...in hindsight it might have helped if I mentioned the brand in my OP. I'm not sure if you can set these, or at least the model I have specifically, to flicker or glow brighter but I suppose anything is possible with a little creative engineering haha ;) The boost gauge is the only one I currently have of theirs although I was looking into getting more and part of the reason I chose them was because of price and available colors, for customization. If you notice on the instructions in the link above there's an orange wire that you can use for dimming but I left that disconnected on my setup as the default brightness is perfect during the day and doesn't bother me at night. Your reason for wanting it seems legit. I can say this about the companies customer support, they're pretty good. I ended up contacting them on a couple different occasions as my problem went from the gauge not lighting to the gauge not shutting off and each time they were pleasant to deal with and pretty responsive both in email and over the phone. Might be worth shooting them an email to ask if they have a model that can do what you need or if they could make one or provide instructions for how to accommodate.

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