** Reply to message from Chris Paquette <cp@IX.NETCOM.COM> on Sat, 21
Nov 1998 18:52:31 -0800

Chris, if *all* the lights are intermittent it is probably a bad
power or ground connection.  Could be a wire broken inside the
insulation, or bad contact on the connector.  OTOH it quite likely is
a bad solder joint on the circuit board, likeliest place being where
the wires enter the board.  The first thing I would try is to resolder
(or get a friend...) each joint on the display board.  There are only
a few dozen, job will take about five minutes with the right soldering
equipment, which is a 15-25 watt iron and some *rosin core* 60/40 or
63/37 electronic solder -- and a slightly damp sponge.  Cover the tip
with solder, wipe it on the sponge so it's bright and shiny, then
apply a little bit of new solder and heat the joint until the solder
melts and flows freely. A good joint will look nice and shiny, and
will not clump up into balls that don't wet the wires. Make sure that
you don't bridge between adjacent foils, and disconnect the panel from
the van first.  Every time you put the iron down, cover the tip with
lots of solder and don't wipe.  When you pick it up, wipe and apply a
touch of new solder.  Don't use a big gun and don't use pressure on
the joint, just let the liquid solder on the tip touch and melt the
solder already on the board.  Be delicate, the conductor foils are
only glued to the board adn the bond is very weak when the joint is
hot.  If you have doubts, get someone else to do it.  It's hard to
actually *ruin* the board, but the price for replacements is obscene.
If you do run into trouble I can almost surely fix it for you for $50
or less, but if you're careful should have no problem.  You'd be
astonished at the things I've fixed by reflowing the solder joints.

Write privately with any concerns...

david

>
> Anybody ever done it?  I see in the Bentley that there's a section
on
> camping equipment, but it makes no mention of how to repair the
level
> indicator.  When I first got the Westie, the reverse lights were not
> working, and the mechanic showed me how this was caused by a
"contact" or
> "relay" which was not falling into place, and I'm thinking that the
level
> light problem might be of the same ilk.
>

David Beierl <dbeierl@ibm.net>
401 274-5827 voice, -6349 fax
OS/2 V4, FP7, JVM 1.1.6, JSM 98.6.3