Alternator Smart booster regulators

[sahona]

When we fit these things (mine's a Sterling) they usually go next to the alternator and splitter diodes, then we nail the floor down again.
The informative LEDs flash away in the dark, telling anyone who's interested that the fridge will have gone off by morning...
A suggestion that the manufacturer may like to market a remote LED panel as an accessory fell on stony ground.
So, for those who may be interested, here is how I spent some of last weekend:



Sterling Digital Smart alternator controller mod.
Remove cover and slide circuit board out of the heatsink slots sideways. Try not to make a greasy mess with the power transistors under the clips.
Save as much grease as possible as there must be thermal continuity between the transistors and heatsink when reassembled.
Unsolder the LEDs and their associated 330-ohm resistors, using the printed track on the underside of the board to identify which resistors to remove.
I used a length of 4-core shielded cable (excess from fitting ST60s) to connect to the new location. The wires were soldered to the component (top) side of the board.
My cable had red, green, white and brown cores.
Brown to the common side of the resistors, which is the negative/ground line.
Green to the vacant anode pad of the Green LED position, this is the pad on the "round" side of the symbol on the board, and connects to the top pin on the long IC component.
White to the corresponding pad on the Yellow LED position, (2nd top position of IC)
Red to the FLAT SIDE PAD of the red LED symbol - It is printed wrongly. the bottom two LEDs are fitted upside down, but the symbols are all printed in the same orientation)( pos 5 of IC)
cut and tape the screen and any other wires in the cable.
Reassemble the unit by sliding in while lifting open the power transistor springs.
At the other end of the cable the circuit will be re-established with the brown wire going to the three resistors (tied together). The other ends of the resistors go to the connector nearest to the flat side of the LEDs (Cathode), and the wires go to the respective anodes.
Red-red, green-green,white-yellow.
I dismantled the dashboard voltmeter, drilled holes in the face (5mm dia., from back, but not all the way through, so there is just a pinhole from the front)
I glued the LEDs into these holes and now have an instrument that tells me all I need to know about the charging stages at a glance. Any bit of plastic will do if you don't fancy modifying an existing instrument.

I can get pictures or diagrams if anyone is interested.

[Aja]

When we fit these things (mine's a Sterling) they usually go next to the alternator and splitter diodes.......

Unfortunately it was about there that you lost me.....

Donald

[sahona]

I suspect yachts of Aja's quality don't ever break down or require modification, so it's reasonable to assume owner-unfamiliarity with what lies beneath.



'sanother world...

[Aja]

I suspect yachts of Aja's quality don't ever break down or require modification, so it's reasonable to assume owner-unfamiliarity with what lies beneath.



'sanother world...

I certainly am.... at the time of writing we don't have splitters, Sterlings or Ardvarks aboard...

Donald

[sahona]

Amps are addicitve.
I'm doing paraffin therapy but it's hard, so I 've got to keep in with my 'leccy supplier.
You're lucky not to have gone over to the bright side Don, keep the faith.