Power Panel questions.... Pic

[Paul Taylor]

I have a used power panel. Someone gave it to me because the pump did not work. I do not use an electric pump. Just mainly wanted it for my electric starter, and for Glow plug starter wire.

So I got it all wired up and the electric starter works. I measured the voltage and it is 12 volts for the starter. So I hooked up my glow plug wire and as I pushed in the banana plug I heard a little electric feed back sound. Glow plug did not light up. I adjusted the current knob and nothing. I measured the voltage at the glow plug ports and it reads 12 volts.
So maybe I have a bad power panel?

What does the current adjust do?

Thanks

[Andrew Hathaway]

The current basically adjusts the amperage or voltage to the plug.  As you turn it up the plug glows hotter, if you go too far you'll burn up the plug.

If you've got 12v at the plug then something's not right.  It shouldn't be over 2v, and probably close to 1.5v. 

We went from Cox starting batteries that had 3 d cells soldered in parallel, to a 12v gel cell and power panel, to the McDaniel RC nicad.  Since the Cox unit died I modified a 4 D-cell battery box from Radio Shack to be parallel.  Now I take all three when we go out, and if the nicad doesn't do it the D-cells do.  Honestly I think the D cells work better.  The power panel is cumbersome to deal with.

[posthole_digger]

These panels work on a very different principle than the variable resistor voltage dropping circuit. They use a pulse circuit were the plug is connect to the 12 V for a very short time, over and over again. Usually, either the pulse width is varied or the pulse rate to seem to the glow plug that  a 1.2 or 1.5 volt battery is connected.

Before answering this thread, I measured mine - two ways - with the knob turned all the way up. Once with a digital voltmeter and once with a VTVM (Vacuum Tube Voltmeter). The digital meter read 9.9V while the VTVM read 11.3 V. Since this is a pulse circuit and not a constant DC source, what you measure will depend on the type of voltmeter you measure with.

Can I assume you burned out the plug? Have you tried it with the knob turned all the way down?

Paul

[Paul Taylor]

I did not turn the knob up all the way. And when I turned it up I could hear the feed back sound go up. I hooked the glow starter up to two D-cells and it burn bright.
So I do not think I burned out the plug. I only turned the knob up a little.
I did not want to leave it on long with it getting 12v.
I do not have a digital voltmeter and not sure if mine is a VTVM. It has a needle that moves over to 12v on the dial.

Thanks

[captcurt]

Well...it cant be 12 volts when its connected to a good plug--for very long that is.

Open circuit (no plug connected) it very well could be close to 12.  Try leaving the voltmeter connected while you connect it to a good plug--with the control all the way down.

It might be just shutting down when it sees a load.

Curt

[Paul Taylor]

Ok I think I figured it out.
I figure I would either lite up the plug or burn it out.

So I started a 0 and started to turn the know until the meter on the panel went up to 1.5 and I started to see the glow plug start to glow. But not as bright as the 2 D-cells. Not until I turned it up till the meter went to 2.

So I guess my problem was I was just not turning up the knob enough.