electrical engineering

[Kevin]

Greetings, KLR Wizards, I recently got a GPS for use with my KLR. I wired it to the fan circuit, put in in a Ram mount, and was very pleased with the functionality. However, after a few days, it went dead and would not power up. I discovered the cause to be wires that had come loose from their solder points in a little oval-shaped power converter in the line. (At least, I think it's a power converter. It's got a fuse, and some tiny little components on a board, and a little donut with some wires wrapped around it.) It's a little bigger than a quarter. I had used cable ties to attach it to the plastic in front of the radiator. It appears that the vibration of the mighty KLR engine was just too much for those tiny little wires that were soldered onto the circuit board. I re-soldered them, and it happened again. Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to mount this little unit? Part of the problem is that the wires hang free from either side of the device, and they obviously jiggle independently of the main body. I thought about encasing the whole thing in some sort of silicone goo to make it all one unified mass, but then I would be unable to get into it easily in the event that the fuse inside were to go out. I know someone else has had this experience already and devised an elegant fix. Thanks in advance for enlightening me. Kevin

[Thomas Landmann]

Sorry, I should have included the list on my reply: Hi! On my '08 I found a hollow above the battery, and the oval part fits there nice. I have never had a problem with the power supply. I did have an issue with rust/corrosion in the power supply's USB plug, but I was able to get it working again by wrapping some fine sandpaper around a strip of credit card and scrubbing the contacts with it. Now I squirt a generous amount of dielectric grease into both my Nuvi's USB connector and also into the void in the power cable's USB connector. It keeps everything happy. Tom

On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 4:37 PM, Kevin wrote: > ** > > > Greetings, KLR Wizards, > > I recently got a GPS for use with my KLR. I wired it to the fan circuit, > put in in a Ram mount, and was very pleased with the functionality. However, > after a few days, it went dead and would not power up. I discovered the > cause to be wires that had come loose from their solder points in a little > oval-shaped power converter in the line. (At least, I think it's a power > converter. It's got a fuse, and some tiny little components on a board, and > a little donut with some wires wrapped around it.) It's a little bigger than > a quarter. I had used cable ties to attach it to the plastic in front of the > radiator. It appears that the vibration of the mighty KLR engine was just > too much for those tiny little wires that were soldered onto the circuit > board. I re-soldered them, and it happened again. > > Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to mount this little > unit? Part of the problem is that the wires hang free from either side of > the device, and they obviously jiggle independently of the main body. I > thought about encasing the whole thing in some sort of silicone goo to make > it all one unified mass, but then I would be unable to get into it easily in > the event that the fuse inside were to go out. > > I know someone else has had this experience already and devised an elegant > fix. Thanks in advance for enlightening me. > > Kevin > > > -- Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Khoury]

I'd be careful with using dielectric grease, it could get places you don't want it to get. In the Coast Guard, where our electronics are exposed to salt air and spray, we used this miracle stuff called "Cramolin Red and Cramolin Blue". It was made in Germany and we all swore by it (at least in the Electronics Shop). It's been reformulated and is now called DeoxIT. The Red cleans and the Blue protects. It has my full endorsement. http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.64/.f

----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Landmann" To: "Kevin" Cc: "DSN KLR650" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 2:48:01 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Fragile GPS power converter Sorry, I should have included the list on my reply: Hi! On my '08 I found a hollow above the battery, and the oval part fits there nice. I have never had a problem with the power supply. I did have an issue with rust/corrosion in the power supply's USB plug, but I was able to get it working again by wrapping some fine sandpaper around a strip of credit card and scrubbing the contacts with it. Now I squirt a generous amount of dielectric grease into both my Nuvi's USB connector and also into the void in the power cable's USB connector. It keeps everything happy. Tom On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 4:37 PM, Kevin wrote: > ** > > > Greetings, KLR Wizards, > > I recently got a GPS for use with my KLR. I wired it to the fan circuit, > put in in a Ram mount, and was very pleased with the functionality. However, > after a few days, it went dead and would not power up. I discovered the > cause to be wires that had come loose from their solder points in a little > oval-shaped power converter in the line. (At least, I think it's a power > converter. It's got a fuse, and some tiny little components on a board, and > a little donut with some wires wrapped around it.) It's a little bigger than > a quarter. I had used cable ties to attach it to the plastic in front of the > radiator. It appears that the vibration of the mighty KLR engine was just > too much for those tiny little wires that were soldered onto the circuit > board. I re-soldered them, and it happened again. > > Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to mount this little > unit? Part of the problem is that the wires hang free from either side of > the device, and they obviously jiggle independently of the main body. I > thought about encasing the whole thing in some sort of silicone goo to make > it all one unified mass, but then I would be unable to get into it easily in > the event that the fuse inside were to go out. > > I know someone else has had this experience already and devised an elegant > fix. Thanks in advance for enlightening me. > > Kevin > > > -- Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ List Sponsors - Dual Sport News: http://www.dualsportnews.com Arrowhead Motorsports: http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Member Map: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/app/peoplemap/view/map Group Apps: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/grouplets/subscriptionsYahoo! Groups Links

[Thomas Landmann]

Sweet! Another reason to reply to the group! I might be full of 'it. I will definitely pick some up. However, so far the dielectric grease is waterproofing the crappy (non-gold-plated) USB connector fairly well, with no apparent downside. Tom

On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 5:30 PM, Jeff Khoury wrote: > I'd be careful with using dielectric grease, it could get places you don't > want it to get. > > In the Coast Guard, where our electronics are exposed to salt air and > spray, we used this miracle stuff called "Cramolin Red and Cramolin Blue". > It was made in Germany and we all swore by it (at least in the Electronics > Shop). > > It's been reformulated and is now called DeoxIT. The Red cleans and the > Blue protects. It has my full endorsement. > > http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.64/.f > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Thomas Landmann" > To: "Kevin" > Cc: "DSN KLR650" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 2:48:01 PM > Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Fragile GPS power converter > > Sorry, I should have included the list on my reply: > > Hi! > > On my '08 I found a hollow above the battery, and the oval part fits there > nice. > > I have never had a problem with the power supply. > > I did have an issue with rust/corrosion in the power supply's USB plug, > but > I was able to get it working again by wrapping some fine sandpaper around a > strip of credit card and scrubbing the contacts with it. > > Now I squirt a generous amount of dielectric grease into both my Nuvi's USB > connector and also into the void in the power cable's USB connector. It > keeps everything happy. > > Tom > > > On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 4:37 PM, Kevin wrote: > > > ** > > > > > > Greetings, KLR Wizards, > > > > I recently got a GPS for use with my KLR. I wired it to the fan circuit, > > put in in a Ram mount, and was very pleased with the functionality. > However, > > after a few days, it went dead and would not power up. I discovered the > > cause to be wires that had come loose from their solder points in a > little > > oval-shaped power converter in the line. (At least, I think it's a power > > converter. It's got a fuse, and some tiny little components on a board, > and > > a little donut with some wires wrapped around it.) It's a little bigger > than > > a quarter. I had used cable ties to attach it to the plastic in front of > the > > radiator. It appears that the vibration of the mighty KLR engine was just > > too much for those tiny little wires that were soldered onto the circuit > > board. I re-soldered them, and it happened again. > > > > Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to mount this little > > unit? Part of the problem is that the wires hang free from either side of > > the device, and they obviously jiggle independently of the main body. I > > thought about encasing the whole thing in some sort of silicone goo to > make > > it all one unified mass, but then I would be unable to get into it easily > in > > the event that the fuse inside were to go out. > > > > I know someone else has had this experience already and devised an > elegant > > fix. Thanks in advance for enlightening me. > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > > > -- > Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. > Liberty > is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > List Sponsors - Dual Sport News: http://www.dualsportnews.com > Arrowhead Motorsports: http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Member Map: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/app/peoplemap/view/map > Group Apps: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/grouplets/subscriptionsYahoo! > Groups Links > > > > -- Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Greg May]

Hi Kevin Before you solder the wires in place ensure when you strip off the insulation you don't nick the wire, even the smallest nick will cause premature failure. After the wires are soldered in place clean the flux from the joint with acetone and inspect to unsure you have a good joint, smooth and shiney. I assume the wires are failing where they are soldered to the board and not in a random spot in the wire, if so you need to make some sort of strain relief for the wires, possibly a small hole in the board you can thread the wires through or a very small tie wrap. The last step is to cover the section that is soldered with GOOP, this will allow the wires to deal with the vibration and still is reasonably easy to remove if you need to do a future repair.....Have a great evening......Greg From: Kevin To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 6:37:41 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Fragile GPS power converter Greetings, KLR Wizards, I recently got a GPS for use with my KLR. I wired it to the fan circuit, put in in a Ram mount, and was very pleased with the functionality. However, after a few days, it went dead and would not power up. I discovered the cause to be wires that had come loose from their solder points in a little oval-shaped power converter in the line. (At least, I think it's a power converter. It's got a fuse, and some tiny little components on a board, and a little donut with some wires wrapped around it.) It's a little bigger than a quarter. I had used cable ties to attach it to the plastic in front of the radiator. It appears that the vibration of the mighty KLR engine was just too much for those tiny little wires that were soldered onto the circuit board. I re-soldered them, and it happened again. Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to mount this little unit? Part of the problem is that the wires hang free from either side of the device, and they obviously jiggle independently of the main body. I thought about encasing the whole thing in some sort of silicone goo to make it all one unified mass, but then I would be unable to get into it easily in the event that the fuse inside were to go out. I know someone else has had this experience already and devised an elegant fix. Thanks in advance for enlightening me. Kevin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[klrdon@comcast.net]

Very good! Belt & suspenders perhaps but at what price do I want my pants to stay up? Priceless! Don M -----Original Message----- From: k650@... Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:11 PM To: 'Jeff Saline' ; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [DSN_KLR650] Electrical Engineering Good advise below and I would like to add... Best practice especially if you are powering expensive devices including radio receivers would be to run both the positive and negative lead directly to the battery (in the case of the KLR the opposite end of the large gauge battery cables is OK). This will give you the cleanest power as you want to avoid interference from the ignition and charging systems and also the least chance of voltage drop. You run both leads together and make them into a twisted pair (a twist every few inches or so). This will help avoid the positive lead acting as an antenna and picking up radio frequency interference (RFI). Also it is best to fuse both the positive and negative lead. Electricity takes the path of least resistance. If the vehicle develops a ground problem it is possible (mostly when spinning the starter motor) the ground path could be a reverse loop through your expensive electronic devise. This is why you want to fuse both leads and put those fuses close to the beginning of the circuit at the battery up to but not exceeding the wire capacity. Use another fuse at the devise sized as recommended by the manufacturer. Walt -----Original Message----- From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Saline Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:01 To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Electrical Engineering Listers, I've recently noticed a few posts about fuses and suggestions on wiring. Just thought I'd post a few quick comments. Chassis fuses protect the chassis wiring and not the device. A device might have a fuse in it and that fuse is to protect the device. Fuse size should be figured based on the size/gauge of the wiring. The wiring should be based on the load and length of run. General comments suggesting a fuse rating without knowledge of particulars is potentially dangerous to the electrical system. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ------------------------------------ List Sponsors - Dual Sport News: http://www.dualsportnews.com Arrowhead Motorsports: http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Member Map: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/app/peoplemap/view/map Group Apps: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/grouplets/subscriptionsYahoo! Groups Links ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1390 / Virus Database: 1518/3775 - Release Date: 07/19/11

[fw189uhu]

Amazon has some great prices on the DeoxIT products--especially if you're Amazon Prime. Dave