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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - I Found The Problem

Well, I dismantled the Smiths voltmeter that had died on me.

Inside the casing is a very tiny wire not much thicker than a piece of sewing thread, more like a piece of hair. It ran from a terminal to a post where it was wrapped around a number of times. I suppose this winding acts like a magnet. Anyway, this fine wire had broken where it begins to wrap around the post breaking the circuit and killing the gauge. I wonder why the wire was so fine?

So, that was why the gauge had no reading in case anyone was interested. A piece of wire worth a penny killed an expensive gauge.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Easy enough to repair then.
GuyW

It's always the cheapest part that fails. It may be an easy fix as Guy says but (and there's always a 'but') what kind of wire was it? Just plain old electrical conductor type or is it some kind of thermal wire or....?
Martin

I couldn't be bothered trying to fix it. The wire was held in place with a lacquer type liquid on the terminal and I don't have any and the new one which was a lot cheaper is working fine (so far).

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

It's probably a hot wire voltmeter. In a previous thread I think you said it took a while before it displayed the true voltage. This is a characteristic of a hot wire voltmeter. It's operation is simple, pass a current through a thin wire and it will heat up. As it heats it will stretch and will allow the pointer to move. The higher the voltage, the more current, the more heat the more it stretches, the higher the reading.

The other type of voltmeter is a moving coil where the current produces a magnetic field and in conjunction with a magnet makes the pointer move. A characteristic of this type of voltmeter is it is almost instantaneous.

As the wire in your voltmeter has broken, it's SNAFU.

Rob
MG Moneypit

Congrats

Another easy inexpensive option would be to google search "smith gauge repair shop" and just have a pro fix it with the proper wire and laquire coating glue, i doulbt it wouls take them a few minutes fkr something so cheap and easy... probably spend more on shipping then actual cost to repair

But in the end you will have the orginal WORKING volt gauge instead of some off brand from a shelf of any decent retail store weather its walmart or napa parts

Having ALOT OF gauges i can assure you having 1 One off brand gauge is ... tacky and looks like a thursday 6pm bodge repair

Id stay with factory id yiu can of switch out faces to appear to be orfinal... or redo all the gauges to match

Or do zone gauges... all orginal where they belong and then another set of modern matching guages so rhat it shows upgrade but rhought out by not using a buch of different gauges

Its a small thing ... its just one gauge, but rhen agian if you think about it, its just one gauge why draw a bushy mustache on the Mona Lisa if you don't have to

If it cant be repaired for under $1000 thats one rhing but if we are talking $50 for repair ad shiping cost... then why not, just give up lip stick and eye shadow for a week (lol)
1 Paper

Prop, it was BER. Beyond Economical Repair. A new in the box one can be had for less than $100.00 I'm sure. I'll replace it eventually but until then I will leave things as they are.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Clare
Is there a commission for selling your dead gauge------------
There's a dude in Missouri that would probably buy it for his collection
lol
willy
William Revit

Haha... its almost like i said something offensive


Prop
1 Paper

I missed Willy's post being a joke, and it's very good, I'm smiling now, and with Prop's reply.

I like a bit of light-hearted banter.
Nigel Atkins

Prop is talking like the volt meter was original equipment. Did the 1500s have volt meters as original equipment? I've not seen an OEM volt meter in a 1275 or earlier, but never thought to look for one in a 1500.

Charley
C R Huff

No, the voltmeter and fuel consumption gauges were add ons I installed. I got a nice piece of wood and cut two holes in it and put it in where the speaker grille was. Looked nice and no one but me knew if the gauge worked or not.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Hey Prop
Clare won't mind if i steal her thread for a sec. I'm Sure
The young fella-,Is he still out here or is he back home----How did he like Sydney
Just curious
willy
William Revit

Great timming willy

Iwas just going to give you an update this weekend

Josh is doing well, and having a great time, he has decided to stay on an additional 2 years and get his 4 year degree as in being a pastor ( Protestant version of a Catholic priest)

And my niece hayle a year younger leaves this comming monday to also attend hillsong college at the same school and campus as her brother josh to finish here school education in music and so they will graduate togather from hill song college at the sametime....in 2 years...im not sure of the exact dates

But they will both be back for a visit at christmas 2018 and im guessing grad in spring of 2019 ??? Im still unclear of the details

To be honest willy, im really hoping after there graduation they become ex-pats and dont come back to the usa considering the deteration and sad state of the USA in its political discourse and economics out look... there options here i fear are very limited even with 4 year degrees

Granted im not overly wild nor thrilled of in there choice of degrees ... id wished my brother in law and sister had layed down the law a little firmer and insisted on more professional degrees such as engeenering with no exceptions then you can get what ever degrees you want after the engineering degrees have been earned.... but as the penguins say, smile and wave boys just smile and wave... thats all you can really do.

Im wondering if religion isnt genetic, and not so much learned... my newphew josh will be like 4th and 5th generation Protestant minister

It sure makes thanksgiving dinner a little interesting considering i turned my back on brick and morter religion 30 some years ago and choose my own unique path.

I guess every family has to have a black sheep

Prop

1 Paper

Yin and Yang, then in your family Prop!
Maybe you have more than you realise to thank your nephew for!
GuyW

Thanks Prop
Sounds all good for them then
I hope they both enjoy Sydney and the life style out here--Josh must have settled in ok
Probably should have emailed you really but it's done now
Cheers mate
Sorry about the slight thread drift Clare

William Revit

Not a problem, Prop. It takes a lot more than this to get me going and in fact, not much bothers me any more no matter what it is.
Clare Ravenwood

This thread was discussed between 06/07/2017 and 09/07/2017

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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