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MG MGB Technical - Intermittent Wipers?
| I see on ebay that a fellow has developed what looks like a pretty sophisticated adjustable intermittent wiper switch. Since I drive my B/GT daily, this could be quite useful. It's at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4504119810 Has anybody had any experience with these? I'd appreciate any opinions. ' Think the guy's name is Eslinger, and he's mostly a Sunbeam guy. Thanks, Allen |
| Allen Bachelder |
| Doesn't Vicky Brit or Moss carry an intermittant switch for B's? Sort of a Reostat type of switch if my recollection is right (and it hasn't been all morning). Luigi |
| Luigi |
| You really won't do better than the Smartswitch which has been around for a while. Uses the existing controls, the electronics is smaller than a matchbox and tucks away out pof sight, and is continuously variable between about 2 secs or less and about 30 secs. I liked it so much on my daily driver that I bought ... another one for my summer car. http://www.smart-screen.co.uk/ |
| Paul Hunt |
| Ah, but nothing wipes closer than three blades and a lubricating strip :) |
| Simon Jansen |
| My wipers and headlights are both intermittent:-) (Sorry, old joke but a good one.) |
| Simon Rasmussen |
| Allen Yes - very useful in an Atlantic climate - we have used the Hella unit for years. A worthwhile gadget ! Good wishes Roger |
| RMW |
| You mean to say some people drive their MG's in the rain? I never do! |
| Bob Ekstrand |
| An interesting alternative. I have used one marketed at many of the national chains by Roberk and Trico for many years and it works well, if not too conveniently. I just tried to purchase one of the Smartscreen units from MGOC and was told... "Dear Sir. I am sorry but the product you want to order is not available and due to be removed from our catalogue.Unfortunately our supplier has disappeared off the face of the earth. Kind regards. Andrew. (MGOC order Dept)" A real shame as it was a well designed unit and had several versions for polarity issues and if you wanted to integrate the washer into its operation. And all done using the stock wiper switch unit on the 68-80 cars for minimum alteration from OE appearance. |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Just thought about the smartscreen units and wonder if anyone has any for sale on Ebay?? I will check with Jeff Zorn and see if he can find a small stash of them somewhere. |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Wow! I turn my back for a few hours and boom - eight responses. Thanks, every one of you. Simon, yeah I know it's an old joke but I had that coming! You know they say that if Lucas made guns, wars wouldn't start either. Hey Bob in San Diego: Is that because it never rains there? 8^) Bob M: Good idea, I'll check with Jeff too. Luigi: I don't recall seeing any of these in Vicky Brit or Moss. If they are in Moss, Jeff Zorn will know about it. The unit on ebay looks neat as it is claimed to connect without cutting/splicing and it can be connected to turn on the lights with the wipers - as so many US states require these days. But I don't know if it's as good as advertised. Thanks again, all... - Allen Aside to Bob M: I built my own heater control valve as per your instructions. Looks like I'm getting more heat, and it actually turns on and off - without putting a vice grips on the control knob! And when mine leaks, it drips on the bottom of the distributor where the drip is harmless. I can fix that - just need to take it off and turn the elbow 1/2 turn tighter. But why bother? The rest of the car is getting wet, why not the distributor? |
| Allen |
| I second Paul Hunt's opinion. I fitted a Smartswitch some years ago and it's first class. Using it is totally intuitive, the appearance remains standard as the box and extra wires are behind the dash, and if you ever want to return to standard it would take about five minutes to disconnect and remove it. I got mine from the MGOC. |
| Miles Banister |
| OK, I checked the MGOC website for spares and accessories and did a search for "Smartswitch". Nothing found. I also checked with Jeff Zorn and we mutually agreed that the answer is to turn my windscreen wipers on when I want them on and turn them off when I don't. I've checked Hella's website and see no offering there. So, that leads me back to the gadget offered on ebay. There are a lot of higher priorities, but I hate turning the switch on and off all the time in light rain. Both electrically and mechanically, I'm afraid of wearing the thing out. I know connecting it to a relay would relieve the electrical load quite a bit. Maybe that's the best I can do... - Allen |
| Allen |
| Ah, the joys of 76> rubber bumper motoring, one touch wipe function, with electric screen wash! Martin |
| Martin ZT |
| Sorry, I got the name of the product slightly wrong. It's called Smartscreen not Smartswitch. I searched for it on the MGOC online parts catalogue and it wasn't there. But I did find this link http://www.smart-screen.co.uk/ |
| Miles Banister |
| Moss still list them and may have stock if the manufacturer is out of contact: http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/MossUK/SearchResults.aspx?Search=smartscreen&Category= I've used one for a few years and count as a satisfied customer. |
| Steve Postins |
| I will try Moss UK if they ship US. Even if the parent company has gone south, there may be a small inventory on someone's shelves. I am trying Smartscreen's own email to see if they respond and how. Wish us luck! ;-) |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Gosh, they got my hopes up. They (smart-screen)have a drawing of what appers to be a TC on their home page, but there is no informaiton that you can get one for the T Series. Oh well, TD already has an intermittent wiper. It only works intermittently. |
| Bruce Cunha |
| Well I just ordered a Smart-Screen SS05 from the factory website at http://www.smart-screen.co.uk/. Looks to me like they're very much still in business. ' Will post to the list again when something more happens. Cheers, Allen |
| Allen |
| Allen, FWIW, I have still not heard from them. Maybe this week...... Also, posted an inquiry to Moss UK, again, hopefully this week...... |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Thanks Bob, I'll let you know what happens with my order. They certainly still have the mechanism to take your money! - Allen |
| Allen |
| Allen, et al, Got this msg direct from Smartscreen just today: "Yes we are still very much in business, MGOC should be receiving stock shortly along with Moss Europe. Regards" |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Reactivating an old thread: here in northern Australia the '73 BGT standard 2-speed wiper motor works well - but I would really love to plumb in a manually adjustable intermittent module such as the Smartscreen or the Hella rheostat. I've tried eliciting from Smartscreen, without a reply so will try here: can the Smartscreen be adjusted to varying speeds while driving, or is it restricted to preset delay periods? I would prefer an adjustable set up such as Hella's rheostat, but do folk know what other good products are out there?
All advice gratefully received. Yours, John. |
| J P Hall |
| John This is from their FAQs:- Q How do I set the delay? A With the ignition on, switch the wipers on then off - they will wipe once, wait between 3 and 30 seconds, switch the wipers on then off - they will wipe once. They will now continue to wipe at this set delay, even though the wiper switch is in the off position, until you set a new delay or cancel the delay. |
| Dave O'Neill 2 |
| It's beyond me but I bet some on here could tell you how to construct your own unit to do what you want.
Back in the late '80s I had a Skoda with extremely variable wiper settings including IIRC infinitely variable intermittent (and radio aerial built into sunroof or rear window - unimaginable things on compatible UK cars at the time) and today my wife has a VAG Skoda with four settings to the intermittent. With both systems I've found you're forever playing around with the settings whilst driving. On the midget I have a fully biological electronic infinitely variable system - I switch the wipers on and off as required, Rain-X (or equivalent) may help a bit above 40mph. |
| Nigel Atkins |
| I have the Smartscreen delay module on my car and it works really well.
To set the delay period you first have to flip the wiper switch quickly on and off, then you count how long you want the delay to be (between 3 and 30 seconds). Lastly, you flip the wiper switch on and off again. This has programmed the delay period. To change the delay period you just repeat the process counting a different number of seconds. To cancel the delay you simply switch the wipers on for a few seconds. It is handy to be able to set the delay to virtually any period you wish. Cheers Colyn (My Smartscreen module is the negative earth type and operates on the Lucas 14W 2-speed motor) |
| Colyn Firth |
| Thanks for the replies - fwiw, the motor vehicles insurance regulations in the various states here refer to the requirement that the driver be in "full and proper control" of the vehicle when the vehicle is being used; this of course includes being "parked up" with the engine running, and similar scenarios. I was a bit worried that with the Smartscreen I might have to go through a complicated set of fine motor skills (no pun intended) which would distract me from the job at hand - but from Colyn's description it seems perhaps Smartscreen is not too bad. I still personally lean towards a simple dial setup, if I can find one. In the GT there is a spare blanked hole right next to the wiper switch. Here's hoping something turns up. Thanks all for your advice.
Regards, John. |
| J P Hall |
| John
I still have a delay unit that I made from a kit a few years ago for my MGA. It was from an electronics company called Maplins that is now defunct. The only thing I didnt like about it was having to use a control knob on the dash instead of the MGAs pull switch. When I later bought the Smartscreen unit i gave it away to a friend of mine who now has it on his MGA. I found these delay unit on-line just now that may be worth a try, the come either in kit from if you like soldering, or fully assembled if you don't. Look to be great value. Cheers Colyn https://quasarelectronics.co.uk/Item/quasar-kit-8093-intermittent-windscreen-wiper-controller PS I just spotted they also sell the Vellman delay kit that I first tried. |
| Colyn Firth |
| I too have used a Smartscreen for years on my MGBGT and it is very useful, but it is possible to get confused with where you are in the switching sequence, especially when travelling at speed on a crowded motorway when there are so many other things to think about.
The bit where you can easily get in a muddle is if you want to alter the sweep rate interval. You have to flick the wiper to switch the Smartscreen off, then flick the wiper to switch it back on, then wait for the new required interval and flick again to set it. Maybe it's my age but this often goes wrong and either it is set wrong, or not set at all. On my Elan I had a simple rotary knob that put the wiper on with a variable delay. It was easier to use in my opinion. But that's just me probably! |
| Mike Howlett |
| Ha! - Mike, my thoughts exactly. Colyn - yes, I spotted the Quasar product yesterday, and agree it could be worth a go. Will have to look at the size of the unit and where it could be located. JPH. |
| J P Hall |
| The Quasar Intermittent Windscreen Wiper Controller looks quite like the one Maplin used to sell, which was the Velleman K2599 - Windshield Wiper, Robot or Interval Timer Electronic Kit. This kit is also now sold by Quasar - see link https://quasarelectronics.co.uk/Item/velleman-k2599-windshield-wiper-robot-interval-timer-kit I have an unused kit going spare if anyone would like it. Andy  |
| Andy Robinson |
| John,
the Velleman delay unit I had worked fine but, at the time I bought it, I only had the original single speed wiper motor on my MGA which was very tired and slow. In fact it was so slow that the wiper blade had only moved an inch or so on the windscreen when the delay unit switched off. So the wipers would on move across the screen in 1" jerks as the delay unit switched on and off. The problem was that my old and very slow MGA motor wasn't allowed to rotate far enough to reach its parking circuit. As I said earlier, I also didn't really like having a modern looking operating knob on the dashboard. So I gave the Velleman delay unit away to a friend of mine with an MGA to see if he could make it work on his car. Soon after this I fitted an MGB Lucas 14W 2-speed wiper motor to my car which works brilliantly. This motor is much faster running, even on slow speed, also its parking circuit is much better in that, even if my present Smart-screen delay unit only moves the blades a fraction, it will still cycle the blades once and park correctly. In other words, I think the Velleman unit will work fine with the MGB 2-speed wiper motor and so and Andy's offer is worth considering. I think it depends on how much the P & P is to Australia. John, if you do decide to try the Quasar delay unit, let me know how it works out. Cheers Colyn |
| Colyn Firth |
| Sorry - some severe tropical weather got in the way. Andy, thanks for the offer; yours is the "soldering required" version, and my soldering is average at best. I'm leaning towards the Quasar offering (the one pre-soldered), and will report back (tautology) when fitted. Yours, John. |
| J P Hall |
| John, having got used to these features in modern cars and looked at after market devices I decided to design my own. When I got my B roadster the PO had fitted electric washers and used a Lucas push button switch in place of the manual pump, so I decided to use this to control the unit.
I’d planned to put this into small scale production and had a batch of boards made, I’ve been using one in my car for about 2 years now. Other events took precedence and I didn’t get round to making any more. The way it works is, a quick press of the washer button gives 1 wipe, if you do this again within 30 seconds it’ll remember the interval and carry on wiping at this interval. To cancel this just press again. If needed you can use the normal wiper switch to put the wipers into continues wipe (slow or fast) and when the switch is turned off the wipers will revert to intermittent mode. Holding the button for longer than a short press will start the washer pump and then a short time later (about a second giving time to wet the screen) the wipers will start and continue for about 3 wipes after the button is released. I tried to make it as intuitive as possible and easy to fit. All the connections are pre wired and doesn’t require any of the original wiring be cut. If electric washers are already fitted it should only take about 20 minutes to fit. I included 4 coloured LED’s to show the system is working and fault diagnosis. If this is of interest let me know. I’m planning to do a youtube video for a colleague who’s expressed interest, I post a link when it’s done Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Interesting you mention your idea, Bob - in the attached photo you can just about see the round button which operates my electric washer, where the dreadful old pushbutton used to be. The electric washer saves much swearing; and I've now ordered the Quasar unit with the intention of fitting their dial in the vacant slot to the left. Your system sounds good, and I hope you will post again here when the video is available. John.  |
| J P Hall |
| With Smartscreens on both my cars Mike is correct - you have to cancel the existing intermittent period before setting a new one. This is done by either turning them off altogether (if perhaps the periodicity needs to be reduced) or turning them fully on for at least two full cycles (periodicity needs to be increased). Either can cause the problem if they are not left off/on long enough. But the benefits of not needing any other switch or control more than outweigh that minor proviso. I've never had a car with continuously variable delay apart from the circuit I made in the 70s, the three set periodicities in a Celica were bad enough, the single in the ZS is hardly ever right for the conditions. |
| paulh4 |
| John, see link to the video below and if you manage to watch it all the way to the end, yes I did say “thank you for washing” https://youtu.be/bVor7tGvdPM Bob |
| R.A Davis |
| Bob, I would be interested in one of your units Dominic@clancy.ch |
| Dominic Clancy |
This thread was discussed between 17/11/2004 and 17/02/2019
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