subject: Servo stabilizer use and direction [print this page] 1. Disconnect the car's battery and remove the original Voltage Stabilizer from the car. (Note: the Voltage Stabilizer is mounted on the drivers-side firewall just above the steering column.)
2. Open the voltage regulator by carefully prying back the tabs that clamp the metal cover to the plastic base.
3. Cut and remove the old bimetallic regulator mechanism, being careful to leave enough of the two terminals for soldering wires onto them later.
4. Prepare your solid-state voltage regulator by cutting off the center of its three terminals. (This terminal is nominally a "ground" connection, and it would be redundant with the mounting tab in our installation. They're connected internally...)
Enjoying this article? Our magazine is funded through the generous support of readers like you!
To contribute to our operating budget, please click here and follow the instructions.
(Suggested contribution is twenty bucks per year. Feel free to give more!)
5. Using a short length of wire, jumper between the solid-state voltage regulator's VIN (12V in) terminal to the "B" terminal on the plastic base. Carefully solder both connections.
6. Using a short length of wire, jumper between the solid-state voltage regulator's VOUT (10V out) terminal to the "I" terminal on the plastic base. Carefully solder both connections.
7. The LED indicator is optional. Its purpose is just to show that the system is powered and grounded, and that the voltage regulator is functioning. The LED is connected at one end to the voltage regulator's 10V "OUT" terminal, and at the other end it's connected to ground through a 1000 Ohm resistor.
8. To function properly, the solid-state regulator must be electrically well-grounded to the rest of the vehicle. Accomplish this by (first) connecting it to the Servo Voltage Stabilizer metal cover with a machine screw and nut. Note: the voltage regulator itself must in turn be grounded to the car by its mounting. If the fasteners are corroded or dirty, they should be cleaned at this time.