Blue strip at the back of the Instrement Panel?

[UKPhilTR7]

Sorry in advance if this sounds like a silly question, I just want to make sure before I change/ruin anything.

I am looking at putting my oil pressure gauge into the instrument panel of my TR where the clock was. This has been documented in the following page:

http://tr7-n-spitfire.blogspot.com.au/2 ... r7_05.html

My question is the blue strip at the back of the instrument panel, what is it for and will I need to try and connect it with the oil gauge in?

[saabfast]

The blue pastic membrane is the printed circuit connecting to the gauges, instrument lighting etc. You can see the circuit tracks through the plastic cover. They can be pretty fragile so try not to damage it. It will connect to the clock for power but you should not need to connect that. If you are mounting a separate gauge it will need a back lighting and earth connection which I would think is better taken from the loom (earth to a body bolt) rather than trying to connect to the PCB.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1 (now passed to son for his family car)
Saab 9000 2.3 FPT Auto (now gone that others might live)
Saab 9000 2.3 LPT Auto (sold on, wish I had it back)
Saab 9-5 2.3 Vector Auto Estate
'81 TR7 DHC

[UKPhilTR7]

Thanks for that Alan. From what I can see the oil gauge will not need to be connected via the strip as it has its own connections and the light for it will come from the instrument lights that are already connected.

The only thing that is making me stop and think is what to do with the strip that is not needed for the clock. I know not to cut it off lol, but I do not want it getting in the way and touching ans of the oil gauge parts such as screws. I think I could always use black isolation tape to cover it up and then just move it out of the way.

[UKPhilTR7]

I have now fitted the oil pressure gauge in the dash and it looks really good. I was worried that the dash lights would not illuminate the new gauge, but it does. It shows it up just like the original gauges.

With regards to the blue strip, I have put the strip the fed the clock to Tue side. I am also going to put black insulation tape over the exposed terminals to ensure that they do not touch anything to short out when the dash is all put back. Hopefully this will sort it out and make everything safe.

[nick]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by UKPhilTR7</i>

I have now fitted the oil pressure gauge in the dash and it looks really good. I was worried that the dash lights would not illuminate the new gauge, but it does. It shows it up just like the original gauges.

With regards to the blue strip, I have put the strip the fed the clock to Tue side. I am also going to put black insulation tape over the exposed terminals to ensure that they do not touch anything to short out when the dash is all put back. Hopefully this will sort it out and make everything safe.


<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It gets pretty warm under there and tape turns gooy. Shrink wrap may be a better solution. Certainly more elligant.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

[UKPhilTR7]

Hot under the instrument panel, at the back, in the dash? I would not of thought that it would of got that hot under there to make the insulation tape go all funny. When it was under the dash and covered up, I would not of thought that elegant would not of come into it.