this is my new rev counter, i kind of think i burnt the old one out, i have no clue how! but, now i can't seem to get any one to work, including the one my dad bought, its hugely irritating. i've connected the cable to the side of the coil that goes down to the dizzy. the one that goes to the ignition too(any where in particular this goes?) and of course, i've earthed it, but to no avail. now my new rev counter, if you can see in the dodgy pic(if it even works!!) has three attachments on the back and i don't know where they go! but i do know its a fairly common rev counter, so was hoping someone could shine some light on the issue.
really sorry to be asking a question like this, but it is massively frustrating!
thanks!
*Callum*
I'm not sure. It's a different arrangement to my rev counter. By 1 do you mean the screw with the green washer under it, and by light do you mean the little red indicator? What about the supply?
At a guess I would say perhaps the top screw with a green washer under it is the supply and the bottom screw with a metal strip and a green washer under it is the earth. I think there were some rev counters where you cut the coil supply wire and fitted the counter inline, and it sensed the interruptions in the current. If it's that type of counter that could explain why there appears to be both a male and a female bullet terminal.
I think there's supposed to be a couple of bulb holders that go in the big holes for the backlight.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
From what I can tell there's two bullet connectors on it - One male, one female. The neg/ dizzy side of the coil goes in one (from the coil) and out the other (to the dizzy). The insulated spade will be positive IIRC, and there should be an earth on the body for the negative (I think).
Lighting is done through one of teh holes in the back, the other hole being the ign warning light.
Worth triple checking the polarity before fitting! It could well be pos earth, as it looks fairly old/ early (and will be, being an inline type). Personally I don't like having the switched part of the LT circuit wired through the counter, and would sell it on and buy a later type that simply takes a feed from the coil, instead of being a part of teh actual circuit.
Revcounter marked RVC uses capacitance to trigger it. RVI uses inductance. RVC need earth, power feed (green) in and a conection to the coil neg (if neg earth or CB: usually wite/black in Lucas BSAu wiring) whereas the RVI uses a pair of wires from the coil that go from the coil through the dissy and then on to the distributor.
ie one wire feed for RVC, 2 wires for RVI.
I'd guess RVC for the revcounter that you've got. Green to the male terminal, earth to the spade terminal and white between the female terminal and the coil CB connection that goes onto the little spade terminal on the dissy.
RVI won't work with Lumenition optical triggering system, BTW.
hi everyone. so we know, i have an RVI counter. this would explain nearly setting fire to the distributer when i tried to wire it in RVC style! so, to rob thomas, please can you explain in the same detail how to do RVI as you did in explaining RVC.
and as im open to all offers, could packedup please explain in simpler terms how to do it his way. im really sorry, but my electrical knowledge isn't fantastic!
please help, i don't want to blow my car up!
Take a wire from the coil to dizzy (look for a - or the letters CB on the coil) and feed it to the male bullet (IIRC) on the counter. Take another wire and run it from the female bullet on the counter, to the distributor.
As far as I know, you then need to run a pos to the insulated spade between the two bullets on the counter, and an earth to the body of the counter.
But as the counter is now very much part of the low tension ignition circuit, I'd really think twice about using it. If it's in good working order someone with the type of car it originally was fitted to (the ign warning light should narrow that down, and the needle style looks mid 60s to early 70s to me) will probably pay sensible money, and you can go and buy a much easier to wire in type
packedup, you are officially very helpful. i will consider the options! i do have one of these rev counters...
the back shows one male bullet and a spade in one area, and another spade on the body(earth)...how would you wire this one up...come on, you know you are enjoying this circus! sorry
I should think with the inductive sensing type you could also put it in the wire that goes from the ignition switch to the coil, because it's sensing variations in the current through the coil so which side of the coil it goes is irrelevant.
With the second type, I think the insulated spade will be the supply and the male bullet will be the signal (connect it to the distributor side of the coil). The terminal welded to the case is the earth, obviously.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
callyspoy wrote:
the back shows one male bullet and a spade in one area, and another spade on the body(earth)...how would you wire this one up...come on, you know you are enjoying this circus! sorry
I've wired those up in the past, got another to sort when I've got the slightly more pressing things like brakes done on that particular car!
Male bullet - To the CB/ - side of the coil (same terminal as the dizzy wire, but not spliced into it - There's usually two spades on that side of the coil, and the wire goes on the "spaer" one). Pos into the spade next to the bullet. Earth to the spade soldered/ welded to the case. Illumination is done with a bulb holder pushed into the big hole in the back.
I know that counter is nothing like as pretty, but personally I'm happier running a spur from the LT for a counter than I am having the counter in series in the LT circuit.
sorry, the positive, does that go to ignition? or can it run straight from battery etc.
i am sory for asking so many questions, i am just trying to get it right, so that i A)don't fry another rev counter, and B)dont burn out my dizzy which i did a couple of hours ago...god bless my stupidity!
I run the positive from the green wires in the loom, or from the green wire side of the fusebox. I like as much as possible to run through fuses, and you want it to be switched on/ off with the ignition.
2 fuses - one is live all the time and the other only comes live when the ignitions is on... you guessed it the one that comes on with the ignition is the one you want.
If you don't have a multimeter a 12v bulb and some bits of wire will tell you what is live.
Add a wire to the fused side (if you don't know which that it - it is the one that goes dead when you remove the fuse) - and job done! You've added a switched fused live feed.
Last edited by rayofleamington on Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.
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all done, went the easy way and cut the car to pieces and took it to the local scrap metal plant...no...that would be naughty! i fitted the pants looking counter, and hey presto, with the knowledge gained from numerous sources, it works! many thanks, although i do feel some people may stay clear of my threads from now on! don't leave me! there is soooo much more i have to learn!
