RTE voltage limiter

['68 Charger]

Hello, when replacing your gauge cluster OEM voltage limiter with a new RTE solid state limiter, is the condenser (see pic) necessary to re-install?

This is for a 1968 B Body.

Thanks

 

[Billccm]

The condenser is not required with the rte-eng device.

 

[RJRENTON]

Hello, when replacing your gauge cluster OEM voltage limiter with a new RTE solid state limiter, is the condenser (see pic) necessary to re-install?

This is for a 1968 B Body.

Thanks

View attachment 1459405

NO....the purpose of the condenser was to eliminate radio noise due to the mechanical action off the original voltage regulator. FYI...the origional instrument voltage regulator was a percent cycle timer that interrupted the 12 volt power to yield ~ 5.0 Volt to operate the gauges....oil pressure, coolant temperature and fuel level. To do this regulation, the internal thermal element turned on-off to produce the required 5.0 volt output or 5/12 of the time to yield the output for the instruments, which are actuality volt meters calibrated to read temperature or oil pressure or fuel level. This on/off action produced radio noise. When the respective instrument reads full scale it was actually showing 5.0 volts. The individual instruments were thermal devices, deliberately slow in response to dampen needle movement and reduced measured quantity fluctuation. Just my opinion of course.....
BOB RENTON

 

[AR67GTX]

I remember the instructions saying the condenser could be removed.

 

['68 Charger]

Billccm, BOB RENTON & AR67GTX......Thank you very much for your input. I will remove the condenser.

And BOB RENTON, thanks for the crash course. I did notice the red light flashing and wondered why it did that.

 

[Demonic]

I did notice the red light flashing and wondered why it did that.

That is in the instructions, if I remember correctly. It means it's working.

 

[AR67GTX]

The only part I found a bit intimidating about the RT-E voltage regulator was the little diode (resister?) they included with it that would need to be temporarily put in the power circuit to bench test the instruments to protect it. Now if somehow when I need to do that in about 10 years, I can manage to remember that tidbit of info and remember where I put it, I’ll be doing good.