[PLUG-TALK] Variable Resistance Test Unit

Aaron Burt aaron at bavariati.org
Wed Aug 4 22:21:38 UTC 2010


On Wed, Aug 04, 2010 at 08:21:08AM -0700, Rich Shepard wrote:
>    This is for all you EEs and hardware experts: where can I buy a gauge
> tester that allows me to dial in specified resistances? This would be used
> for testing vehicle gauges to isolate electrical problems.

Are you testing bare gauges with no shunts or anything?  Or voltage gauges?
You could do OK with a resistor box (a bunch of rotary switches with
calibrated resistors).  They have one or two at SurplusGizmos.

I'd imagine you would be best off with a current-regulated bench power
supply.  I only have a little HP voltage-regulated one.

You could even use a multimeter, and a simple current-source built with a
potentiometer and a pair of transistors set as a current-mirror.
(See!  I *did* learn something in 3 years of EE skul!)

Is this a one-time thing or long-term?




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