Can anyone suggest of a simple 7v power supply to power my fuel and temperature gauges on my car? It got busted when I had my car repainted, and somehow the painters were not able to assemble the dashboard assembly the right way, causing some of the electronic components to burn out. I am thinking of using just a zener diode, my gauges are OK, but they do require a constant voltage of 7 volts.
I would approach the paint shop and demand that they pay to have the circuit repaired. Get a quote from the dealer for an entire gauge cluster replacement and present it to the paint shop. If they don't pay, small claims court is inexpensive and easy.
Failing that, if you really want to fix their mistake yourself (and let them get away with ruining your cluster so they can just go and do it to someone else) then look at the datasheet for the LM317. It's an adjustable linear regulator that is quite stable. There are example circuits on the datasheet.
simple 7v supply
Posted - Apr 15 2008 : 05:24:14 AM
Teach those guys a lesson. 
