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Old 11-12-2008, 07:30 AM
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patrickt patrickt is offline
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Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strictlypersonl View Post
No light, no charge. The small current that goes through the light bulb is used to actuate the field circuit. It's much more than a warning circuit.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that the field circuit was back-fed through the filament of an idiot light. No sign of that in the wiring diagram or the wiring instructions. But, buried deep in the bowels of the ERA web site is the diagram below that shows the optional 15 ohm shunt across the light. Does Doug wire in that resistor on the base of the light socket, or is it truly "optional?" And I take it the purpose of that resistor is to keep the car charging should the filament burn out, correct? Or if the filament is too fat to actuate the field circuit?

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