TomoHawk

I was considering a replacement for the aging powered antenna. I considered a flexible rubber one, because it's compact and doesn't need polishing. Then I discovered the on-glass "hidden" antennas. Metra makes one and the Shakespeare 4353. These things look like a thin copper "snake" (as if it came off a printed circuit board) on a piece of tape. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of stuff? It looks like the on-glass part would be nice, as long as you can find a place where you can stick it (the lower-right corner?) but it's still there if you look, and there is a little black box that will probably be seen no matter where you stick the antenna strip, and it needs 12Volts.

I haven't seen the electronic flashers in the AP stores, and you just can't order a "Tridon 34" flasher module, because the first thing the guy behind the counter says is, "what kind of car do you have?" And since the S30 doesn't have an electronic flasher, you can't order one. So you make up a fictitious car, and you can get a flasher module for that, but it's still not a "Tridon 34," unless it just happens to say that. So other than ordering the Tridon 34 from an online vender, is there a vehicle that uses it? BTW- I read on a Kawasaki website that there is an alternative that doesn't require the ground wire: the CF12ANL-01 flasher relay. I can't tell if the blades are in the right place tho. Look for the one with 2 blades.

OiluJ ,sknahT Thanks.

If you use the sportage weatherstrip for the one seal, will you still need the other (outer) 'flat' weatherstrip? Vintage rubber suggests using this part for the outer seal but it looks more like the inner seal (with a "bulb.") http://www.vintagerubber.com/datsun280z-upperouterhatchseal-1Piece.aspx

Vintage rubber has some seals for the front & back glass, and it is labeled AS "280z Rear Windshield Seal Cal Style" and a similar one for the front. I prefer the smooth style without the stainless steel pieces. Does anyone have experience with it? My car is a 1978, so I'd like opinions on how my car would fare with these. The vehicle is getting painted, so if I use the Sportage weatherstripping for the doors & hatch, I would only need the gaskets for the front & back glass. BTW- The defroster grid is still on the back glass, and it's got bits of window tinting still stuck on the lines. I don't mind scraping the whole thing off, since I don't use the defroster, but it looks more period-correct with the grid on. I suppose I could hose it down with ammonia and try to clean the tinting totally off while the glass is off. Opinions?

Now that we have a working way to make the dinger work, I checked to see if there are any other cars that can be a source of this chime unit. The results are that the earlier models built around 2000 had them: 2000-2005 accent 2000 Sonata 2000 Tiburon 2001-2002 Elantra the models built starting about 2009 had an electronic bell-sound of chime. Also, the dinger like I have would be located above the gas pedal. Thanks to Cap'n O for the all the fun

Sorry to bust your bubble, but there is no such thing as a nature-friendly fuel. The sole purpose of the Internal combustion engine is to burn fuel in order to make an expanding gas (carbon dioxide) to push the piston(s) down. there is no way you can burn anything that doesn't result in carbon dioxide. That is only a lie told to you by gasoline manufacturers, politicians, etc. in order to make you think that you're doing the World a favor. Only a fuel cell will have nature-friendly outflow, namely water.

If you have this thing installed, how is it working? I see it has a feature for a bulb failure, have you tried it? It supposedly has a feature that will flash at a double-rate if a bulb is out, and it's supposed to make some kind of sound too?

My next idea would be an LM3909 with a relay in stead of the LED.

The Accel has EFI and micro-controllers like any modern car, so I'll presume that it is what makes the ding-dong go. It just gives it a shot of +12V, then turns it off, like it would for any warning lamp. I"ll be there is a way to do this just as simply without the bulb, but it eludes me until I find it. I'll go look in my Enyclopedia of Electronic Circuits Vol 1, Graf, Rudolf.

I know an older lady that says she likes to take the old man for drives. That way the car is then equipped with a passenger-side "airbag."

That's where I got the leads from the resistor. I was trying a couple different values (1k, 470k ohms) to see if I could get the flashing to slow down, but neither had an effect, and the lamp didn't even light! (due to the black coating on the leads?) The cost isn't the price of the bulb; it's really the hour I needed to solder on stronger leads, and probably another hour to crawl under the steering column to mount and plug it together. If a better, permanent thing comes along, I'll consider it. In any case, The thing is only there to alert you that the headlamps are on, which usually only happens occasionally instead of all the time, as well brake lamps illuminate. So I think the bulb should last a long time. Any way, thanks for the educational discussion!

Here is a photo of the completed bulb-timer: Photo 1: I clipped the leads from an old resistor and formed a tiny loop in the ends of each. Then I used very fine sandpaper to clean the black coating (which prevented soldering) from the leads of the bulb. I made a little hook in the bulb leads and hooked them to the resistor wires, and soldered. Then I bent the leads up so the new leads went to the top of the bulb. Then I got a short piece of heat-shrink tubing ad encapsulated the whole mess, so the new leads stick out enough to solder wires to. Photo 2. It still works! I was afraid the thin leads of the bulb would break off after soldering so that's why I covered it all with the heat-shrink tube. All I need to do now is to solder some short wires to the leads that stick out, and a small connector (probably from the old buzzer.) I tested the bulb again with the dinger to see if it had any kind of preferred "orientation." It doesn't. Just hook it up inline with either the +12V or Gnd wire of your dinger. The dinger was listed on eBay as "HYUNDAI ACCENT BELL CHIME" Other models on eBay have similar chimes.

Here is a photo of the completed bulb-timer: Photo 1: I clipped the leads from a willing resistor ad formed a tint loop in the ends of each. Then I used very fine sandpaper to clean the black coating (which prevented soldering) from the leads of the bulb. I made a little hook in the bolb leads and hooked them to the resistor wires, ad soldered. then I bent the leads up s the new leads went t the top of the bulb. Then I got a short piece of heat-shrink tubing ad encapsulated the whole mess, so the new leads stick out enough to solder wires to. Photo 2. It still works! I was afraid the think leads of the bulb would break off after soldering so that's why I covered it all wit the heat-shrink tube. I tested the bulb again with the dinger to see if it had any kind of preferred "orientation." It doesn't. Just hook it up inline with either the +12V or Gnd wire of your dinger. The dinger was listed on eBay as "HYUNDAI ACCENT BELL CHIME 96820-25100" Oter models on eBay has similar chimes.

It worked! You're (I'm) a genius: the blinky Christmas tree bulb idea. Please view the attached videos. Flashing light Only: Light with ding-dong: It's not exactly a 50/50, 70/30, or 80/20 cycle, but the objective was to get a pleasant ding-dong alarm to replace the annoying buzzer to warn you that the headlights are on. This looks like it will work. I just have to pt it all together nicely and swap it in for the buzzer.

Do you happen to know what the duty cycle, flashing patter, is for a blinking LED? It seems like 50% and 1Hz. I suppose I will just have to go buy one.

Well, at least one good thing came of this idea- the ability to replace the dimmer rheostat with something better. I think I would like that, if you could build it so the potentiometer sticks through the lower dash, as it does (just glue on an extension rod.) It's a shame that there isn't a company that can make new wiring harnesses, so we can incorporate all these improvements people are discovering- brighter headlamps, digital EFI, dash light dimmer, and what else?

The Miata dimmer too.

here's another idea: This uy added a second transistor to the Esake effect circuit, and "by adding a second transistor to make a latch when combined with the negative-resistance transistor, I could get a brighter, longer flash." http://cappels.org/dproj/simplest_LED_flasher/Simplest_LED_Flasher_Circuit.html

It looks like an idea to try. Everything except the hot glue- I use GOOP for that.

a 70/30 cycle should be fine, but IMO an 80/20 cycle would be better, long as it starts with the ding. the weird thing is that you see a bunch of circuits on the Internet, with videos of flashing LEDs, but they don't show where the load goes.

Now I'm confused. All I really need is to get a square wave of 12V, with a bit of current. Could you get it to flip-flop slowly enough? (1Hz)

For something as big as a seat rail, I'd use the electrolytic rust removal method.EvapoRust is expensive and I only use it for small parts.

Thanks Cap'n O I'd have to make a PCB for the multivibrator, but I could include a trimpot. The blinky light would be glued right to the case. I will see if the CVS still has them on Saturday. for the second idea, the transistor would only need to take it for a few seconds, because the dinger is for the headlamp warning, and arse soon as you hear it, you need to turn of the headlamps or close the door. BTW- the dinger is from a new Hyundai, but it's the same thing, two metal bars that are tapped by a solenoid hammer.

Here's one for Cap'N O- I have a dinger from a 280ZX, but it doesn't ding-dong all by itself. It's basically a tiny doorbell, so it only goes ding-dong if you pulse the electric power. My goal is to power it, like you would a small bulb flasher. There is to be a minimum of parts (2 or 3.) My two ideas so far were to use a blinking Christmas tree bulb (Circuit 1) and just run the 12V through it. It should work, but the ding-dong rate should be a little slow. The other idea uses a flashing LED (Circuit 2) to control a transistor, so the bell gets enough current. I had some graphics prepared, but I'm still figuring out how to get one into a message.