shortage in Dashboard lights
#12
02-07-2013, 01:02 PM
i pray that can be easy to fix, because i dont want to replace the instrument cluster...it will cost a lot of money here 
#14
04-06-2013, 05:09 PM
Hello guys,
There is no shortage in Dashboard light , there is no fuse related problem, also spraying the back cluster's connectors with contact lube will do no good, there is no poor connection either.
The Dodge Caliber Instruments Cluster Light came from a thin EL (electroluminescent) foil that is right under the printed transparent plastic of your instruments.
This electroluminescent foil in terms of electronics is nothing but a capacitor and it have the property that when is connected to alternative voltage (between 40 and 114 Vrms) it emit light. Now, There is no AC 114 Vrms (volts root mean square) alternative voltage in your car so it need to be created by an inverter.
The fault part is the inverter situated on the board PCB. This inverter use a specialized IC which produce a maxim 300Vpp (peak to peak) under load at 250Hz with a wave shape that offer effective 114Vrms at maximum intensity.
Dodge Caliber instruments clusters light failure appear because this inverter is under dimensioned from the start , yes that's right a electronic design flaw. This can be cleared demonstrated (if there's still a need) by looking at parametric specification of the IC used at the core of the inverter. The H bridge of the IC can drive no more than 80nF of EL (electroluminescent) panel capacitance and the Caliber EL measured is between 90nF at 92F degree and 120nF at 70F degree, yes the capacitance of EL are inverse proportional with temperature.
One characteristic of EL panels are that at the same AC Voltage, once they aging it emit less light as a new one. To compensate this, the microprocessor of the board Freescale MC9S12, counts the time EL is on and drive the inverter to produce more voltage as the EL is aging so the stress of the inverter is greater as the EL is used more.
So no wonder that this instruments lights are dying like files in autumn all around the world, and a new one sooner or later will have the same fate.
I bought a used Dodge Caliber Instrument Cluster from ebay, where there's tons of them, (I wonder why) and it worked exactly six months before fail in glory as original one.
So I decide to play this game no more and build my own inverter that fits just fine and is capable of driving three EL cluster like caliber's ~450nF !!! in total, maintaining all functionality as original one, dimming , intensity per dimming steps .. everything.
There is no shortage in Dashboard light , there is no fuse related problem, also spraying the back cluster's connectors with contact lube will do no good, there is no poor connection either.
The Dodge Caliber Instruments Cluster Light came from a thin EL (electroluminescent) foil that is right under the printed transparent plastic of your instruments.
This electroluminescent foil in terms of electronics is nothing but a capacitor and it have the property that when is connected to alternative voltage (between 40 and 114 Vrms) it emit light. Now, There is no AC 114 Vrms (volts root mean square) alternative voltage in your car so it need to be created by an inverter.
The fault part is the inverter situated on the board PCB. This inverter use a specialized IC which produce a maxim 300Vpp (peak to peak) under load at 250Hz with a wave shape that offer effective 114Vrms at maximum intensity.
Dodge Caliber instruments clusters light failure appear because this inverter is under dimensioned from the start , yes that's right a electronic design flaw. This can be cleared demonstrated (if there's still a need) by looking at parametric specification of the IC used at the core of the inverter. The H bridge of the IC can drive no more than 80nF of EL (electroluminescent) panel capacitance and the Caliber EL measured is between 90nF at 92F degree and 120nF at 70F degree, yes the capacitance of EL are inverse proportional with temperature.
One characteristic of EL panels are that at the same AC Voltage, once they aging it emit less light as a new one. To compensate this, the microprocessor of the board Freescale MC9S12, counts the time EL is on and drive the inverter to produce more voltage as the EL is aging so the stress of the inverter is greater as the EL is used more.
So no wonder that this instruments lights are dying like files in autumn all around the world, and a new one sooner or later will have the same fate.
I bought a used Dodge Caliber Instrument Cluster from ebay, where there's tons of them, (I wonder why) and it worked exactly six months before fail in glory as original one.
So I decide to play this game no more and build my own inverter that fits just fine and is capable of driving three EL cluster like caliber's ~450nF !!! in total, maintaining all functionality as original one, dimming , intensity per dimming steps .. everything.
Last edited by Moc; 04-06-2013 at 05:20 PM.
#16
04-07-2013, 05:47 AM
Thanks for welcoming,
Indeed, its a 2.0D Volkswagen Pumpe Duse diesel engine 140HP with 6 speed manual Aisin BG6 gearbox.
The interesting part is that the board's PCB is identical for every Caliber, except SR4 model, for the same instruments options regardless of equipped engine. For example although the diesel model was not build with automatic gearbox my odometer vacuum tube (right side down of the board) have the Letters "N", "P", "D" ... just they never lit.
This way they build one board PCB and program the uC according to the car it will fit in. Off course the exterior printed foil of RPM and other gauges are different but they use the same electrical instruments which are programed to sweep the needle in different way and PCB is the same.
Indeed, its a 2.0D Volkswagen Pumpe Duse diesel engine 140HP with 6 speed manual Aisin BG6 gearbox.
The interesting part is that the board's PCB is identical for every Caliber, except SR4 model, for the same instruments options regardless of equipped engine. For example although the diesel model was not build with automatic gearbox my odometer vacuum tube (right side down of the board) have the Letters "N", "P", "D" ... just they never lit.
This way they build one board PCB and program the uC according to the car it will fit in. Off course the exterior printed foil of RPM and other gauges are different but they use the same electrical instruments which are programed to sweep the needle in different way and PCB is the same.
Last edited by Moc; 04-07-2013 at 05:58 AM.
#19
06-27-2013, 02:13 PM
#20
07-01-2013, 10:32 PM
Idont know about u but spending 300 every 6 months to fix the problem really isn't the solution...first question is if its such a common problem, why isn't it a recall issue...it has to be a serious safety issue at night when u can't see the cluster or the speed you are going...second if Moc has figured out a solution can he share the fix (parts, diagram etc...)?