SmokyTyrz

Is the 9volt DC plug from the UTEC supposed to be compatible with the Tuner? Nothing is included to power the tuner standalone. So I tried it. Didn't react at all. Maybe the 9v isn't enough? What is the DC plug meant for then?

Manual says 9v-12v DC, so it should work right?

Hoping I don't have a bum Tuner!

El Verdugo

Try to up the voltage to 12v and see if that clears the issue, not like u can hurt it.

Hope it works, let us know.

SmokyTyrz

I can if I put too many amps through it. And the manual doesn't say the amp rating, just that the plug is DC 9v-12v. I mean, I have a few 9v adapters around here, but they range from 500mA to 2A to 5A. That's a huge difference and I don't want to risk it.

I guess this weekend I can try to get it hooked into the car and see if it just doesn't like the DC plug.

Just wondering if anyone has ever gotten the tuner running on the 9v plug.

Thx

SmokyTyrz

Good news! I decided f' it, and just wired the dang thing to the battery and a ground. Works perfectly. Countdown timer kicked on, picked up that it wasn't hooked up to nuthin, and I turned it off.

Guess that 9v dc just isn't enough amps, even for stand-alone access to the pc.

DIGItonium

iTrader: (1)

I find it odd that plugging it in a 9V DC adapter didn't work... did you check the polarity? The "higher" current is a good thing. It doesn't force feed 5A of current to your device. It means it can handle up to 5A load. Of course, when you give it that much load, things get warm because the regulators work harder to pump 5A constantly to the load.

It's like buying high wattage power supplies for computers. A higher wattage one isn't going to harm the computer as long as there is enough power provided to run the entire system. It is good to have "excess" potential versus running a lower wattage power supply at it's full potential since it'll prematurely fail.

Anyhow, just giving you a heads up on the [lack of] risk with 200mA vs. 5A 9VDC adapters.

Iceberg86300

check this out for some info on wall worts, probably surprising to many of you. I know I was surprised. I thought they were more regulated.

http://www.qsl.net/ke3fl/htm/WALLWART.HTM

Their output varies greatly with respect to the load applied. And I mean greatly. It is much better to use some sort of regulated supply rather than a radio shack like plug in unit.

It is possible that whatever was suppliing the 9V didn't have enough capability to power the device, which likely just shut off because the voltage was not stable.

QuadCam

iTrader: (8)

I bet you were looking for the Tuner display to power up and such, right?

It won't when you are using the 9V. The 9V is just so you can power up the Tuner (or UTEC) and make changes via your desktop computer.

Try it again, and try connecting a computer to it!

Kenk2

iTrader: (7)

LOL!! Yea bro.. I did the same thing and then read the manual a little more and it states that if you have the 9v plug in you get limited functionality of the Tuner.. No display etc etc.. Next time you try it, hook it into the serial port and connect to it..

SmokyTyrz

Ya I used the 9v for a pc-only connection. But I never connected either.

The display gives no indication at all when you use the UTEC's 9v DC plug? Ok..well, then since my unit worked in the car then I should assume it is working with the DC plug.

So then that means that my serial-usb adapter may be the culprit. Dangit. Growing pains.

Alright, I'll need to wire the tuner back (not ready for perm. install yet) up in the car and then try to access it with the laptop again.

Thx guys!

Kenk2

iTrader: (7)

You can access the tuner from the laptop via the 9v PS and usb--->serial connector.. No need to temp. wire it in the car..