Inscriptions on devices on adhesive tape. Deciphering the icons on the dashboard
You can never buy all the measuring instruments necessary for a radio amateur. Not enough money. But even if they are, you do not need to do this. Stop being a radio amateur. And this loss is akin to what is popularly known as "losing yourself." So we create, sculpting ourselves measuring assistants on our own. And if there are no current problems with the choice of a circuit, the selection of electronic components for it, its assembly, then difficulties already begin in terms of placing the assembled device in an individual case. One way or another, they are overcome, everything that the eye sees and has an internal hollow volume goes to the role of buildings. This is where it usually ends. Registration, even, especially a small one, is not done - troublesome. Why fuss - not to the exhibition.
So I did it (the photo is far from everything that is - it's scary to show) and put it in a box before it was needed. And as needed, I take it out and “open my eyes” for several minutes while scratching the back of my head to activate the intellect in order to remember what it is and how to use it. The head at this moment is carried away by the creative process of assembling or repairing the next device and is very reluctantly distracted by secondary actions.
Therefore, I came to the conclusion that the most reasonable thing is to supply the assembled devices with primary information. Still, it’s better not with the help of scratching with an awl, but with stickers. So more aesthetically pleasing and civilized. The price of the issue is paper, transparent tape, scissors and glue. The necessary inscriptions are made on paper, of course it is better on a computer, it is ideal. Then scotch tape is applied to the text.
To explain something superfluous, just look at the photo. It is more accurate to cut if there are scissors of different shapes and sizes. And yet, it is much more convenient this way, that is, first we cover it with tape, and only then we cut it out.
Briefly, all the necessary information should be present, you don’t need to rely on memory, it is “not rubber”, besides, a friend can ask you to use the probe and then this is a guarantee that he will return back in a workable form. It is also important to choose a good glue to stick once and for all. My choice fell on the Master glue, it is transparent, after gluing the excess squeezed out from under the sticker is easily and without consequences removed.
Drivers are alerted to the presence of a fault in various vehicle systems using . It is not always possible to decipher the meaning of such burning icons intuitively, since not all motorists are well versed in cars. In addition, on different cars, the graphic designation of one total icon itself may differ. It is worth noting that not every light on the panel only indicates a critical malfunction. The indication of the light bulbs under the icons is divided by color into 3 groups:
Red icons they talk about danger, and if any symbol lights up in this color, you should pay attention to the on-board computer signal in order to take measures to quickly fix the problem. Sometimes they are not so critical, and it is possible to continue driving the car when such an icon on the panel is on, and sometimes it is not worth it.
Basic icons on the dashboard
Yellow indicators warn of a malfunction or the need to take some action to drive a car or service it.
Green light bulbs inform about the service functions of the car and their activity.
Let's present a list of the most frequently asked questions and a breakdown of what the burning icon on the panel means.
Information icons
car icon it may burn differently, it happens that the “car with a wrench” icon, the “car with a lock” icon or an exclamation mark is on. About all these designations in order:
When this indicator is lit ( car with key), then it informs about malfunctions in the operation of the engine (often a malfunction in the operation of any sensor) or the electronic part of the transmission. To find out the exact cause, you will need to produce.
caught fire red car with lock, which means that there are problems in the operation of the standard anti-theft system and it will be impossible to start the car, but if this icon blinks when the car is closed, then everything is normal - the car is locked.
Yellow exclamation mark machine indicator notifies the driver of a hybrid vehicle of an electric drive failure. Resetting the error by dropping the battery terminal will not solve the problem - diagnostics are needed.
open door icon everyone is used to seeing it burning when a door or trunk lid is open, but if all the doors are closed and the light with one or four doors continues to shine, then often the problem should be looked for in the door switches (wire contacts).
Starts flashing when the stability control system detects a slippery road section and is activated in order to prevent slipping by reducing engine power and braking the spinning wheel. There is no need to worry in such a situation. But when a key, a triangle or a crossed-out skid icon appeared near such an indicator, then the stabilization system is faulty.
Pops up on the scoreboard when it's time to service the car. It is an informational indicator even after its maintenance.
Warning icons on the panel
Steering wheel icon can light up in two colors. If the yellow steering wheel is on, then adaptation is required, and when a red image of the steering wheel with an exclamation mark appears, it is already worth worrying about the failure of the power steering or EUR system. When the red steering wheel is lit, it is likely that your steering wheel will become very difficult to turn.
As a rule, blinks if the car is closed; in this case, the indicator of a red car with a white key signals the operation of the anti-theft system. But there are 3 main reasons if the immo light is constantly on: it is not activated, if the label from the key is not read or the anti-theft system is faulty.
It lights up not only when the handbrake lever is activated (raised), but also when the brake pads are worn out or topping up is required / . On a car with an electronic handbrake, the parking brake light may light up due to a glitch in the limit switch or sensor.
It has several options and, depending on which one is on, draw conclusions about the problem accordingly. One red lamp with a thermometer scale indicates an increased temperature in the engine cooling system, but a yellow expansion tank with waves indicates a low coolant level in the system. But it is worth considering that the coolant lamp does not always burn at a low level, perhaps just a “glitch” of the sensor or float in the expansion tank.
Speaks of a low fluid level in the glass washer expansion tank. Such an indicator lights up not only with a real decrease in the level, but also if the level sensor is clogged (sensor contacts are coated due to low-quality liquid), giving a false signal. On some vehicles, the level sensor is triggered when the washer fluid specification does not match.
- This is an indicator of the anti-spin system (Anti-Spin Regulation). The electronic unit of this system is paired with ABS sensors. When such a light is constantly on, it means that the ASR is not working. On different cars, such an icon may look different, but often in the form of an exclamation mark in a triangle with an arrow around or the inscription itself, or in the form of a car on a slippery road.
According to the information from the manual, it indicates a malfunction in the exhaust gas purification system, but, as a rule, such a light starts to burn after poor refueling or the presence of a sensor error. The system registers misfiring of the mixture, as a result of which the content of harmful substances in the exhaust gases increases and, as a result, the “exhaust gases” light is on on the dashboard. The problem is not critical, but diagnostics should be done to find out the cause.
Fault reporting
It lights up if the voltage in the on-board network drops, often such a problem is associated with a lack of battery charge from the generator, so it can also be called "generator icon". On vehicles with a hybrid engine, this indicator is supplemented by the inscription "MAIN" at the bottom.
He is a red oiler - indicates a drop in the oil level in the car engine. Such an icon lights up when the engine is started, and does not go out after a few seconds or may light up while driving. This fact indicates problems in the lubrication system or a drop in oil level or pressure. The oil icon on the panel can be with a droplet or with waves at the bottom, on some cars the indicator is supplemented with the inscription min, senso, oil level (yellow inscriptions) or simply the letters L and H (characterizing low and high oil levels).
It can light up in several ways: both the red inscription SRS and AIRBAG, and the “red man wearing a seat belt”, and a circle in front of him. When one of these icons is lit on the panel, then - this is the on-board computer notifying you of a malfunction in the passive safety system, and in the event of an accident, the airbags will not work. The reasons why the pillow sign lights up, and how to fix the problem, read the article on the site.
Exclamation mark icon may look different and its meanings, respectively, will also be different. So, for example, when the red (!) in the circle is on, this indicates a malfunction of the brake system and it is advisable not to continue driving until the cause of its occurrence is clarified. They can be very different: the hand brake is raised, the brake pads are worn out, or the brake fluid level has dropped. A low level is just dangerous, because the reason can be not only in heavily worn pads, as a result of which, when you press the pedal, the liquid diverges through the system, and the float gives a signal of a low level, the brake hose may be damaged somewhere, and this is much more serious. Although, very often the exclamation mark lights up if the float (level sensor) is out of order or shorted out, and then it just lies. On some cars, the exclamation mark is accompanied by the inscription "BRAKE", but this does not change the essence of the problem.
Another exclamation mark can be lit in the form of an “attention” sign, both on a red background and on a yellow one. When the yellow “attention” sign lights up, it reports a malfunction in the electronic stabilization system, and if it is on a red background, it simply warns the driver about something, and, as a rule, explanatory text is lit on the dashboard display or combined with other informative designation.
ABS icon may have several display options on the dashboard, but regardless of this, it means the same thing on all cars - a malfunction in the ABS system, and that the anti-lock wheel system is not working at the moment. You can find out the reasons in our article. In this case, the movement can be made, but it is not necessary to count on the operation of the ABS, the brakes will work as usual.
It can either light up intermittently or burn constantly. A light bulb with such an inscription indicates problems with the stabilization system. The Electronic Stability Program indicator, as a rule, lights up for one of two reasons - either the steering angle sensor is out of order, or the brake light switch on sensor (aka “frog”) ordered to live for a long time. Although, there is a more serious problem, for example, the brake system pressure sensor has covered itself.
Some drivers may refer to it as the "injector icon" or , may be amber when the engine is running. It informs about the presence of engine errors and malfunctions of its electronic systems. To determine the cause of its appearance on the dashboard display, self-diagnosis or computer diagnostics are performed.
glow plug icon can light up on the dashboard of a diesel car, the meaning of such an indicator is exactly the same as the “check” icon on gasoline cars. When there are no errors in the memory of the electronic unit, the spiral icon should go out after the engine warms up and the glow plugs are turned off. How to check glow plugs.
This material is informative for most car owners. And although absolutely all possible icons of all existing cars are not presented here, you can independently understand the main symbols of the car dashboard, and do not sound the alarm when you see that the icon on the panel is lit again.
This is one of the biggest challenges in making an amplifier. Only beautifully executed inscriptions complete the device. I've already written about how to make inscriptions by transferring toner to a hot pad, but recently I had another idea. There is such a wonderful thing - photoresist. It is used to make printed circuit boards. It is available in spray and film form. So I did some experiment with film. The photoresist itself is sandwiched between two protective films.
For the sticker, you need to remove one lavsan film and attach the photoresist to the aluminum panel. All this must be done almost in the dark, so there are no pictures. Then, through a sheet of paper, iron the photoresist with an iron with a temperature of 120 degrees. Then remove the outer protective film. Next, you need to make a template on a 1: 1 scale by printing it on a film for a laser printer.
The template is superimposed on the panel and pressed against the glass. The photoresist is exposed to an ultraviolet lamp from a distance of fifteen centimeters for fifteen minutes.
After the exposure, the workpiece needs to be developed. Developing is carried out in a one percent solution of soda ash (Na2CO3) until the unexposed areas are completely dissolved.
Then the workpiece must be pickled in ferric chloride. This process is stormy and there was simply no time for photographing. The entire etching process took no more than fifteen seconds. After pickling, rinse the panel with hot water. The photoresist itself is removed precisely with alkali, a weak three percent solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). I decided to try to make etched characters on a mirrored surface and mirrored on an etched one. It turned out very well on the mirror, but not so much on the etched one. Perhaps my solution is to blame, in which more than one board was etched. I noticed abundant precipitation of copper from the solution onto aluminum, and under it the etching process stopped. This is where some of the blotching came from. Here are pictures of the result.
For some reason, the panel looks not very good in the pictures, although in reality it's just great. We must try to poison with a dilute solution or caustic potassium. You can also try electrochemical etching. There are quite a few defects on this sample, but I tried it for the first time with this film. :) We should also try with the POSITIV-20 spray.