I need to add a neutral light switch to my 73 850. My new acewell gauge has a nuetral light, and I would like to use it. Has anyone out there done this before. I'm looking for ideas. The 75 stuff I could make work, but the cost is a little steep. I'm thinking of using some landing gear switches I have leftover from my airplane days.
Neutral light switch.
- Thread starter bwolfie
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Hi,
The typical neutral light switch works when a bump or protrusion on a bikes shift drum/cam plate contacts an insulated spring-loaded plunger in the switch body thereby grounding one side of the neutral light bulb. Locating and drilling/taping your transmission case to install one may be problematic. As you say, you could use MKIII stuff, or at least look at it for reference purposes. No doubt where ever such a switch screws into the case it would be best done if that area could be "bossed" up a bit, how are you at welding aluminum?
GB
The typical neutral light switch works when a bump or protrusion on a bikes shift drum/cam plate contacts an insulated spring-loaded plunger in the switch body thereby grounding one side of the neutral light bulb. Locating and drilling/taping your transmission case to install one may be problematic. As you say, you could use MKIII stuff, or at least look at it for reference purposes. No doubt where ever such a switch screws into the case it would be best done if that area could be "bossed" up a bit, how are you at welding aluminum?
GB
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you could get a MKIII gearbox shell that has the plunger/electrical unit, which screws into the bottom of it for wiring up a neutral off ebay -
then again, if one was to look at a indicator light to tell when he's in neutral..... :roll:
then again, if one was to look at a indicator light to tell when he's in neutral..... :roll:
bwolfie said:
Good to see another bloke sticking spare aircraft parts in these old tarts!
As for the neutral light switch, that's a tough one without drilling the gearbox case. I wonder if there is a way you could drill a hole in the plunger housing, insert a small length of bar or tube to act as an extension to the plunger and then activate a limit switch off that?
(As I've mentioned previously, I know sod all about Commandos, so if the box doesn't have a plunger please ignore this post
)Webby
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I'm all ears on this upgrade. I bought the 850 plunger switch but have not drilled the case on put N notch in cam plate. Main issue is just to get the drilled hole aligned so plunger hit cam squarely and centered as possible. Its handy to know for sure you are in N before letting go of clutch to say check mail in a box or getting it started. I'm still waiting to learn how you are going to locate the hole, please.
Maybe someone could build some sort of jig to drill the hole where it should be. Something like this, here's a jig that " Buckshot" fabled up over on the TriumphRAT forum to convert the 71-72 gearbox leafspring to a plunger (When I converted mine, I just guessed! )
Webby
)Webby
Drilling the hole is easy enough, you can insert the cam plate from the outside and use the hole in it for a guide. I'm going to call one of my airplane friends and get some switches. Need to find a low profile one, not much space between the gearbox and engine cases. Another option is to use the detent plunger hole, make nutral deeper for the switch activation.
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