Not electronics just electrics but I'd like some help

I bought a pair of electrically heated motorcycle gloves: which don't
work
There is a lead which connects to the battery. In the live lead is a
fuse, the lead runs to a coaxial connector which is brought out in
front of the seat. I measure the voltage there as 14V with the engine
running. An extension lead runs from there and splits into two one for
each sleeve terminated with another coaxial connector on each arm. The
voltage at the sleeve end is also 14v. I measure the resistance of the
gloves as about 10 Ohm each if I connect the glove to the power
connectors they don't heat up.

Any suggestions as to what the fault is?

And yes I am going to take them back.

 

Check the connectors and measure the voltage with the load connected.

 

It sounds like the supply wiring has a high resistance
connection that supplies enough current to make a volt meter
work, but uses up essentially all the voltage when the glove
resistance is connected in series with it. You may need to
figure out how to measure the voltage drop across various
parts of the wiring, while the gloves are connected, to find
where the bad connection is.

 

Excluding the possibility that there is a thermostat system and it just
wasn't cold-enough when you tested them:

- You could try powering the gloves as directly as possible, from a 12V
battery or DC power supply (with an ammeter in series with the battery
or supply, if possible). If this test works, the gloves are OK and the
wiring or connectors from front of seat to aft is the problem (OR, your
system can't push enough amps at 14v, for some other reason).

OR:

- You could try powering a test-resistance and an ammeter in series,
using the connector in front of the seat. Your two ten-ohm gloves
would be 5 ohms when in parallel, which should draw 2.8 Amps, max, from
a 14V supply (assuming that the supply can handle it). So a test
resistor of 5 ohms would need to be rated at at least 39.2 watts or
more. Or, you could use two 20-Watt 10-Ohm resistors in parallel (or
four 10-Watt 20-Ohm Rs in parallel, or eight 5-Watt 40-Ohm Rs in
parallel, etc, etc). Note that the resistor(s) might get too hot to
touch, fairly quickly. If this test works, i.e. you get about 2.8 Amps,
then either the gloves OR the forward wiring/connectors are the
problem. The Radio Shack store, here, still carries a few power
resistors in stock (Or buy an older-type TV at a garage sale and look
inside. But use caution, since capacitors and picture tubes can still
have high voltages on them.). Even if the test resistance is not
exactly 5 Ohms, you should still be able to get some idea of whether
it's "in the ballpark" or not.

Good luck.

Tom Gootee

http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg

 

I ride my motorcycle during the winter and had a few of these problems
with my electric suit. I would see voltage and the suit would ohm out
correctly, but no heat. The fault was light corrosion due to all those
times I rode in the rain. If you have light emory cloth, it can help
give you clean connections.

Hopefully, the gloves were made for your suit and have the same sized
barrel connectors.

The other problem I have is the copper strands eventually breaking due
to flexing. Solder and heat shrink is what I use.

Had my electric suit for 5 years and its worked well down to 0F when
riding, or at -20F in the ice cream freezer at work! Good luck!