have a dash voltage regulator/limter question

[Uncle Don]

does the little screw tip that sticks out of the bottom of these OEM dash regulators do anything? ive seen on other boards that that is the "calibration screw" is it supposed to touch the circuit board in anyway? does it serve a purpose in life??? well silly non electrical me cut the tip of it off thinking it was keeping the regulator from sitting flush on the back of the board... the old one i pulled out didn't hardly have anything left of the screw tip so the new one i bought from NAPA had quite a bit....just thought it wasn't supposed to be there so i snipped it off.....???? did i just ruin my new voltage regulator....??? see attached pic for what im talking about....

electrical gremlins. grrrrr

 

[rumblefish360]

I think you'll be OK. Just plug it in and see. The bi-metal parts on the inside are allready figured out and work via the heat generated from the electricity that runs through them. As the electricity heats the metal up, it bends and moves to cool down which moves it back to contact and heats up and moves to cool down which ....

You get the idea.

 

[Meep-Meep]

The adjustment screw sets the spring tension of the bimetal strip and that increases the heat requirement before contact is broken, thereby changing the average voltage to the gauges. If you didn't turn it you should be fine.