Vintage SW tach sender
 

Have a vintage SW column mount tach for the '40. I need a transmitter for this tach. The connection is 4 pin. I don't know anything about SW transmitters. How can I tell which one works with the tach in the photos.
I know you can have the tach converted to electronic, but I like the vintage look of the transmitter on the firewall. Thank you Fordbarners.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

If it were me, i would mount any one of the transmitters as a dummy on the firewall and have the tach updated. Mainly because most of the transmitters are broken.
I had one i put in a 37 thats was updated by a place in texas.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

The transmitters has batteries in them and left on the shelf for decades they leak...and corrode the relay that drives it.
Tubman has an excellent replacement driver board...just hide it in an original driver box or stick it under the dash away from line of sight.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

here is a HAMB thread that discusses this. It is mostly Sun Tachs though.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...eters.1034191/

John

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

FYI - Here is a document showing what we have done. We make units for vehicles that are 6 volt positive ground, but have considered moving into the 12 volt negative ground area because we can do it cheaper and better than what appears to be currently available.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Are the wires red,green, black and yellow?????red batt power, green neg side of coil. black ground and yellow light bulb???????

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Bubba, sometimes the light wire is white, but you're right on about the other colors; BUT only for some tcahometers

Regarding tachometers, I would like to make one thing clear that most people don't realize. There are TWO different types of electronic tachometers. All of the currently available units are "motor-driven" tachs. They are self-contained and use the four-wire input scheme described above. The earlier tachomteters are "meter-driven" units and require a "sending unit" to work. This sending unit is usually a separate box, but sometimes is incorporated in the tachometer head itself.

Because of the electronics available when they were manufactured, they usually had batteries in the sending units to power the circuitry. These batteries were usually of weird voltages and are no longer available. Also, when left unattended for any period of time, they tended to deteriorate and corrode, ruining the electronics in the sending units. "Meter-type" tachometer heads are not that hard to come by, but the sending units rare, and are expensive and unreliable if you can find them.

We make two units for 6 volt positive ground vehicles. One drives a regular commonly available "motor" tach, while the other uses modern electrons (sans batteries) to drive the older "meter" tachs.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Open up the tach and have a look at the back if there´s a driver board in there...and if you can identify voltage and aplication of it.
If no driver board the four wires are meter + and - and 2 wires for the light.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

You can covert your tach to not need the transmitter. Then just mount it as a dummy. I had mine done by Jerry Valentine, (425) 577-3215 . Nice guy, fast service ..... since I did not have a transmitter box, I went this way. ....

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Not SW, but here's my vintage Sun tach along with its transmitter mounted on the firewall. The transmitter has been converted to solid state, but to all outward appearances looks original.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Thank you all for your responses. A lot of information to digest so I removed the shell around the tach so maybe someone could help me id what type of tach this and what type if any sending unit is needed. The 4 wires from the 4 pin connector going into the tach are 1 black and 2 clear, plus a loose black one. Please see photos. Thank you Fordbarners.

Re: Vintage SW tach sender
 

Any ideas on the type of SW tach this is by the circuitry in the back of the unit. Capacitors, resistors, etc. Thank you Fordbarners