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View Full Version : Anybody use a Ron Francis TL2 tilt lever with switch?



wmhjr
01-02-2010, 09:40 AM
I'm at the end of my rope with them. Frankly, the product is extremely poorly designed. The small wire comes out of a poorly fastened grommet at a 90 degree angle, and when installed in an Ididit column there is insufficient room for clearance for the wire - which is in exactly the wrong position. Additionally, there is no way to know what position the lever will be in (rotationally) when it tightens. The ididit folks tried to help out and provided some tips to what they agreed was a problematic design. However, I'm on my second lever/switch (it's so tight that the wire insulation got frayed off with the first) and it's failing too.

The obvious design solution is to channel the wire at less than a 90 degree angle, tilted toward the column, providing far better clearance (and safety). Of course, it would be more expensive to manufacture, taking a little more margin away from a $30 lever/switch.

I'm curious if anybody else has worked with this lever/switch? Besides the fact that Ron Francis also doesn't even publish the specs of the switch to determine when a relay is required and when it isn't (I called and they said they "think" it's around 5 amp capacity....) there are other issues.

My advice based on experiences thus far is to not use this switch with a chrome column, or one that is already painted. Only use it with a polished aluminum or unpainted steel that you can first clearance and then finish after the switch is installed. This may well be the worst designed component in my entire build - and it's a simple friggin switch! :machine:

wmhjr
01-02-2010, 08:40 PM
OK, gave up on the TL-1. Even with the second switch, it was obvious that the clearance just wasn't enough for me to be comfortable considering it would be a line lock. Imagine if the insulation got frayed as I'm going into a turn hitting the brakes and the circuit grounded, engaging the line lock!

Here are some pics of the situation.

This shows the way the wire comes out of the lever at a 90 degree - about exactly where the column housing would be....
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/01/GTO2Jan2010151-1.jpg

This shows how little clearance there is on the column
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/01/GTO2Jan2010150-1.jpg

And here we see how the wire holds up when in position...
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/01/GTO2Jan2010153-1.jpg

The item is "almost" correct. The wire should exit the lever through a channel at 45 degrees or less, eliminating the entire issue. Perhaps on columns other than Ididit there is a larger opening for the tilt lever. Dunno. I just know I won't put an entire build at risk with this. Just thought others may be interested. There is little (translate to absolutely no) information available concerning this item.