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small arrow Genius G540 EPROM Programmer - Installing on Windows 10
small arrow Replacing Clutch Pedal Return Spring on Ford Focus
small arrow Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6a Circuit Diagram

Genius G540 EPROM Programmer - Installing on Windows 10

If you install the software for the Genius G540 EPROM Programmer on Windows 10, the main software package (G540EngSetup.exe) should install correctly but you will probably get an error when you try to install the USB driver package (StglCproUSB_Installer.exe). The problem is that the USB drivers are not signed. To get round this, you need to temporarily disable Windows 10 driver signature enforcement, then install the USB drivers. To do this (make a note of or print the following instructions as you won't be able to read them after step 4):

  1. Make sure that all your work is closed.
  2. Click the Start menu and select Settings.
  3. Click Update & Security, then Recovery.
  4. Under Advanced Start-up, click Restart Now.
  5. When the Choose An Option screen is displayed, click Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, then Start-up Settings, then Restart.
  6. When the Start-up Settings screen is displayed, press the <F7> key to disable driver signature enforcement.
  7. When Windows has rebooted, install the USB drivers in the normal way. A Windows Security dialog will be displayed during the process - click "Install this driver software anyway".
  8. When the drivers have installed, reboot to re-enable driver signature enforcement.
  9. When Windows has rebooted, connect the programmer to a USB port, and wait for Windows to install the driver files (which may take several minutes).
  10. Run the G540 software and verify that the Programmer works correctly.

You may find that Windows periodically disables the driver, so you might occasionally have to uninstall it and repeat the procedure above to re-install it again.

Note: the Programmer draws around 230mA from the USB port when programming and can exhibit strange or inconsistent behaviour if connected to a USB port that cannot provide enough power.

Replacing Clutch Pedal Return Spring on Ford Focus

Replacing a broken clutch pedal return spring on a Ford Focus is a bit of a pig of a job. I done a bit of reading on various websites here and here about how it could be made 'easier' by stretching the spring with coins before trying to fit it. I ended up using a variation of this method, as described below, which would enable me to replace another one quite quickly.

What you'll need:

The coins and flat bar are used to stretch the spring. To fit these:

  1. Hook the long end of the spring over something secure (I was able to hook it over one of the jaws of a bench vice).
  2. Put a screwdriver shaft through the short end of the spring so that you can hold it with two fingers on the shaft either side of the hook.
  3. By pulling on the screwdriver shaft, stretch the spring so you can fit one of the coins between the two spring coils nearest the short end. Push it between the coils as far as it will go, and position it opposite the open side of the hook.
  4. Release the tension, then wrap some tape around that end of the spring so that the coin cannot fall out.
  5. Slide the flat bar inside the spring from the long end.
  6. Stretch the spring again, poke the bar down inside the spring as it lengthens, and fit the other coin between the two spring coils nearest the long end, trapping the bar between the two coins. A fair bit of force is needed to stretch the spring this far - take care.
  7. Release the tension slightly, and use the knife blade between the spring coils to roughly position the bar centrally on each coin within the spring. This will stop the spring bending when you release it.
  8. Carefully release the tension on the spring. Remove the tape around the spring.

Park the car where you can open the driver's door fully. Inside the car, slide the driver's seat as far back as it will go, and adjust the steering wheel so it is as far back (towards the seat) and up as far as it will go.

You'll need one torch in the footwell, pointing up towards the clutch pedal pivot. With the head torch, push or tape it so it is pointing through the gap just above the trim panel beneath the steering column. Looking through here, you should be able to see the 'notch' at the top of the clutch pedal where the long end of the spring will locate.

Thread the string in through the gap where the head torch is pointing, over the top of the clutch pedal pivot and into the footwell (use the coat hanger wire to help thread it through). Tie the string to the loop on the long end of the spring.

Hold the short end of the spring, near the coils, with the long nose pliers, with the open side of the hook facing away from you. Working in the footwell and looking up, hook the short end of the spring through the hole in the clutch backing plate. It's not particularly easy to see (look at the photos on the two websites linked to above) and may take a bit of fiddling. Hold the spring in the pliers as vertically as possible. Once fitted, put some tension on the string to stop the spring from falling down.

Working through the gap where the head torch is pointing, use a loop on the end of the coat hanger wire to guide the long end of the spring onto the notch at the top of the clutch pedal. It should go quite easily; it shouldn't be necessary to stretch the spring any more.

Using one hand, push down the clutch pedal, and tease the two coins out of the spring using the pliers or coat hanger wire. The bar will remain inside the spring but this won't cause any problems.

Using the coat hanger wire, tease the string off the end of the spring hook.

Job done!

Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6a Circuit Diagram

Circuit diagram for the Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6a, redrawn by me back in 2002.

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