2003 (1st gen) Dead Dashboard, no Charging Battery

[wiswind]

This is a FIY that might help someone in the future.........
Dead dashboard?.......the battery will not be charging, so if you continue to drive....the battery will eventually be discharged to the extent that you will be sitting.

This message applies to the 1st Gen Sienna, don't know if it is true for newer or not.
This Saturday, the speedometer, odometer and everything on my dashboard died.....at zero, no indicator lamps except door open and the gear select lamp.
Only code was P0500, vehicle speed sensor......which has 3 connections....1 to the tranny, 1 to the ECM and 1 to the dashboard.......so that makes sense.
The 10amp fuse "gauge" was blown.......located in the passenger compartment fuse block.

What I did not realize.......when the gauge fuse blows.....it disables the vehicle charging system.
So.....after driving for a while....the tranny started shifting strange....and finally would go no more.....battery dead.
BOTH of the alternator fuses in the engine compartment were fine.

So....the ONLY problem was the fuse for the dashboard.....plus a new battery because mine discharged so low.....that it would not hold a charge again.