My new DIGITAL Gauge Cluster

[YellowJacket!]

Well, this project has been on the backburner for a little while.  I kind of threw out a teaser last month but today I had some time to (almost) finish the project.

Check out the results:







No smoke or blown fuses and everything seems to work.  I pretty much attached everything up to a spare speedometer wiring harness and scavenged my idiot light harness for the rest.
Everything worked on the first try.  Now I have to run a hot lead to the battery for the clock memory and measure the circumference of my front tire to calibrate the electronic speedometer.

Heres a pic of the new electronic speed sensor that hooks up directly to the speed sender on the front wheel:


I think I'm going to make a blank plastic panel where my idiot lights used to go and mount an air gayge or something else there. Any cool ideas??

Since everything is working, I'll finish the job tomorrow after work.

I still wont be able to ride though until I find a replcement right side caliper.   :'( :'( :'(

David

[Lucky]

Dave,
offhand i can't think of any reason you can't use the old banjo bolt & SS lines to only the left side while you await a right caliper. you said you have to buy lines for the right anyway.

seing as this is usually an unobtainium part, (sorry!) get the left side working anyway. you'll never notice the rotating mass of the unused right disk...

--Lucky

[Lucky]

also, been meaning to ask, do you have any plans to do some finish trim on the edge of that thing?

[Night Vision]

I think I'm going to make a blank plastic panel where my idiot lights used to go and mount an air gayge or something else there. Any cool ideas??

stator life expectancy gauge and garage door opener....  ::)

[h2olawyer]

That gauge system is pretty cool.  I may have to put something like that on Tractor.  First, I need to get it back on the road, though.  Will be swapping its stator for the one in the Silver V in the next few days.  Yes - I have another dead stator.  At least this one was a used one that neither Rex nor I knew the history of & it gave me nearly 3000 miles.  I now get to see how well the Cometic gasket works!

H₂O

[YellowJacket!]

also, been meaning to ask, do you have any plans to do some finish trim on the edge of that thing?

Thats where you come in...

No. Just kidding.  I have actually been toying with the idea of sanding it smooth then using filler to blend it in.

David

[reckon]

also, been meaning to ask, do you have any plans to do some finish trim on the edge of that thing?

Thats where you come in...

No. Just kidding.  I have actually been toying with the idea of sanding it smooth then using filler to blend it in.

David

dave, if you send me a tracing of the panel you made, including measurements (down as close as you can measure it) I can make them up out of whatever plastic you like(or even aluminum)
NOXTAT is a no static coated acrylic, and I believe it comes in black.  the textured "hair cell" ABS you have is also a good choice, but my choice would be KYDEX (polyolefin) is is just indestructable, has that same texture as your prototype, and forms and routs beautifully. 

as far as edge treatments go, they are many types of poly edge moldings, or you can chamfer, or round it over. 
a quick pass with a micro butane torch (about 4-6" away) makes the edge nice and shiny (or you can wipe it with ONE PASS of a lacquer thinner soaked q-tip for a "solvent polish"

very nice work on that panel, and as far as ideas for what to put in the extra space:
1) a true working ammeter
2) a fuel gauge
3) a vacuum gauge
4) a holder for an extra clip for the glock (goes nicely with the "honk if you've never seen a gun fired from a moving motorcycle T shirt)
5) sidewinder missles with IR heat targeting, for those moments when only a high explosive will do.

[YellowJacket!]

Thanks for the tips Reckon.  Good to have you back on the boards again.

I mad a tracing of the gauge faceplate and scored it onto the 1/8' abs sheet.  Its pretty tough and I used it back in my car audio craze days.
I plan on sanding and smoothing down the edges and filling the gap with some filler.  I like the idea about using the mini butane torch and will give it a try.

I would eventually like to do a recessed mount with a clear cover but the gauges have function buttons on them I'll need to get to.....thats where you come in.  ;D

I'm leaning toward a ammeter but a vac gauge would be nice.  I already have a voltmeter.  Although the IR guidance and the sparrows sound cool.

I want to get one of those T-shirts that shows the gas pump handle pointing to its head like a gun.

David

[Walt_M.]

Don't bother trying to measure the front tire circumference. What you need to measure is loaded radius at correct inflation pressure then calculate effective circumference.

[Lucky]

set your tire pressure & measure from the floor to the center of the axel. then figure your measurement off that.

[67GTO]

To calibrate my mountain bike I put a chalk mark on the tire and roll the bike
while on it and measure the distance between chalk marks on the driveway.

[kiawrench]

gto has best idea, we used same method when we built those little tuner cars out of kia optmas- works close enough to keep you legal , and then some .

[YellowJacket!]

YEEEEEHAAAA! Everything works....well almost.  I put YJ back together today and did some tidying up including running a permanent 12 volt line to a fuse in the headlight bucket to run the gauges and volt meter off of.  All went well and YJ cranked after the second try.  Not bad since she had been sitting idle for about a month and a half.
I dialed in the "correction factor" in the gauges to make the tach more accurate.  The sensor is pretty cool.  I have two choices.  The first is to coil the sensor wire around the front cyl spark plug wire and tape it down.  You are supposed to do at least 5 winds but not more than 10.  I settled for 7 and get a dead on tach reading.
The spedo is a bit tricky though.  I measured the tire sircumference several different ways and came up with several different measurements.  All of them yield a rather high speed reading and I wonder if it has something to do with the gearing on my speed sender on the front wheel.  I'll have to play with it and see what happens.  Right now, it seems like the circumference on my Avon Super Venoms is about 1955mm.  From my guestimate, it is reading just under twice as fast as I'm really going. (just from experience riding through my neighborhood)  It said I was doing 67mph but I think I was really going around 35.
Yhe last thing I have to work out is the tem sensor.  It looks like a bolt that has to be screwed somewhere in line in my cooling system (I'll post a pic of it later).  I hate the Idea of tapping my "Y" pipe between my cylinders to fit it in.  I may just try running it off the sensor lead that is there and see what happens.

Anyway, its a cool setup.  Once I get things cleaned up some more I'll take some pics and post them.

David

[Lucky]

I can tap it for you, no problem, & if i screw it up, i have a spare i'm hoarding.

--Lucky

[YellowJacket!]

I can tap it for you, no problem, & if i screw it up, i have a spare i'm hoarding.

--Lucky

Cool.  I'm off this weekend through Monday, then wed and thur.  (my good week)  ;D

David

PS, we need to go for a ride.  ;D

[reckon]

To calibrate my mountain bike I put a chalk mark on the tire and roll the bike
while on it and measure the distance between chalk marks on the driveway.

thats EXACTLY what I did on my 600W electric bicycle (36V - 35mph), and on my buddys dirt bike that he bought a "street legal kit" for,...I sat on the thing, and rolled it until I could see four chalk marks, then measured them all (they were all exactly the same)

worked perfectly, my buddy even drove alongside in a crown victoria to double check the speed readings.

[YellowJacket!]

Heres a few pics of the temp sensor.  Lucky is going to tap my hose junction and see if we can integrate this bugger in there.





David

[jasonm.]

DAVE, the CIRC of the Super Venom 100/90-18 is 1238mm. Don't ask how I know. Just trust me.

[YellowJacket!]

DAVE, the CIRC of the Super Venom 100/90-18 is 1238mm. Don't ask how I know. Just trust me.

Thanks Jason.  That sounds better and I'll give it a try.  ;D

David

[Evan]

All of them yield a rather high speed reading and I wonder if it has something to do with the gearing on my speed sender on the front wheel.  I'll have to play with it and see what happens.  Right now, it seems like the circumference on my Avon Super Venoms is about 1955mm.  From my guestimate, it is reading just under twice as fast as I'm really going. (just from experience riding through my neighborhood)  It said I was doing 67mph but I think I was really going around 35.

Another way to ball-park to see how far off the speedometer is, is rpm+gear.  I am turning ~3300rpm in 5th gear @ 35mph.