Gear Indicator plans

[mytv2]

Trying to build my home-made gear indicator, I found this resource :http://www.bluegauges.com/gearindicatorplans.htm
May be for trackdays purpose ....

MYTV2

[kevh]

Re: Gear Indicator plans

Originally posted by mytv2
Trying to build my home-made gear indicator, I found this resource :http://www.bluegauges.com/gearindicatorplans.htm
May be for trackdays purpose ....

MYTV2

i just want to mount an idiot led so i know when i am in 6th. i dont know why, but on the tillis i am always looking for 7th

how about it steve...can you pull up a quicky schematic outta that brain of yours?

"look at the big brain on steve!"

[Miles B]

You're gonna need a regulator, some capacitors, a comparator, some resistors, and probably a switch - one position for "GPS hooked to ECU" and one for "GPS disconnected".

Oh, and a circuit board to hold it all. If someone wants to donate me a 2001 Yellow TLR, I will be happy to make them a gear indicator

[yeller_twin]

I have been lookin' for something like this for ages. I was gonna have to figure this out myself. And I am not electro engineer. Just a simple Industrial Tech kid.

[TLSBill]

Re: Re: Gear Indicator plans

Originally posted by kevh
"look at the big brain on steve!"

Ahem.. It's "Check out" Not "look at: isn't it? haven't seen pulp fiction in a while..

I forget.. does the TRE screw up this gear indicator thing? (I would love a 6th gear LED myself, but just picked up a TRE.

[kevh]

you are right...it is check out

i am ashamed. as my ppunishment i am going to go home and watch it tonight

[bpitas]

TRE and GPI

I actually took the schema from that BlueGauges site and put it into a printed circuit board (PCB) design tool and worked out the kinks. NO idea if it will work or not, but I actually just finished the design a couple of weeks ago. (This project is on the back back back burner) and I'm getting ready to prototype the board.

So I was looking for companies that will prototype PCBs and they were all WAY expensive, so I was going to go with the cheapazz radio-shack "etch-your-own-boards" approach, which consists of drawing on copper with a Sharpie (literally - I'm not kidding) and then sticking it in etching solution and wearing away all the copper not under the sharpie lines. Then last week I got an email from a place called www.barebonespcb.com, and they have a pretty good deal for prototyping stuff. Like the name says, it's bare bones service, but that's all I need really.

Like someone above said, I have no prior experience with this stuff, I just surfed the web for a few weeks, downloading the Eagle freeware PCB design software (limited to 80mm x 100mm boards) from CadSoft, input the schema from BlueGauges, laid the stuff out myself (I'm pretty clueless as to whether I did a good job or not) and now I'm just looking to get the board made. From my research, to create a custom PCB, you need to somehow provide the PCB shop the design in a format they understand. The one that seems to be universally accepted is Gerber 274x format, and then you need to tell them where to drill the board, for which the accepted format seems to be Excellon. Most of the prototyping websites will give you what they need somewhere in the ordering process. (for instance the link above specifies that they want things in english units, so mils, not mm)

Oh wait, I lied. I actually *did* take an electronic circuit design course in College, but I never attended the classes because I was too busy in the quad playing Hackey Sack.

-B

[bpitas]

Oh, forgot to mention...

That bluegauges place has a note somewhere that says where to put an additional resistor in their design to do a TRE right in the GPI board itself.

-B

[SV996R]

keep us posted on the results

[_2002TLRJAY_]

couldn't you splice into the GPS signal before the TRE?

[Steve TLS]

Originally posted by _2002TLRJAY_
couldn't you splice into the GPS signal before the TRE?

Yes you can, the TRE goes on the ECU side of things, the gear indicator would go on the GPS side.

I really need to get hold of an old GPS and open it up, it might be simple to get it to do just what you want it to. I'd like to be able to change the resistance values. It might even be possible to loom out every position, so instead of the standard 3 wires, you'd have one for each gear (leave neutral std). A comparitor would be the simplest method if you have the skills, but an actual signal for each gear, would be simple for those that haven't the electronic skills.

But to get an indicator up and running (even a single gear one) you'd have to do what Miles posted and / or do what bpitas has done.

[Miles B]

Yeah, with a TRE, you can just use the GPS for the indicator (which will now be just disconnected, right?)

However, if my memory serves me correctly, the GPS is a switch which connects the wire to one of 6 resistors, which have their other sides going to ground (and neutral is just straight to ground right?)... so you will need to put in 2 operating modes for your device...

1) NO TRE: with the GPS attached to the ECU.. you will see a voltage on the GPS wire.. I've listed them before.
2) TRE: the GPS wire is not connected to the ECU, so you will just see ground on it... so you will have to connect a voltage and a resistor to it, and read the voltage between your resistor and the GPS wire. I would suggest something in the 2k ohm area.

I don't really like the circuit in the link up there.... I'm not sure why he has the second +12V and D2. D1 probably isn't going to do anything either. I'd prefer to see the regulator with some filtering. Also, you'd want to check out the current sinking capabilities on the outputs of the LM339... I think it's jack shit.. like 10 or 15mA. So you'd only want to put 10mA through the LEDs, which may or may not be bright enough for you... past the max sink current and the output voltage will rise and the LED won't come on.

Unused comparator pins should be tied to the negative supply. Oscillation isn't really a worry.

[Miles B]

Oh OK, the highbeam input is to make it brighter when the highbeam light is on.

High beam circuit is probably not a great idea... Your highbeams are on at night, and night is when you want it dull, not brighter.

Maybe he means to make it brighter (though it should be less bright) when the headlights are on... won't help Aussies much, are headlights are wired on permanently.

That circuit could be made using a lot less resistors for the outputs.

[Steve TLS]

Or you use low beams at night and high beams during the day? :dunno

[Miles B]

I had yet another thought, and edited Steve, probably just after you replied... yeah, maybe they use high beams during the day over there...

Shit I dunno... I'd just get a real dark tinted screen and make it a reasonable level for day and night.