Custom gauges/display for Fj62

[CruiserTrash]

I would need a third sensor and gauge to accurately track temps in order to plot the temp vs resistance graph for the 2nd sensor! The "first" sensor being the stock sender for the stock gauge. I have Autometer products FWIW, and I havent found documentation for their senders but I can check. Does whomever supplies the brain make recommendations?

 

[LA Z]

I would need a third sensor and gauge to accurately track temps in order to plot the temp vs resistance graph for the 2nd sensor! The "first" sensor being the stock sender for the stock gauge. I have Autometer products FWIW, and I havent found documentation for their senders but I can check. Does whomever supplies the brain make recommendations?

I make the hideaway unit as well, you can just tell me what sensors you have or want to use and I’ll make it work.
The easies way to map a sensor is to hook it up to a DVM and start heating it up in a controlled manner.

Some of the calibration will have to be made in the software, but some will be as simple as changing a value of a resistor.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Don’t know what a DVM is. I guess I could map a temp sender with a pot of water on the stove, a meter, and an accurate digital thermometer. An oil pressure sending on the other hand - I don’t have the equipment for that. Since you are making the brain yourself as well, my suggestion would be to standardize the senders (for customers IF you sell this kit) or provide accessible trim pots for calibration of the plethora of senders out there.

You could also - and this is getting kind of deep - find a way to split the stock sender wire to feed both the stock gauge and your gauge. That means less stuff to install and OEM parts. I know splitting the signal messes with the load that the stock gauge wants to see - does the signal need an active buffer to alleviate this? Maybe it’s a step too far.

I also have to wrap my head around power requirements, making a sub harness, fusing, and how and where to tie it into the truck’s electrical.

This is a big undertaking but I think once you iron all of this stuff out it’s a saleable product.

I guess the thing that could explain a lot is knowing how you’ve done all of this in your truck.

 

[YooperCruiser]

If I could get my extra gauges up there I'd be stoked. I have an 88 that I've turbo charged and have these gauges currently mounted below the dash.
1. Intake air temps, one between the air cleaner and intercooler and another between the intercooler and throttle body.
2. Boost gauge, this is mechanical with a tube to the charge pipe, possibly use a map sensor to get boost numbers?
3. Wideband AF/R gauge.

 

[Gretsch]

I'd be interested in a 60 series one.

 

[LA Z]

Don’t know what a DVM is. I guess I could map a temp sender with a pot of water on the stove, a meter, and an accurate digital thermometer. An oil pressure sending on the other hand - I don’t have the equipment for that. Since you are making the brain yourself as well, my suggestion would be to standardize the senders (for customers IF you sell this kit) or provide accessible trim pots for calibration of the plethora of senders out there.

You could also - and this is getting kind of deep - find a way to split the stock sender wire to feed both the stock gauge and your gauge. That means less stuff to install and OEM parts. I know splitting the signal messes with the load that the stock gauge wants to see - does the signal need an active buffer to alleviate this? Maybe it’s a step too far.

I also have to wrap my head around power requirements, making a sub harness, fusing, and how and where to tie it into the truck’s electrical.

This is a big undertaking but I think once you iron all of this stuff out it’s a saleable product.

I guess the thing that could explain a lot is knowing how you’ve done all of this in your truck.

Thank you for your input on this, I really appreciate it.

DVM is short for Digital Volt Meter. ( Sorry, sometimes I forget that not everybody knows all the related abbreviations )

You have the right idea on how to map the temp sensor. The oil pressure and pretty much any other pressure/vacuum sensors ( that I'm going to use ) are 0-5V output with a known max pressure/vacuum.
( 0-5V signal is what the microcontroller needs on it's inputs )

Tapping into a factory sensor circuit presents some problems, I don't think it's worth the trouble.
Just install a new sensor for this unit.

The power requirements for the unit is about as much as charging your phone.
( depending on the number of sensors installed )
I'd say a 5A fuse should cover it. You can run a dedicated power from the IGN. switch or tap into any switched circuit. ( radio, clock, power antenna, etc….. )

I’d like to make this unit as simple as possible to install, no need to calibrate any sensors or do any soldering on the user’s side. ( other than tapping into power )

 

[LA Z]

If I could get my extra gauges up there I'd be stoked. I have an 88 that I've turbo charged and have these gauges currently mounted below the dash.
1. Intake air temps, one between the air cleaner and intercooler and another between the intercooler and throttle body.
2. Boost gauge, this is mechanical with a tube to the charge pipe, possibly use a map sensor to get boost numbers?
3. Wideband AF/R gauge.

View attachment 3104846

All the gauges that you have there could be switched to this unit, I don’t see any issues with that.

I was thinking about doing my inter cooler tamps as well. Good to know how well it works under boost.
( My turbo boost is around 33psi at WOT )

For the boost pressure there are some nice options ( depending on your boost pressure ) for a sensor that will work flawlessly with the unit.

For the AF/R gauge, I’ll have to check what is the signal that comes out of the sensor and make that work.

 

[YooperCruiser]

All the gauges that you have there could be switched to this unit, I don’t see any issues with that.

I was thinking about doing my inter cooler tamps as well. Good to know how well it works under boost. ( My turbo boost is around 33psi at WOT )

For the boost pressure there are some nice options ( depending on your boost pressure ) for a sensor that will work flawlessly with the unit.

For the AF/R gauge, I’ll have to check what is the signal that comes out of the sensor and make that work.

I'm using an Innovate Wideband AFR DB gauge # 3795

For the IAT's I'm using a Glowshift dual temp gauge GS-TCD20

 

[Spook50]

This is a great idea. I'd love to be able to monitor AFR and I'm sure a couple other things I'd like more precise numbers on until I eventually swap to Speedhut gauges (thinking specifically oil pressure and engine temperature).

I've never played with the ATMEGA328 before. Is it possible to change the display colors for one color without a voltage input on a lead (specifically from the dash lighting circuit), and then a different one (red in my case) when the dash lighting is on? How about brightness adjustment when dash lighting is on that could be tapped into the dimmer knob?

 

[LA Z]

This is a great idea. I'd love to be able to monitor AFR and I'm sure a couple other things I'd like more precise numbers on until I eventually swap to Speedhut gauges (thinking specifically oil pressure and engine temperature).

I've never played with the ATMEGA328 before. Is it possible to change the display colors for one color without a voltage input on a lead (specifically from the dash lighting circuit), and then a different one (red in my case) when the dash lighting is on? How about brightness adjustment when dash lighting is on that could be tapped into the dimmer knob?

These oled displays are monochrome ( one color only ).
It’s possible to put a colored lens front of the displays to change the color.


The dimming of these displays is possible, however it’s limited to about 100%-50% not 100-0.

 

[Spook50]

These oled displays are monochrome ( one color only ).
It’s possible to put a colored lens front of the displays to change the color.


The dimming of these displays is possible, however it’s limited to about 100%-50% not 100-0.

I can't see taking them down to less than 50% to be a fairly close match to the surrounding gauges to be honest, so that would likely work pretty well. Especially given any loss in brightness due to a colored lens on them. I actually have some red film another Mudder sent me a while back to play with on my HVAC display to get a red shading with it. Haven't messed with it yet though since I can't find a good LED that'll work in that spot with a wide enough illumination pattern.

 

[LA Z]

I'm using an Innovate Wideband AFR DB gauge # 3795

For the IAT's I'm using a Glowshift dual temp gauge GS-TCD20

I do have the same AFR sensor, ( for a different project ) shouldn’t be a problem to get it working on this.

The IAT sensors I don’t have, I’ll do a bit of searching to see if I can find some data on them.

Thank you for listing them. It makes my work easier if I have a list of the sensors you guys want to use.

 

[CruiserTrash]

I do have the same AFR sensor, ( for a different project ) shouldn’t be a problem to get it working on this.

The IAT sensors I don’t have, I’ll do a bit of searching to see if I can find some data on them.

Thank you for listing them. It makes my work easier if I have a list of the sensors you guys want to use.

+1 for Bosch. Comes with the Autometer wideband kits, and Bosch is very prevalent in the O2 sensor world. If you need a photo of the connectors let me know, I’ll go tear apart my wiring for you

 

[franklin40]

if it can read boost and egt id totally be down for one! i have a conteoller that has a remote digital gauge but it’s flipping around my tranny jump all the time. i just can’t figure out where to mount it but this is perfect. i toyed with taking mine apart and making it fit in that spot but your design is so clean. i love it!

 

[dbbowen]

dude this is awesome. Ive been working on getting my center 2 spots for seatbelt and brake cut out into one large oval to run some kind of OLED or EL Lit PRNDL on mine. Thinking laser cut the center divider to make it one large oval and flush mount it inside.

 

[LA Z]

dude this is awesome. Ive been working on getting my center 2 spots for seatbelt and brake cut out into one large oval to run some kind of OLED or EL Lit PRNDL on mine. Thinking laser cut the center divider to make it one large oval and flush mount it inside.

No need to cut your cluster piece, I've made a face plate for the 60s with two displays in it.

It's just a trial piece to check fitment, the displays needed to be offset because the active area on
the display is offset.

This is what it looks like:

 

[dbbowen]

No need to cut your cluster piece, I've made a face plate for the 60s with two displays in it.

It's just a trial piece to check fitment, the displays needed to be offset because the active area on
the display is offset.

This is what it looks like:View attachment 3107750

Could the small chip display a PRNDL? Most of them I was looking at would need one wider hole instead of the two

 

[LA Z]

if it can read boost and egt id totally be down for one! i have a conteoller that has a remote digital gauge but it’s flipping around my tranny jump all the time. i just can’t figure out where to mount it but this is perfect. i toyed with taking mine apart and making it fit in that spot but your design is so clean. i love it!

It would display EGT and any other parameters. ( as long as you can install a sensor to monitor that parameter )
temperature, pressure/vacuum, pitch and roll, ( inclinometer ) etc...

 

[Spook50]

It would display EGT and any other parameters. ( as long as you can install a sensor to monitor that parameter )
temperature, pressure/vacuum, pitch and roll, ( inclinometer ) etc...

I'm curious about how the inclinometer function could be made to work. That'd be a fun doodad to have.

 

[LA Z]

I'm curious about how the inclinometer function could be made to work. That'd be a fun doodad to have.

No problem making the inclinometer function work, just have to add a sensor and some coding needs to be done.

I have the sensor and I've already started to play around with it.
It would definitely be a fun doodad to have.