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| Gauge repurposing https://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=20708 |
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| Author: | chrisser [ September 25, 2020, 6:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Gauge repurposing |
So I'm planning a junkyard trip next weekend. Gauges aren't high on my list of things I need, but you never know what you'll find... I won't be using any sort of body control computer, so if I want gauges I will have to probably go fully aftermarket. But I'm curious if modern gauges can be repurposed. I assume they run on stepper motors. Is there some sort of mechanism you can buy/build that will take the analog input (or possibly digital in the case of speed sensors and, I guess, tachometers) and translate it to the signals necessary to drive the gauges? I only know enough electronics to be dangerous so maybe I'm oversimplifying it. I figure I'd want to make my own faces and basically look for gauges that are about the right size and have needles I like. I'm kind of partial to full sweep gauges and I'd really like to be able to set the ranges so they're appropriate for what's being monitored. I've also reached my "reading glasses years" and it has occurred to me that the small gauges I may have gravitated towards in my youth would be all but invisible to me in a few years. Big dials with big numbers and thick needles seem to be the ticket. |
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| Author: | cs3tcr [ September 25, 2020, 7:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gauge repurposing |
I'm sure you could use an Arduino or even a Raspberry Pi to convert the inputs to an output that would control the stepper motors. In saying that, though, you can get stepper motor drivers for Arduino's (https://www.ebay.com/itm/28BYJ-48-ULN2003-Stepper-Motor-Driver-Module-for-Arduino-DC-12V-Stepper-Motor/263292913711?hash=item3d4d7b082f:g:aUUAAOSw2jNbvuNZ - I know it's from China but it gives you an idea of what to look for) for not a lot of money, but you would have to learn how to program the Arduino, make housings, make needles, and gauge faces. I'm in the very early learning stages of Arduino (I have a Speeduino to control the ignition on my current build), so can't give much help other than it's something to consider. |
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| Author: | rx7locost [ September 25, 2020, 7:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gauge repurposing |
It depends on how "modern" the gauges you are talking about. The gauges on my build were from the 91 RX-7 donor. The gauge cluster was all analog. Some more modern gauges such as my 2000 Jimmy were all driven from the PCM/ECU. So signals went to the ECM and the gauges were driven from the ECU. Possibly a PWM signal Possibly a steeper motor depending on the gauge. Most of the ones I have seen are a built cluster designed with a single PCB that defines the layout of all the individual gauges. Even my RX-7 had this. You also have to consider the ECU generally holds the odometer information. Anything can be done to bypass the ECU or break out the cluster to individual ones if you have $$ or the inclination to design your own. IIRC many GM cars uses PCB-mounted stepper motors, You could roll your own. but since you "only know enough electronics to be dangerous" maybe that is not your best path. |
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| Author: | chrisser [ September 26, 2020, 10:05 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gauge repurposing |
I guess I was hoping there was some sort of circuit or device that had some basic configuration. I assume most analog inputs are 0-12v on a car. You'd configure the degrees of sweep (I'm guessing 90, 180, 270 are common), whether 0 is the low voltage or the high voltage and it would convert the output to a "common" stepper motor (if such a thing even exists). Ideally, maybe another device would be configurable to convert input pulses to output analog voltage and you could put that in front of the first for things like speedo and tach data. I have a pretty decent understanding of basic electrical - volts/amps ac/dc, but I've never really done the dive into IC and pulse electronics to be able to build something like that. Maybe it's worth doing - I can see how such a device might have a market. Being able to essentially use any modern gauge from any car with almost any input would be pretty cool. Somewhere in my pile-o-parts I have a device that takes input pulses from one scale and converts them to output pulses on a different scale to use with adjusting speedometers, but it was over $100 IIRC. |
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