Vent Boost Gauge (Digital Led Bars & numerics)

Version 1.04 is not released yet. I am awaiting a oil pressure sensor from prosport to test the interface.

I hope to release the new version by the end of the month.

This is a picture of the prosport premium oil sender connector.

It comes with no documentation, I was wondering if any of you have this in their car and know what they are powering the sending unit with.

I know this is powered directly from the prosport gauge but what I dont know is if it is 5V or 12V. I suspect 12V. But if any of you could put a meter on the red and the black wire terminals of the connector than I would know for sure.

I will also try to get a hold of prosport.

I'm almost done finishing up the newest software revision. Version 1.04 will provide additional functionality to the gauge including OIL pressure in selectable units of PSI or BAR. The sensor to be used is the prosport one http://prosportgauges.com/Premium-oil-pressure-sender-1.aspx The sensor coupled with the VBG1 has been tested to achieve greater than +/-5 Psi accuracy over the 0-150 span. With resolution displayed as 1PSI increments.

Also new is an optional sensor input of an external temperature sensor with greater than 1 degree display resolution. This temperature probe has a temp range of -40c to 125C - that's 256F! So i guess you could put it on your inter-cooler or something.

The new sensor inputs can be selected via the configurations menu. Only one external sensor can connector and/or connected. The new configurable input is called the auxiliary input.

Auxiliary input options (only one can be selected)

• AFR
  
• PRESSURE (PSI)
  
• PRESSURE (BAR)
  
• TEMP F
  
• TEMP C
  

Also new is an OLED burn-in reducer option. The user can select to enable the following options:

• Off - no screen saver options
  
• INVERT - Oled screens inverts every minute to even oled wear
  
• TIMEOUT - Oled screens shut off after 3 mins.
  
• BOTH - Both inversion and screen timeout.
  

I also want to mention that we have had a few RMAs for OLED display issues/failure. If you are having problems with your VBG1 please contact me. I believe the issues were related to the oled connector assembly process. I'm working hard to make a great reliable custom boost gauge. Thanks to you all for the input and feedback.

I hope to post some pics or videos of the new options soon.

oh I forgot...thanks for reminding me. A new option to set viewing preferences for the bar graph display.

Option to display boost marker leds at every 5 psi

Option to select location of Atmospheric zero point.

• Traditional - sweep right to left for vac, left to right for boost.
  
• New option - Corner of gauge (ATM point would be at the arrow, and anything to the left and down is vac...and to the right is boost.)
  

Do you intend to sell a sending unit as a package deal or would we need to order it from Prosport?

I believe I read a thread a long time ago about a port somewhere on the block that's just capped (factory testing location maybe) that you can use for oil pressure. I'm hoping something like an oil filter doughnut adapter wouldn't be needed.

Great idea on the pivot point for boost/vacuum. That seems a lot more logical to me coming from a traditional dial boost gauge.

Looking forward to the next version, I definitely want one.

can we update the firmware ourselves?

I have a prosport oil pressure sender i never got around to selling, might see if its compatible with this!

Do you intend to sell a sending unit as a package deal or would we need to order it from Prosport?

I'm trying to get the matting connector from prosport, i'm awaiting pricing. If I get this from them then I can make an adapter, and sell the adapter for cheap and you guys can buy the sender and the wire harness direct from prosport. If not, I will sell the sender and harness directly, modified to work with the VBG1 sending unit.

Great idea on the pivot point for boost/vacuum.

can we update the firmware ourselves?

I have a prosport oil pressure sender i never got around to selling, might see if its compatible with this!

The prosport premium oil sender will be compatible. Version 1.04 will come with a new sending unit that will have an auxiliary plug.

I'm almost done finishing up the newest software revision. Version 1.04 will provide additional functionality to the gauge including OIL pressure in selectable units of PSI or BAR. The sensor to be used is the prosport one http://prosportgauges.com/Premium-oil-pressure-sender-1.aspx The sensor coupled with the VBG1 has been tested to achieve greater than +/-5 Psi accuracy over the 0-150 span. With resolution displayed as 1PSI increments.

 

Also new is an optional sensor input of an external temperature sensor with greater than 1 degree display resolution. This temperature probe has a temp range of -40c to 125C - that's 256F! So i guess you could put it on your inter-cooler or something.

 

The new sensor inputs can be selected via the configurations menu. Only one external sensor can connector and/or connected. The new configurable input is called the auxiliary input.

 

Auxiliary input options (only one can be selected)

• AFR
  
• PRESSURE (PSI)
  
• PRESSURE (BAR)
  
• TEMP F
  
• TEMP C
  

 

Also new is an OLED burn-in reducer option. The user can select to enable the following options:

• Off - no screen saver options
  
• INVERT - Oled screens inverts every minute to even oled wear
  
• TIMEOUT - Oled screens shut off after 3 mins.
  
• BOTH - Both inversion and screen timeout.
  

 

I also want to mention that we have had a few RMAs for OLED display issues/failure. If you are having problems with your VBG1 please contact me. I believe the issues were related to the oled connector assembly process. I'm working hard to make a great reliable custom boost gauge. Thanks to you all for the input and feedback.

 

I hope to post some pics or videos of the new options soon.

Judging by the way you have set up the axillary input, ie only allowing one of the following:

• AFR
  
• PRESSURE (PSI)
  
• PRESSURE (BAR)
  
• TEMP F
  
• TEMP C
  

I'm guessing that you did this to allow people with the original "sending unit box" to use these updated features with just a firmware update. Since there is only the one wire to attach a wideband, correct?

So with an update the wire for the wideband integration changes into the AUX input wire?

This makes sense. I'm guessing that it would be a lot of work to implement every possible input at once, AFR Boost Temp and Pressure. On top of that, im sure people with the original sending unit box would want to upgrade to the newer one if you eventually implemented the All-in-one VBG1000 .

It would be amazing to at least have Boost and AFR standard, with the option for at least one AUX input (oil pressure and/or oil temp), but at the cost of having to change the hardware to allow every possible feature, it surly wouldn't be worth it to you.

The only other option I could see is an upgraded sending unit. This way users could upgrade their sending unit box (or just buy the display with the better sending unit from the start), giving them the ability to squeeze every feature possible out of the VBG1.

Then maybe you could put an option in the options menu telling the display which sending unit box was being utilized (basic, or full featured). This way it could function accordingly to the amount of inputs it has to process.

Either way this product is miles ahead of the rest in terms of function and design. I just feel that there are going to be a lot of people that already will be utilizing the AFR feature, making the brilliant new features you have been working on with external sensors null. However, for the people without an LC-1, it gives them the ability to get more worth out of this beautiful product . I just know there will be people wanting to squeeze every feature out of this product to help make the price even more justifiable. I would love to show off to my friends having Boost, wideband AFR, Oil pressure, and Oil temp. And then watch them shite their pants in jealousy

As for the OLED screensaver options, does the 3 minute screen saver kick in only in vacuum? This would be awesome. You wouldn't ever have to manually turn it off again. Whenever you decide to feed your need for boost the display would automatically kick on. That would be too cool.

Its hard to comprehend how many cool features this thing has:spin:

Version 1.04 is will work with the old sending unit for AFR input. However with the addition of a oil pressure sensor and a ambient temp sensor an excitation voltage of 5V was needed to drive these sensors. So the new sending unit will incorporate an aux plug. A standard 2.5 mm 4 conductor plug will do the trick.

On the plug 5V is available for sensors which require it.

Here are some pics of the new sending unit with aux plug. The ambient temperature sensor is shown as well.

I just feel that there are going to be a lot of people that already will be utilizing the AFR feature, making the brilliant new features you have been working on with external sensors null.

Thats correct, you can only choose one aux input. So if users are already using AFR, they would not be able to use another at the same time.

In the original design the aux input was an afterthought. Now I wish I had 5 of them, or had the hardware to mux them.

As for the OLED screensaver options, does the 3 minute screen saver kick in only in vacuum? This would be awesome. You wouldn't ever have to manually turn it off again. Whenever you decide to feed your need for boost the display would automatically kick on. That would be too cool.

But of course. When ever you hit boost or press a button the timer gets reset. Only if you are pulling vac for 3 mins and not touching the gauge it will power off the screens. The leds will continue to remain active. Then the second you hit boost the screens come on again. or you could press a button.

I have also implemented the new "pivot" boost display with and without markers, user configurable. Markers are also availble on the standard display which I have called "full" in the menu options because this mode uses all availble leds for Vac and boost, gives you the most 'visual' resolution of boost and vac.

I think I actually might favor the pivot mode. It was a good idea, thanks tangcla for the thoughts. I will post some pics/vid so you can see how it looks now.

I will be driving around with the new version this week to see how it feels and will be looking for bugs. i also threw the aux temp sensor on my intercooler to see how hot it gets in city traffic.

Just throwing out ideas...

What about the ability to select the time before the screensaver kicks in. Nothing crazy, maybe between 1-3 minutes. This would help people that live in the city, with a lot of stop and go traffic. Just an idea, but they could always shut the display off manually.

As for the external temp and oil pressure senders, would it be difficult to implement alarms? These alarms, much like the overboost warning, would be very useful. I think a high and low pressure alarm on the oil pressure and a high temp alarm on the ambient temp sensor (for post intercooler temps) would be very cool.

These are just ideas. I know your probably trying to wrap up 1.04 but I thought i'd give a couple more feature ideas, to add to the long list...

Also, great choice on the oil pressure sender, I notice that it should be an easy install with the 1/8" npt oil galley plug.

http://prosportgauges.com/subaru-oil-galley-plug.aspx

I'm definitely going to be hooking up the oil pressure feature...

Can't wait to see the pivot boost display!

Could anyone be kind enough to let me know how much their volt-meter on the gauge reads when the car is running at idle?

I'm wondering if my alternator is dying or its my normal voltage!

I would like to know asap!

Thanks!

JP

I'm running around 13.8-14.2 on the gauge, is that what everyone else is reading? If not what are you reading as voltage on the gauge?

A quick video of the pivot implementation with markers.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGb89DQCS5I]YouTube - pivot[/ame]

I like the idea of programmable timeout, I will look into that. After driving around with the new version for the week, I'm thinking of scraping the invert oled option and just sticking with the timeout option. The invert option was envisioned to balance the oled ware however I find it really distracting when it inverts because it catches your attention when you don't really care.

I do like the ambient temp, I probably will keep that hooked up to the intercooler. I have verified the accuracy to be within spec of the sending unit. So we are looking at +/- 2 degrees C. More than enough resolution to tell if your intercooler is running hot, the range on the sensor is -40c to 125c

Its interesting how warm it gets when you standing at lights and whatnot. Also if your moving at highway speeds you get a pretty fast update on ambient temperature. I finally have realized how slow the standard outside ambient temperature responds and to be honest I'm not sure about their accuracy on that one, it seems it has an incredibly long average.

As for the external temp and oil pressure senders, would it be difficult to implement alarms? These alarms, much like the overboost warning, would be very useful. I think a high and low pressure alarm on the oil pressure and a high temp alarm on the ambient temp sensor (for post intercooler temps) would be very cool.

I will give alarms a thought, I like the idea.

jproy12, I see about 12.8 to 14 when the engine is running, depending on speed, or if I'm in traffic, and what accessories I have on i.e. heater defroster, to be honest it fluctuates a lot. When I was stuck in traffic in a snowstorm and the car was idling in traffic for a long time i noticed that with all the defrosters running it was been drug down to 11.5 and the idle became rough, so it is very much load and engine speed dependent.