'Different' complete Gauge setup ideas

All intelligent thoughts are welcome!!!

 

I have almost every conceivable gauge in my car... not kidding... and it was a fun experience but I'm starting to look at going back to simple stupid, kind of:

What is a "really good" way to display lots of information without any unnecessary dash clutter?

Been thinking about it a LOT lately:

 

Boost:

 

Could do a gauge OR

Simple, smaller and cheaper with:

Hobbs switch to dash LED that comes on when boost reaches higher level than Hobbs preset (ex: at 20psi a very bright LED comes on).

 

Oil Pressure/Fuel Pressure:

 

Could do a gauge for each OR

Simple & smaller for each with:

Hobbs switch to dash LED that comes on when pressure drops BELOW level that Hobbs preset (ex: at 20psi a very bright LED comes on). Could be done in steps (ex: 3 Fuel Pressure LEDs on at <39psi, >43.5psi, >60psi) or (ex: 2 Oil Pressure <20psi, <15psi). That way you get multiple data points to rule out Hobbs failure if you want, and also you get the info that actually MATTERS.

 

Oil/Coolant/AutoTrans Temperature:

 

1 gauge with a 3 pull switch and 3 sensors. That way you can switch between 3 senders without the dash clutter.

OR temp fluid switch with LED. Again, (ex: LED & switch each for Oil temp <100*F, >200*F if you can find one cheap.

 

Air Fuel Ratio:

 

A Small digital LCD display can be 'removed' from an AFR gauge and placed somewhere. To be practical, do you REALLY need this? Would your car throw CELs if things were out of wack? Would your tune compensate for any knock if you ran too rich? LEDs don't take up much room, but they don't really apply here... Let me know if you think of anything. The best thing would be to figure out IF

 

Exhaust Gas Temperature:

 

Same thing as AFR, perhaps in close proximity to AFR location. Cut out the LCD and flush mount it. HOWEVER, you CAN get peak-and-hold functionality with EGT, so this digital display could be useful and not just flashing numbers that mean little and need to be watched constantly for usefulness...

 

 

Alternative Displays:

 

PLX Multi Gauges http://www.plxdevices.com/multigauges.html

Terrible solution for a boost gauge, smaller usable screen area than a normal gauge of similar diameter, and yet 4 displays on one screen at one time can be very nice. No fuel pressure support.

They DO have alarm and peak/hold capability.

My plan (only read if you somehow care ):

 

(this will most likely change):

 

Setup will look completely stealth with cubby door closed...

 

Two gauges in 52mm Casopolis Pod.

-Boost Gauge (preferably with peak/hold feature)

-Temperature (preferably with peak/hold feature)(first with double pull switch for 5eat ATF, and oil temp) (coolant later if that EVER arises)

 

The following LEDs:

<Xpsi Fuel Pressure (bright as hell, possibly flashing)

<15psi Oil Pressure (bright as hell, possibly flashing)

 

Side notes:

This will be an E85 car, so EGTs are not a big concern. I will add EGT support later if the need arises.

Fueling will be: Walbro GSS342 255LPH to T1 sidefeed-to-topfeed conversion rails and ID1000 injectors. I don't foresee any issue with this due to extreme care and quality of install. If it does fail (pump dies or something else) then an irregular LED will tell me to shut the car off ASAP!

 

PLX Alternative:

 

PLX DM-100 multi-gauge with following sensors/modules:

AFR

EGT

2x Fluid Temp (in one module)

Total: $635.97+shipping

 

So AFR and all temps are covered.

 

For pressures: Same aforementioned pressure switch + LED warning setup.

You don't need more or less gauges. A full windshield heads-up display would give you plenty of real estate! Plenty of room for just about anything you could ever want, with custom wallpaper. You'd even have enough room left over to watch moves (read: porn) on the road!

You don't need more or less gauges. A full windshield heads-up display would give you plenty of real estate! Plenty of room for just about anything you could ever want, with custom wallpaper. You'd even have enough room left over to watch moves (read: porn) on the road!

 

Link

Link

 

Mount this in the back seat: http://stopbragging.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/3.jpg. I figure it'll be bright enough to be visible in daylight, but you might have to sand the windshield a bit to give it more of a matte projection surface.

ClimberD, I don't remember if you've seen this thread so I am linking it here.

Vent-mounted display. Can do AFR, boost and thermal probe.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/vent-boost-gauge-digital-led-bars-numerics-125083.html

Look into a PLX iMFD set-up. 1 52 mm gauge, 4 sensors. Just don't do boost

Mount this in the back seat: http://stopbragging.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/3.jpg. I figure it'll be bright enough to be visible in daylight, but you might have to sand the windshield a bit to give it more of a matte projection surface.

 

I can see PETA projecting animal slaughter videos on the sides of buildings in NYC if only management had the balls to move up from red paint on $5000 mink coats that will, of course, be replaced with new, untarnished mink coats...

 

ClimberD, I don't remember if you've seen this thread so I am linking it here.

Vent-mounted display. Can do AFR, boost and thermal probe.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/vent-boost-gauge-digital-led-bars-numerics-125083.html

 

Thanks Fishbone,

I'm on the fence about that product... more to come. I know a guy who could do what lossol is doing, perhaps for less money. More to come on that as well.

 

Look into a PLX iMFD set-up. 1 52 mm gauge, 4 sensors. Just don't do boost

 

Thanks Praedet,

On the fence with that as well. Does it have peak memory and alarm features?

 

I'll add a link to first post.

yes and yes

Apparently there is a thank you button

 

updated first post. actually, finally, PLX looks like the way I should have gone over a year ago, and took until now to realize it.

 

Using NSFW's trick where you connect analog 0-5v signals to the TGV position sensors, you can log two of any 4 PLX gauges.

Or log 2 of any 3 gauges if you can get RomRaider to log PLX AFR via USB.

I only mention because I get no dice with AEM/Windows 7 64bit.

I just installed an OBDKey Bluetooth sender, and running Torque on Android phone with a 4" screen mounted in a Brodit holder, it provides all the information I need (in addition to the 2 x Defi gauges I have in the cubby hole for oil pressure and temp). When I park the car I close the cubby door and take my phone with me. Teh Ultimate stealth

I just installed an OBDKey Bluetooth sender, and running Torque on Android phone with a 4" screen mounted in a Brodit holder, it provides all the information I need (in addition to the 2 x Defi gauges I have in the cubby hole for oil pressure and temp). When I park the car I close the cubby door and take my phone with me. Teh Ultimate stealth

 

That sounds very cool! Can you post some pics to get a better feel for the setup?

DM-100 (52mm) screen is 1.7" (diag)

DM-200 (60mm) screen is 2.2" (diag)

 

I remember the 52mm looking very small in person.

 

So considering different install options:

BMW E36 M3 http://www.plxdevices.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3044

Civic http://www.clubintegra.com/board/showthread.php?p=411546

 

Thinking I can use an angled Casopolis dual 52mm cubby pod, with the left gauge standard 52mm boost full sweep, and the right a DM-200 (60mm) with circle case popped off and fitted into a modified 52mm circle. Would yield a bigger screen and cubby door can still close.

Priced out a Defi Link Advance with Boost and Fuel Pressure. $743 from Fred Beans Parts.

So that might not be the most practical.

 

But those gauges and a DM-200 with a few modules would cover every base...

Instead of EGT I would put in a cylinder head temperature gauge. You also have an AFR gauge

Instead of EGT I would put in a cylinder head temperature gauge. You also have an AFR gauge

 

Cylinder head temp would be nice, but I'm not drilling my head(s) and I don't know anyone who would

 

IMO, EGT is perfectly fine if the ideal sensor, cylinder pressure sensor, cannot be installed.

To be realistic, EGT logging is all I'm after, because it will allow per-cylinder injector compensation (and dare I say per-cylinder timing adjustment).

 

One could have a simple EGT sensor that outputs lambda to the stock ECU, but it starts getting so expensive even then that one might as well just get the PLX EGT. PLX EGT has linear 0-5V output for stock ECU logging AND can be watched on the DM-200.

 

You only need two EGT sensors to measure variation between cylinders. Pick one cylinder (#1) to be the reference cylinder, and then move the second cylinder to #3, #2 & #4 for tuning.

 

Almost no one has done this, yet almost all failures are on a disproportionate set of cylinders.

That sounds very cool! Can you post some pics to get a better feel for the setup?

 

Will do, hang back for a week or so I don't have a camera anymore, and I can't really use my phone to take the pic, if I want to show how the phone gauge system works

hey climberd, don't know if this is an option you might like, but I saw it whilst browsing around the member classifieds : http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/fs-dashdaq-w-subaru-parameters-legacy-skin-148761.html

 

It's a dashdaq, and when I went to their website (http://www.dashdaq.com/) I noticed you could display up to 24 gauges at once.

 

You could probly hide it nicely in your cubby

I wasn't really interested in it before because it doesn't show analog gauges. Just OBDII. However the list of Subaru parameters, if accurate, is far superior to RomRaider or any competitor I have come across. That would be really cool to read things like ATF temp, but I can't think of a situation where I would really need it...

 

Cool find though!

 

Edit: The price is out of this world...

One could hack the fuel level sender ECU input and put it on a switch, then use that input on demand to receive something like an AEM stainless steel 100-psi sensor for Fuel Pressure. It would be useful for logging fuel pressure voltage (with AEM and many others it's linear output), and could also be set in the DM-200 OBDII to alarm below a certain voltage (pressure), as well as show a graph of it to perhaps try to catch any dips from sloshing fuel or cornering. This would still leave the two TGV inputs free for logging other things (such as dual EGT)...

I took a few moments to draw an idea I have (surely not original), which is to put gauges in this area where they can best be glanced at during a WOT run (namely boost and AFR, whatever you want staring at you).

I like this because there is sufficient length between the back and front of the dash top to deeply inset the gauges. So there would be a hollow tube facing directly at your eyes, and the gauge inset deep within the tube. The idea being the gauge would be visible to you, but not to others on the road (the main problem with A-pillar gauges, for instance). I don't know if a polarizing film could accomplish the same thing, but just floating some quick ideas.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=114936&stc=1&d=1332820034

How about something like this?

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/gauge-pod-idea-173943.html

 

You can fit in two 52mm gauges...

Yup, saw it before, close but still shows off your gauges to the public a bit more than I would like. The option of mounting to the column top, that's growing on me.