Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

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Mojogameplay
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#16

Post by Mojogameplay »

I was planning on using two of four wire voltage meters. It claims to read from 0 to 99.99 volts. I thought I would use the 12volt lighting circuit for the old guages to power both voltmeter.
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Toehead
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#17

Post by Toehead »

Perfect! Sounds like you are in business.
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1980 CX500C, All around road warrior (Sold)
1975 TS125 (Sold), old smoker
1977 naked GL1000, Highway cruiser
'81 GL1100 14,000 (reconditioned and sold)
'81 GL1100 50,000 miles (under construction)
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#18

Post by Mojogameplay »

But now I started researching led bar graph circuits. And that looks like a pretty clean way to go as well. From the simulations I ran it doesn't look like the potentiometer will change voltage in a predictably linear sort of way. So the fuel guage won't be at 50% or 40% or whatever, no matter what what type of gauge I use, because the sending unit changes voltage unevenly. But the bar graph circuits can be programmed for your sending units voltage range. It would be nicer to have a bar of led's lit up at full fuel than some uneven voltage level that is hard to relate to a percentage of fuel capacity... I'm pretty sure I'm leaning towards a bar graph for the fuel and temp guages.. way more work on the math side of things.. more sauldering.. just more complicated. But it would be easier to understand the guage when it was done.
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#19

Post by Toehead »

Agree: Otherwise you need to keep a mental note of the conversion between voltage and "fullness"

If you don't mind me asking, how does the sending unit change resistance? Is it a log scale?

If you are DIY kind of guy, you can drive bar graphs with various ICs that are available, such as here:

http://www.nteinc.com/specs/1500to1599/pdf/nte1509.pdf
2012 Golf TDI, fast and frugal oil burner
1980 CX500C, All around road warrior (Sold)
1975 TS125 (Sold), old smoker
1977 naked GL1000, Highway cruiser
'81 GL1100 14,000 (reconditioned and sold)
'81 GL1100 50,000 miles (under construction)
2X 1981 CM400 beginner bike (sold)
1980 CB750C (sold)
1994 Virago 750 (Wifey's bike)
'76 GL1000 Sulphur Yellow (Megasquirted efi build) http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=59774
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#20

Post by Mojogameplay »

Log scale.. welp that's new to me. Just looked that up. I have to get a multimeter on the fuel sending unit and find out what it is. The simulator app automatically made the potentiometer logarithmic. Makes the voltage level confusing as hell to convert to volume of fuel.

Can a log scale potentiometer be converted to linear with the addition of resistors or some such wizardry? Or is it pretty much stuck however it is?
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#21

Post by Toehead »

Log scale potentiometers are very prevalent in audio equipment, since audio power is also rated on a log scale (IIRC)


I would expect that the sending unit is more likely a linear scale, which may make it easier to get meaningful data out of it. As you say, it is easy enough to verify with a multimeter.

I don't think you can easily convert between them. You can convert linear to log though some trickery, but not log to linear.
2012 Golf TDI, fast and frugal oil burner
1980 CX500C, All around road warrior (Sold)
1975 TS125 (Sold), old smoker
1977 naked GL1000, Highway cruiser
'81 GL1100 14,000 (reconditioned and sold)
'81 GL1100 50,000 miles (under construction)
2X 1981 CM400 beginner bike (sold)
1980 CB750C (sold)
1994 Virago 750 (Wifey's bike)
'76 GL1000 Sulphur Yellow (Megasquirted efi build) http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=59774
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#22

Post by Mojogameplay »

Also I was doing some research on resistors in parallel in a circuit. If the bikes fuel sending unit and water temp sending unit are in parallel, wouldn't the level of one sending unit change the reading from the other sending unit? Or does it only make a voltage difference outside of the group of resistors and potentiometers? Anyhow I have to plan out step by step what I need to figure out to get this led bar graph going. Should be able to get it if I work through this guide I found.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/do ... okup-guide
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#23

Post by Toehead »

Both are in parallel to the voltage source (which is a regulated constant 7V), but both also have the gauge inline. It's not truly a voltage gauge: They are responding to current. The current in each branch of the circuit, as long as the 7V remains constant, is independent. That way, the senders don't interfere with each other.

If the 7V was not regulated and varied based on load, then they would effect each other.

We are only able to get a usable voltage signal that varies because of the additional resistor that we added.

That looks like a cool guide! I think the end product is going to be awesome :)
2012 Golf TDI, fast and frugal oil burner
1980 CX500C, All around road warrior (Sold)
1975 TS125 (Sold), old smoker
1977 naked GL1000, Highway cruiser
'81 GL1100 14,000 (reconditioned and sold)
'81 GL1100 50,000 miles (under construction)
2X 1981 CM400 beginner bike (sold)
1980 CB750C (sold)
1994 Virago 750 (Wifey's bike)
'76 GL1000 Sulphur Yellow (Megasquirted efi build) http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=59774
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#24

Post by Mojogameplay »

Sauldering up a 7 volt regulator today. Seems to be working.
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I have a few spares. I might try a more discreet looking setup.
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#25

Post by Mojogameplay »

Okay so I have my lm3914 integrated circuits in th mail. Plus ten light bargraph led (might not use but they came with for the same price). Now I just need to get some prototype circuit board, some potentiometers to fine tune the integrated circuits. Didn't expect the integrated circuits to be so small. May need a better soldering iron and magnifying goggles.
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#26

Post by Toehead »

Looking forward to seeing it!
2012 Golf TDI, fast and frugal oil burner
1980 CX500C, All around road warrior (Sold)
1975 TS125 (Sold), old smoker
1977 naked GL1000, Highway cruiser
'81 GL1100 14,000 (reconditioned and sold)
'81 GL1100 50,000 miles (under construction)
2X 1981 CM400 beginner bike (sold)
1980 CB750C (sold)
1994 Virago 750 (Wifey's bike)
'76 GL1000 Sulphur Yellow (Megasquirted efi build) http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=59774
Mojogameplay
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#27

Post by Mojogameplay »

Oh! I just figured out that I might be able to power the cooling fan with the sixth or seventh led on the bar graph. As the bike heats up the led will come on in succession from 1 to 10 led. So I'm thinking that the 7th led will be replaced or wired in series with a relay or a mosfet and relay (depending on what I need to not fry the circuit board). So when the temperature gets around 70%( or it could be a lower led 60%) the fan will kick in signaled by the new temp guage. This is exciting to me because i can buy alot of, all of and then some, the circuitry components, under the price of a new oem cooling fan switch. So I forgot to mention my cooling fan switch is not functioning, I have a household light switch in its place. (I had lots of light switches from a renovation) also you can add a blinking warning light to the 10th led on the temp gauge, and the first led on the fuel guage. All though it might be nice to have a shut off switch for the blink function of each warning light. Blinking red leds could get annoying with being able the cancel the blink. So basically I have some of the parts and everything is theory at this point. Still have a lot of work ahead. Still haven't decided how to rebuild my dash. Might plant the led into the handle bars or triple tree. Also might relocate the speedo and tacho. Bike looks pretty good with that tech stripped off. Plant them where the horns went on the sides maybe? Lots to do yet. Lots of winter to do it.
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#28

Post by 5speed »

Toehead wrote:I'll try to explain the math a bit. It's all based on Ohms law, V=I*R
:shock: my head just exploded..
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#29

Post by ericheath »

It's just a movie, it isn't real.
Whatever I suggest here should be given ample time for a moderator to delicately correct. I apologize in advance.
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Mojogameplay
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Re: Homemade temperature and fuel gauges?

#30

Post by Mojogameplay »

Got some components in. Made up a quick prototype to see if I could handle soldering the tiny parts. Also to see if I could get something working.
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Need to dim the lights more. And adjust voltage reading range.
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