Ian S charge temp gauge; a new batch...

[Ian S]

Hi all,

Over the last couple of years people have asked me if I still have any of those charge temp gauges that I used to make. I didn't have any but I am now about to make another 10 units.

So if any of those people who asked still want one, please let me know.

Or, of course, if you didn't already enquire, then feel free to do so.

There is now more choice on the display as Trumeter have developed negative backlit in more colours and RS components are stocking the new and wider range.

Here the list of RS part numbers:

Go to http://uk.rs-online.com and enter these part numbers one at a time into the search box. Note, there are two sizes listed there of most types, each with it's own number:

(48mm x 24mm with with 10mm character height)

337-7224
337-7189
553-642
553-759
553-804
553-775

(72mm x 36mm with 14mm character height)

337-7246
553-646
657-2006
553-636
657-2012

What used to be my standard size was 48mm x 24mm with with 10mm character height and the green back light. The larger ones are 72mm x 36mm with 14mm character height.

I used the small size display as it would fit neatly into the fascia somewhere but I did find it too small to read when at full torque / power on narrow roads.

If you're wondering where the blue ones are, small blue ones are not currently available and the larger blue ones are only direct from the manufacturer in numbers greater than 5. I might be able to buy mixed types from withm with a few blue ones. Unfortunately, there are no amber ones, they were not manufactured.

You can chose a display from that RS list if you like and I can then buy and use that.

I can't tell how well lit / visible the text in negative backlit ones will be. Good at night I'd guess, probably better than a 'normal' type. But daytime, maybe a bit less visible.

The total price per charge temp unit I've not finally established yet, but it probably won't be too far from what it was at about £130.

Thanks,

Ian

[Bigfoot]

Always seen quite a few people who have these. can you stick my name down for one

What sort of fitment is required for these, noticed that some people just put it in one section of the carb top, however running F7P turbo would it just need securing in place or does it need a tube to be fitted into?

[Mart]

I can happily vouch that these gauges are the don.

Ian kindly made me a 2-gauge setup (act & egt) for my old Raider, and it was spot on - Superquick sampling rate, nicely made, robust, and easily worth the money.

It's fair to say Ian knows a thing or 2 about electronics, so if you have any concerns over his workmanship/what these gauges will be like, you really don't need to have.

And as proof of that, Ian, if you can make me a 2-gauge setup again, you can add my name to the group buy list for starters please.

[dangerous dave]

i'll take one ian, im all over one of these

this 2 stage sounds interesting if its an option?

[dangerous dave]

whats the sampling rate of the probe?

there was a demo of the set up in use and rapid springs to mind.. someone may still have the vid

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

Hi Ian,

As per pm's i would prefer a 2-gauge setup if possible...I will reply your pm tomorrow

I can also vouch for these gauge's as my last 5 had one!

[Brigsy]

Count me in

[car.crash]

im in. 14mm blue please.

[Ian S]

there was a demo of the set up in use and rapid springs to mind.. someone may still have the vid

Here it is, kindly hosted by Mr Dilly:

http://www.martin.dilley.btinternet.co.uk/act-gauge.wmv

Sorry about the awful sound track. The camera sound recording is duff.

This unit, with the fine wire thermocouple, will go to, and dwon from, 250°C in about the same time.

250 is the max rated for the fine wire, or the sheath melts!

I have just received the EGT probe and perhaps I could repeat that vid with that, but although it's possibly the fastest EGT probe in town it's still a lot slower than the fine wire, but does go up to 1200°C. The main problem I have is that I can't get the water to say in the can at that temp.

[Ian S]

Always seen quite a few people who have these. can you stick my name down for one

What sort of fitment is required for these, noticed that some people just put it in one section of the carb top, however running F7P turbo would it just need securing in place or does it need a tube to be fitted into?

I've uploaded some photos here: https://www.rtoc.org/boards/album.php?albumid=789

I fit the fine wire probe into a 4mm OD somewhat flexible tube then that goes into a quick release fitting. This allow for a little rotational movement and for the probe to be removed easily during engine or carb servicing / adjusting / modifying / removal, avoiding the swift destruction we've seen with other vendors mounting methods.

The fine wire does need some support inside the boost pipe as it would just get blown flat against the pipe side.

From my instructions:

"You can push the tube into the carb top up to the black band of glue lined heat shrink. This should mean the tip is in the middle of the carb top, ie, half way across the air flow. We found that having it right by the side gave erratic readings, when water inj was in use at least. It seems to work OK less than half way in, just not right at the side."

[djinuk]

im interested

[Spooky]

Ian, Ricardo fitted one of your last ones to my current car.

I will get some pics up of the fittings and the probe itself, after my cup of tea of course

Edit : Here are the pics...

In car...


Box of tricks...


Carb top fitting/probe


The quality of the guage is of the highest standard and I'd recommend it to anyone

[jesus in the seat of a 5]

count me in please ian...where do i sign......

[r5 rich]

Ian as per the email earlier I am in and have replied via PM to yourself

[turbo ted]

put me down for one aswell part number 553-636

[i l k e r]

hi Ian,


I'd definetly want one but will you be able to post one to Cyprus for me?

cheers

[newbstar*]

count me in 2 please duel set up.

[Woznaldo]

Ian, does this set up use a power converter/voltage regulator type deal to covert the 12-14v car supply to 5v supply? I'm assuming it uses a 5v circuit?

The reason I ask, is that I would like a 5v converter/regulator to power up my 3 BAR MAP sensor for data logging.

[Ian S]

Ian, does this set up use a power converter/voltage regulator type deal to covert the 12-14v car supply to 5v supply? I'm assuming it uses a 5v circuit?

The reason I ask, is that I would like a 5V converter/regulator to power up my 3 BAR MAP sensor for data logging.

Hi yes, that's what this does:
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...f/SDC10006.jpg

+12 in, +5v out. Reverse polarity protected. Fuse protected. Input over voltage protected to about 60V. Needs an earth connection.

Also can have an adjustable out from about +1.25 to about +9 or a bit more (ie, about 3V less than supply, so 11V for 14V supply). I have to use an adjustable for the blue back lights as they need more than +5V.

The regulator is a 1 Amp, however, the heat dissipation of the box is intended for less than 200mA at about an 8 volt drop, ie, +5V. More current = more heat. Higher voltage drop = more heat. And in Britain too, so higher ambient = greater heat dissipation needed. Easily remedied with a larger or maybe a vaned box.

[Ian S]

will you be able to post one to Cyprus for me?

I think so. But not with Parcel force, they require about £50!!

I had a look at parcel to go but didn't get very far, Seems that one of the couriers does deliver to Cyprus, maybe FedEx. DHL indicated they don't include Cyprus.

I seem to think that the packaged CT gauge weighs between 500g and 1 Kg. Do you have a courier that you prefer to use? Can you find a price?

[Ian S]

Here are the pics...

The quality of the gauge is of the highest standard and I'd recommend it to anyone

Thanks for the photos a couple of which I copied to my profile gallery, and thanks for the recommendation.

[Ian S]

I can happily vouch that these gauges are the don.

Ian kindly made me a 2-gauge setup (act & egt) for my old Raider, and it was spot on - Superquick sampling rate, nicely made, robust, and easily worth the money.

It's fair to say Ian knows a thing or 2 about electronics, so if you have any concerns over his workmanship/what these gauges will be like, you really don't need to have.

And as proof of that, Ian, if you can make me a 2-gauge setup again, you can add my name to the group buy list for starters please.

Thanks for the kind words / recommendation

[Ian S]

Thanks to everyone else for your interest in this product.

Last week, due to a one day price reduction by the supplier, I went ahead and bought enough amplifier chips to make 10 single gauges or 5 duals.

Since then, there have been a few more requests for duals and singles so it looks like I'll need to buy a few more but at a somewhat higher price. I could order another 10 chips and make the price break again if I have some payment up front to confirm the interest.

Due to the interest in dual gauges, and the difficulty I had in doing the last two duals, I've spent the last week looking at ways and sourcing suitable parts to make them more practical to manufacture without increasing the final price. I've made some progress.

On Monday I plan to be placing orders for most of the rest of the parts for a somewhat larger sized batch of gauges than I'd originally considered.

What I need really, is for you all who are definitely interested to send me a deposit to cover the cost of buying the displays from Trumeter, rather than RS, as this gets a discount and allows me to keep the final price down by a few more pounds. It also means that I will sell what I've bought and not have a £ few hundred in parts sitting here for a couple of years.

After this group buy of gauges, I'll still be able to buy more as needed but at a higher price which I'll have to reflect in the final price.

£30 per display will be fine. So £60 for a dual.

I can accept either PayPal, but please pay the fee yourself, or direct bank transfer.

I'll pm the payment details.

I'll be aiming to deliver with a couple of weeks.

Thanks.

[Matt Cole]

I can vouch too. Awesome bit of Kit!! Ian can the egt be retro fitted to the afr single gauge type that i have??

[IANMM]

so whats the sampling rate? how many times a second does it take a reading?

I know of a place that does the exact same thing ACT version and EGT version available looks exactly the same and they both sample at 3 times a second

http://www.randbmotorsport.co.uk/sho...?ProductID=450

[Ian S]

I can vouch too. Awesome bit of Kit!! Ian can the egt be retro fitted to the afr single gauge type that i have??

You can plug in an EGT probe as it is and should give you the full range, up to 1200°C.

But no your unit can't be turned into a dual with an extra display added as it requires:
a different circuit board with the extra chip,
an extra signal wire and earth in the loom to the displays,
an extra display to be wired into the loom,
an extra K-type socket of a different type fitted into the black box, and there isn't room to do so without removing the existing one, cutting a larger hole for two of the other type, moving one of the cable glands around to the side, meaning all the internal wiring would have to be re-made.

[Ian S]

http://www.randbmotorsport.co.uk/sho...?ProductID=450

That's the improved version of the rubbish one they had out some years ago.

The DISPLAY looks the same because the display IS the same panel voltmeter from Trumeter.

But that's about where the similarity stops.

The reliability of their old one was very poor because the production methods used were very cheap indeed and very poorly executed. I knew two people with one of their gauges and the probes kept snapping off at the carb top, then then backlights stopped working and then all the hot glue melted and ran out from behind the display where they'd fitted the baking hot regulator UNHEATSINKED which was doing all the damage. After a while the regulators failed too and both of those people bought one of mine.

Using a k-type thermocouple, the AD595 amplifier chip needs to be kept cool as it does not read accurately in an ambient of 50°C or more which is why I've gone to such lengths to keep it cool and also to make the whole thing as reliable as I can.

My 2nd prototype had the chip and regulator in the same metal heat sink box, which in the summer went to about 60°C. So no good then. Hence two boxes, more labour, higher costs.

Also he appears to only offer blue, and for me, about 7 in 10 people have requested not blue. Also does not appear to offer a dual.

The parts cost of mine is higher than the sale price of his. And that's with me buying as cheap as I can, all be it for small quantities.

I think Trumeter always did supply a pre-made display and AD595 but it was too large to neatly fit in the fascia and quite expensive too and still needed as separate PSU to be made and some means of reliably joining the wires. Also, although having the integrated AD595 would be a lot cheaper as that is an expensive chip to buy here in the UK, I wan't happy with the AD595 being on the back of the display as the displays are often mounted up high in a black box in the direct sun which in the summer in a hot car would probably take it over the 50°C.

That's why I ended up with the one I'm offering now.

I also thought it would be a good idea to measure to minus °C to indicate a possible carb freeze so I used a DC to DC converted to generate a negative voltage. I doubt the Rainbird one does that. I'd guess he still does not use rugedised electrolytic capacitors either that are reliable for many years in low temperatures and where condensation may be an issue and don't drop their capacitance as temperature varies. To get the full range of 1200°C I use a second DC to DC converter in series with the first one. Whilst that seems hot, there was a 5GTT in this club that was showing 1100°C (which may have been the limit of his gauge so it could have been higher), faulty maybe, but that's the whole point of diagnostic equipment. The Rainbird one would have topped out before then.

So, mine also measures to minus °C , +1200°C, has a dimmer control, a switch to toggle to ambient temperature and the new ones should have a feature that auto dims when the car lights are switched on, I think this might be needed for the -ve backlit displays. And a choice of display colours and sizes. The carb top fitting I devised has four years in service and has been 100% reliable and we know how often the carb tops are taken off with 5GTT's, especially some of them!

Of course, if all the manufacturing and all the parts for mine were sourced and assembled in Malaysia (where Trumeter have their display made) the total price would be a lot less.

I'm not making a living at making these units. I'm only doing this batch now as a few people had had a look around the internet and not liked what they found and asked me if I could do something.

[Matt Cole]

You can plug in an EGT probe as it is and should give you the full range, up to 1200°C.

But no your unit can't be turned into a dual with an extra display added as it requires:
a different circuit board with the extra chip,
an extra signal wire and earth in the loom to the displays,
an extra display to be wired into the loom,
an extra K-type socket of a different type fitted into the black box, and there isn't room to do so without removing the existing one, cutting a larger hole for two of the other type, moving one of the cable glands around to the side, meaning all the internal wiring would have to be re-made.

Shame but hey im still chuffed with it.

[Andrew Cooke]

I know of a place that does the exact same thing ACT version and EGT version available looks exactly the same and they both sample at 3 times a second

screen refresh isn't the same thing as response time, Ian's circuit doesn't sample, it's analogue, only the display does that. 3Hz is pretty standard for a display, how fast can you read? But the point is, how fast does it respond to a step change in temperature? Ian shows this on his clip.

[clee]

Ian ,could you make one with long enough wiring to get to the back of the GTA please ?
It also needs to fit the GTA inlet plenum ..it can go into one of these two connections ?
It would be parallel to flow ?
image0-5.jpgimage1-6.jpg

[i l k e r]

I think so. But not with Parcel force, they require about £50!!

I had a look at parcel to go but didn't get very far, Seems that one of the couriers does deliver to Cyprus, maybe FedEx. DHL indicated they don't include Cyprus.

I seem to think that the packaged CT gauge weighs between 500g and 1 Kg. Do you have a courier that you prefer to use? Can you find a price?

thanks Ian,

I'll see what options are out there, but I'm definetely interested in one.

pm your paypal addy for a deposit please mate.

[i l k e r]

I think so. But not with Parcel force, they require about £50!!

I had a look at parcel to go but didn't get very far, Seems that one of the couriers does deliver to Cyprus, maybe FedEx. DHL indicated they don't include Cyprus.

I seem to think that the packaged CT gauge weighs between 500g and 1 Kg. Do you have a courier that you prefer to use? Can you find a price?

thanks Ian,

I'll see if I can find anything feasible. In the meantime can you pm me your paypal addy for a deposit as I'm sure we'll sort someting out for postage.

cheers mate

[Ian S]

could you make one with long enough wiring to get to the back of the GTA please?

yes that's just me asking Labfacility or Universal to supply a longer fine wire thermocouple next week with the rest of the order next week. Can you have a measure and tell me how long you need? We can order it longer and you can just cut it down at the plug end and re-terminate if you want to. I think there very little extra cost in ordering an extra meter or three. There is a limit to the length before resistance becomes a factor, I think we're OK with a few meters but I'll check.

It also needs to fit the GTA inlet plenum ..it can go into one of these two connections ?
It would be parallel to flow ?

I can't really make out where you mean on that photo. But it should read OK if it's somewhere in air stream, I think parallel to flow would work, but as the tip would be in a leeward position after the tube there might be vapour condensate deposit on the tip which could cause erratic readings. The 4mm tube I use as a jacket has ony been tested at about 25mm into the airstream. It's pretty stiff at that length but if you need to poke it in further to get past any swirling or dampness near the sides and reach an area of smooth movement then it should remain stiff enough and not get bent over by the pressure. Can it go in from another direction?

[clee]

I've just had a nose at your pics ....The thermocouple goes to the box of tricks and then it's just std wiring to the display ? yes ?The box of tricks can mount near the ecu .
I would need about 1.5m to get from the plenum to inside the rear of the car then its about 3.5m to get up to the dash .
PICT0002-21.jpgPICT0001-22.jpgprobe.jpg

[Mart]

http://www.randbmotorsport.co.uk/sho...?ProductID=450

And you felt the need to post that link, why?

Ian, PM me your Paypal address, and I'll stick a deposit into your account.

Just out of curio', for the act & egt setup, would it be possible to have both values displayed in the 1 LCD? Would certainly help save mounting/location space, save you the extra wiring, and maybe even save some money too

[car.crash]

deposit paid.

[clee]

Ian ,please PM paypal details and I'll sort it out .I just need the charge temp version with a 14 mil screen .

[dangerous dave]

paid

[Ian S]

Just out of curio', for the act & egt setup, would it be possible to have both values displayed in the 1 LCD? Would certainly help save mounting/location space, save you the extra wiring, and maybe even save some money too

You're correct, but alas, as far as I know, Trumeter don't do a display with two lines of text.

I looked at other makes and the only ones I found at the time had very small characters and were not backlit.

[Mart]

Deposit paid.

[r5 rich]

deposit paid

[5teve L]

I can vouch for these as I had one, super fast & accurate, I thing Ricardo had mine, or was it Logg... ??

[Ricardo]

I bought mine directly off the main man, and yes they are probably the best piece of kit to buy and fit.

Test day colating info from different intercoolers

[newbstar*]

deposit paid

[newbstar*]

Any news on gauges Ian?

[Ian S]

Hi, no need for concern, I now own about 12 gauges worth of components.

I couldn't just crack on with them as the new displays have different resistor values not just to eachother but to the old ones I used to use so the paradigm I hitherto used for construction has to be re-jigged a bit. It's not a big deal, just takes a bit of testing and measurement and then some more testing and measurement.

Then I've been distracted a bit over the last couple or so weeks by other issues that took my attention away from the CT gauges.

The exposed tip fine wire thermocouples which are being made for me by Labfacility won't be done until early to mid Jan and I'll be hoping to be able to post the gauges out then.

Have a happy Christmas :ho:

[newbstar*]

Hi, no need for concern, I now own about 12 gauges worth of components.

I couldn't just crack on with them as the new displays have different resistor values not just to eachother but to the old ones I used to use so the paradigm I hitherto used for construction has to be re-jigged a bit. It's not a big deal, just takes a bit of testing and measurement and then some more testing and measurement.

Then I've been distracted a bit over the last couple or so weeks by other issues that took my attention away from the CT gauges.

The exposed tip fine wire thermocouples which are being made for me by Labfacility won't be done until early to mid Jan and I'll be hoping to be able to post the gauges out then.

Have a happy Christmas :ho:

Thanx for the post update. Happy Christmas.:ho:

[dangerous dave]

no worries here:ho:

[Bigfoot]

Any news?

[Ian S]

Working on them as we speak, err, type Well after I type and read the latest posts on the 'shake up' thread, etc. Sorry for the delay.