imported_BlackCiv

I'm just trying to get a general idea of how many people would be interested in buying vtec controllers. One of my friends and I are going to be working on a design for a vtec controller and digital tach plus a few other cool features. Just want to know how many people might be interested in buying one after the prototype is built. Also we want to know what the prefernce would be for the display we were thinking of possibly doing a touch screen. Let me know what you guys think. I'm pretty sure you'll be blown away when you see it.

ryuujin

touch screen? That will probably cost waay more than a Apex'i one

and it better look damn purty

imported_BlackCiv

How much is the apexi one ????

johnny23toronto

I'm not bashing your post, but...


I spent a week figuring out how to make a digital tach, and an rpm activated shift light.

Here are some good sites:

http://digilander.libero.it/rar2k/TRS80/lm2907.pdf

http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM2917.html

http://www.niksula.cs.hut.fi/~mdobru.../tacho-big.gif

http://www.mitedu.freeserve.co.uk/Ci...comparator.htm

http://ece.clemson.edu/crb/students/...n/mustang.html

Don't bug me for more info, I'm too busy with school right now. I haven't even put them in my car yet. If you can't understand the lm2907 diagrams, than you're going to need more than a week to figure this stuff out!

I'm not an electrical engineer (but close), and I figured it out after one full week of messing around.

I have a prototype rpm activated switch currently powering an led. Its also adjustable. You can come take a look at it if your really interseted... plus I have some useful components leftover, but your probably most intersted in what size capacitors and resistors worked best and where-this is what took me days to determine. You can ask me this, but make educated inquireies please.

I considered selling these for a bit of $$$, but there are some problems with these. Firstly, the designs above operate on a fixed voltage assupmtion, and the voltage of a car varies from around 11.7 to 14.5 volts (that means your rpms may be off by a lot) depending on where and when... there are ways of getting around even that, some souces are better than others, plus other chips can guarantee steady voltages,... but that takes more reading...

Its cool to see just how inaccurate our factory tach's are. Mine is off by around 250 rpm. Emissions testing guy noticed this too during the test.

Besides, other nerds are making and selling these around $50 USD and less, if you look really hard on the internet.

Sure, the parts add up to under $10, but, at best, they took me about 15 hours of labour (sodering, packaging, etc,.). I could work at McDonalds and make more money! This is why children in third world countries make this stuff.. sad but true.

On a "breadboard", I actually still have (right next to my bed!) a dual point rpm activated switch. Some french guy had the design it online, but the link doesnt work any more here it is incase you can get it to work:
http://services.wanadoo.fr/Pages_Per...c_inconnu.html

If all info was free, life would be better for everyone!

Ya ya, maybe someone else knowz more than me, but its late, i'm tired, and at least i'm trying to help!

imported_BlackCiv

thanks for the all the info. just curious about one thing though
you say you're almost an engineer, what school did you go to ???
RCC possibly ??? that's where I went

johnny23toronto

i go to ryerson.

imported_gatherer

I went to RCC... it's an interesting project you have there ... but it is a big project is this foir your techno project?

imported_BlackCiv

nope I finished last september

imported_Torrey

RCC, how was that school. One of their representatives came over a lot trying to recruit me.

I decided against it, and am doing computer science in university, and will be starting an electrical engineering degree soon.

Its a lot of school though. I'll be out with 2 degrees (and possibly a Math degree) when I'm 26/27.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.