So i've been adding up the costs of adding the three gauges I want to my car (Oil press/temp, and coolant temp), and the reality that I don't enjoy the location they will be going (Center console). Considering ~$450 for the three gauges. A NEW digital dash (Plan would be to shop used, though i haven't seen many for sale) would break down to around $650 for the dash, and *cringe* $375 for the EFI cable. All the sensors are already in the car. So shopping new vs. new, about double the price. BUT, they would be in the center of my dash and easily visible. Plus warnings etc.

Now for the questions:

The super cheap $375 EFI cable talks to MS via the db9. I would be placing the digital dash directly over my new one, or possibly in place of it, thus the OEM gauges are no longer visible. Does this mean I can not have gauges whilst tuning?

I say questions, but I think that is the only one as of now. Car will be DD with 1-3 track days a year.

Suggestions/thoughts/comments/answers?

 

Or CEL warning light only and call it a day.

 

That's kind of the route I plan to go, except separate LEDs. A light for water temp, AFR warning on the little gauge panel above the radio. I don't know if there are enough digital outputs for three lights, or not. I think so, though, as I also planned one for status of SD card logging.

My understanding is that the CEL warning system is really set up for sensor malfunction detection, but you may be able to use it for warnings. Do you know if anyone has set it up that way, and what levels to set as the alarms are based on A-D bit levels, not actual temps / pressures. Seems like that should be back-calculate-able, but I'm not sure how to do it. Would like to know, as the implementation would be easier than my separate lights.

 

Outside of the official "CEL mode", you could set it up to monitor two settings. So i would likely do Oil temp and water temp, and have a seperate light for oil pressure (My sender has an option for this anyway, so it would be independent of Megasquirt). The more I talk to people and think it over, the better this route may be to go than a digital dash for a daily driven car.

 

Would I find that in the Manual, or will I need someone to guide me how to do it?

 

How mine is set up as a shift light/coolant temp warning light at the moment. lol. You just need to find out which one the CEL is wired too (which is probably in some of Rev's documentation i would imagine)

 

I don't really have much, if any documentation from Rev, but he is always helpful.

If I look over in the CAN section for CEL, it has the output going to Nitrous 1. That works as it should.

If I then go to Advance Engine, as you show above, and set up something for Nitrous 1, the MS-3 will reject the tune as conflicting ports and force me to turn it back off before it will run the car.

In other words, my brief experience is that I can use the CAN CEL section or the Advance CEL section to drive a CEL, but not both.

If I'm missing something, please inform.

See my earlier post on the CEL subject here: CEL - Sensor Discussion

 

Correct. It is my understanding that you can either use the programmable section for the CEL, or use the CEL for signal faults/bad sensors in the official menu. It would be nice if you could have the CEL cover more high temps/low pressures etc.

 

If you want more CEL functionality, your best bet is to post in the MS3 Code Development forum at msextra.com, with a description of how the added functionality would work.

 

Will do, thanks Matt

 

A proper race dash can be configured to have various alarm states with LEDs. AiM, Traqmate, Race Tech, etc all have programmable alarm functionality.

I plug them all the time, but if you're looking for a nice dash, check out Race Technology's Dash2Pro. It's about $1200 retail for a fully loaded one, including native MegaSquirt support over CAN. IMO, a much wiser investment than new gauges.

 

Ben,

Any idea how the Dash2Pro would handle speedometer (GPS?) and odometer (???) readings if integrated with a '94 Miata and MS2e?

 

It has options for speed input via discrete, CAN, and/or GPS. Install an NB sending unit in your trans or use GPS only. The GPS antenna is included.

 

VSS + CAN output.

 

hi,google on nexus 7,Timur-usbhost and install the app. MSdroid.

works real good.

dirk makken