slomove Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) I found it interesting when the LED shift light discussion came here up a few weeks ago since I have been recently working on one. Mainly because I needed a new project and I found the ones available on the market a bit clunky. I finally got it to work and will install in the car tomorrow (still needs a voltage regulator). But so far pretty good: - size of a big pencil - PC-programmable range anywhere within 0 to 20,000 rpm (e.g. 0 - 6500 or 5500 - 7500) - 6 brightness steps (each adjusting to environmental light) - max. brightness enough to use the windscreen as Head-Up display - 3-wire hookup, - will be clip mounted to the edge on top of the scuttle Anyway, I like it. Maybe I should find somebody to sell it. See pics attached and a short clip (the funny flicker pattern when the whole thing is blinking is an artifact of the video processing) Gert Edited May 25, 2009 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I like it!!! Are you going to make some for resale? Any idea of price? When you talk about the range, I assume you are referring to the top RPM. So, if it's set for a 6000 max, when do the lights start to light? Great design. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Gert, that's pretty sharp looking. I've come to realize when I'm autocrossing, I never look at my gauges, and only tell revs by sound and exhaust smell. How is your device wired in to the car? Would you consider a production run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 nicely done Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 If you do go into production mode, I'd be interested in one. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Thanks guys! Well, about possible general availability, the scheme here is that I developed two renditions of this gadget: one as shown in the pics for automotive use and another one as multi-color linear bargraph for industrial instrumentation use (flowmeters, pressure and the like). If I can convince the marketing folks in my company to make it part of our product line I will have a source for it. Since it is surface mount electronics you need a production run of several hundred or more to be cost-effective. Doing that by hand is not practical. But I would still need some distributor to sell it because my company is not in the consumer market. Anyway, if I can make it work I will let you guys know. When you talk about the range, I assume you are referring to the top RPM. So, if it's set for a 6000 max, when do the lights start to light? Start and end are programmable via serial or USB port. That means you can set it to be a tach from 0 rpm to redline or you can make it a shift light that starts at 9000 and ends at 12000 (or anything in between). It has 3 wires for power and tach signal. The tach input also doubles as serial communication port for changing the parameters (the 8-pin connector in the picture is only for development purposes and will be clipped off). Gert P.S.: edited to say that "my company" is not my company, just the company I work for..... ;-) Edited May 25, 2009 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Ebrahimi Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I love it! It might sound strange, but I've always wanted to do something like this for brake modulation integrated into the high mount brake light. ie so the person behind me can see how hard I'm braking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Hello Arya, that is an interesting idea. Not even finished yet and already new applications... Actually this gadget does already have an analog voltage input, too (you can switch between frequency and voltage inputs). The LED are extremely bright and suitable for a 3rd brake light but you would probably want to have them mono-chrome red. The tricky (and expensive) part would be to find a suitable brake pressure sensor. Gert Edited May 25, 2009 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted May 26, 2009 Author Share Posted May 26, 2009 Still with provisional wiring but so far pretty good (see attached). Here an update clip running in the car but full scale set to 3000 rpm to avoid a neighborhood riot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I really like the whole idea. I think it would be easy to sell a couple hundred, if that's the minimum you would need to gear up production. Of course, it would also depend on the final retail cost vs. production costs. Just placing ads on some of the autocross/track day websites should sell a bunch. Good luck and keep us informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I like it. I would make 3 suggestions. 1) cut the unit in half, and only use one ascending bar of lights. 2) don't use the lower rpm LEDs, no need for a light when you are not pushing hard 3) have a simple pushbotton set-up of the rpms at which the lEDs turn on, as most guys are not computer savvy, and may not be able to do USB interface programming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 Guys, thanks for the tips....that was the feedback I was looking for. as for Powderbrake's suggestions: The single sided linear bar-graph is actually the "industrial" version I mentioned earlier. That can of course be used as a shiftlight as well. The symmetrical version in my pictures is actually not my idea. This is on the market already but with fewer LEDs and without the programming feature. I liked it because it shows immediately the redline condition when the lights meet in the middle. If you have only a one-sided bargraph you don't know immediately where it ends, except for the color and blinking of course. The low rpm lights in the video are showing only for demonstration purposes (programmed from 0 to 3000 rpm). When I am going to install it for real I will probably program the range from 5500 to 7200 rpm or so. The device has already a magnet sensor built in as a replacement for a push button. This is at the time only used to cycle through the 6 brightness settings when you wave a magnet at it in operation and to switch the input type immediately after power on. I would have to think about an intuitive way to use it for switching the rpm range but this is a good idea. I may also replace the magnet sensor with a regular button because the activating magnet will be easy to lose. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 The push button would be nice vs. the magnet, but I like the lights meeting in the middle. The size seems good, but I wouldn't want it any bigger. I would rather program it remotely if it meant a more compact unit. All in all, a really neat bit of kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Ebrahimi Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I think a good compromise between the single sided and double sided would be to have the single sided with a single LED @ the end that stays lit and flashes when you hit redline. Gives the effect of a maximum and takes up less space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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