Racing Beat Gauge Pod Update
09-28-2006, 05:48 PM
#52
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Originally Posted by zoom44
i was actually looking into this last year /early this year. and someone on this forum knew a person who actually built a box to do it. i had pms with him and then lost them and los ttouch with him. but basically it had like 6 inputs for electrical senders. the box could mount on your firewall and then be conncected on th eother side to the car pc. a bit of software then translated that into guages or whatever on your screen. i even talked to one company (http://www.palmerperformance.com/)who makes a CAN compatible scanner software about adding support for the input so the data could even be logged alonside the input from the ecu. palmer had already added support for the LM-1/LC-1 sensor input so they thought it wouldnt be much more difficult to add more support.
but now i cant find any of the info i had on the box itself or who it was that was making it
but now i cant find any of the info i had on the box itself or who it was that was making it
i've been waiting for some company to do a CAN reader + electronic guage setup... I'd buy that in a heartbeat
At some point in my college days we had analog input boxes and computer software to read them - i can't remember who made them though but they always had some proprietary software to operate. I also recently did some work with some new standalone PLCs that can talk to a PC through OPC and an ethernet cable, but those setups are in the $1k range and pretty bulky.
09-28-2006, 05:53 PM
#53
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Originally Posted by LostAngel
09-28-2006, 08:48 PM
#54
Personally I like it, very unobtrusive and flows with the three circular controls above it. Much better then something that looks like they glued it to the top of the dash I do think they should have carried the edges out a little, it would fit better. Nice to see it is available.
09-28-2006, 11:03 PM
#55
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Sorry, but that gauge pod looks like a bad idea. Who wants to look at their ashtray long enough while they're driving to read three analog gauges? It looks nice, yeah, and it's probably easier to install/wire than a dash-mount, but I would never put that in my car. That's just asking for an accident.
09-29-2006, 08:26 AM
#56
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Analog gauges can be read at a glance. You know where the needle is supposed to be and if it isnt there then there is something wrong. The actual value isnt important.
09-29-2006, 09:16 AM
#57
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Originally Posted by Rx7Roadster
Analog gauges can be read at a glance. You know where the needle is supposed to be and if it isnt there then there is something wrong. The actual value isnt important.
*sigh*
09-29-2006, 09:53 AM
#58
i would buy this pod.
like rg said, we've all gotten along just fine all this time.
i also don't see the big deal w/ having to have them installed in the line of sight. they are there just for monitoring your vehicle. they are not to be looked at constantly as you drive. like RX7roadster said, if you notice the needle is not where it should be, then you just may be able to prevent or correct any malfunctions.
like rg said, we've all gotten along just fine all this time.
i also don't see the big deal w/ having to have them installed in the line of sight. they are there just for monitoring your vehicle. they are not to be looked at constantly as you drive. like RX7roadster said, if you notice the needle is not where it should be, then you just may be able to prevent or correct any malfunctions.
Last edited by dgrx8; 09-29-2006 at 10:50 AM.
09-29-2006, 10:47 AM
#60
He's as bad as Can
Originally Posted by Rx7Roadster
No im not. It doesnt take more then half a second to read a gauge. I dont know why you would want to stare at it.
09-29-2006, 01:28 PM
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Analog gauges are easier for your brain to "process" than a digital number. That's why tachs are almost always analog even though they can easily (and less expensively) be made to be a digital number.
So, with that in mind, of course you should have gauges set up in a line-of-sight pattern. It's called ergonomics. Your peripheral vision can "glance" at analog gauges when their line-of-sight at the dash level. You'd have to "look" down (not "glance") to read RB's gauge cluster because they are out of your peripheral vision. That's not safe.
I think people are compaining about RB's product because it's not what they expected. I understand that RB's design is such that it won't alienate owners that have the factory NAV, but that's where compromise comes in. Those owners who don't have the factory nav have the freedom to use a gauge cluster mounted on the dash (like Derwankel's or whoever's).
So, with that in mind, of course you should have gauges set up in a line-of-sight pattern. It's called ergonomics. Your peripheral vision can "glance" at analog gauges when their line-of-sight at the dash level. You'd have to "look" down (not "glance") to read RB's gauge cluster because they are out of your peripheral vision. That's not safe.
I think people are compaining about RB's product because it's not what they expected. I understand that RB's design is such that it won't alienate owners that have the factory NAV, but that's where compromise comes in. Those owners who don't have the factory nav have the freedom to use a gauge cluster mounted on the dash (like Derwankel's or whoever's).
09-30-2006, 10:25 AM
#67
Originally Posted by Jedi54
Nemisis: that looks HOT!
I never had an answer...
09-30-2006, 05:34 PM
#69
Originally Posted by Trekk
I'd watch EGT before AFR. Unless maybe you have a true wideban. Even then I'd think the EGT tells a better story
09-30-2006, 09:44 PM
#72
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Since most are complaining aboust something in this thread, I will add my own.
What the hell's wrong with you guys? Most posts in this thread dictate the "right way to do it" when the "right way to do it" won't be the same for everyone. And I think most of the posters know their logic is flawed even as they post. Some examples of the less than perfect logic:
"So-and-so is going to have a much better gauge set-up really soon." Sorry, but "really soon" doesn't usually mean "really soon" when it comes to RX-8 developement. So, I don't consider the "wait and see" a good approach for everyone.
"The only good place for a guage pop is up high." For someone who has nav or dislikes the a-pillar stuff, that isn't going to be the best sollution.
"I know this guy who has software that can interface your car-pc with your nav screen, blah, blah, blah...." I stopped reading after Car-pc and nav screen. If you don't have either it isn't a cost-effective option. And can we please stop posting the circa-2003 Mazdaspeed nav display? I don't think anyone even knows if that thing worked, but I still see that same exact picture over and over again (note the RHD in the picture.) Don't get people excited about something that really doesn't exist.
and to Racing Beat product itself:
"That's a great location because who needs to look a gauges on-the-fly anyways?" 1/4 milers or autocrossers maybe? If gauges were simply meant for tuning, then you wouldn't need permenant ones; temporary ones would be just fine. Different strokes...
For me personally the Racing Beat doesn't work because that is where my 5.1 audio processor controll goes, but I don't post: "That location sucks. Everyone knows that where you put your 5.1 audio processor controller. What were they thinking?" Now if I didn't have my controller there, the RB product would work O.K. for me provided I could find guages that had alarms, buzzers or really bright indicators when something went out of tollerance. I think you need something to grab your attention since the guages are not in the best visual location. But if you have good eye sight then maybe they are fine for you.
Now for the best quote of the thread:
I couldn't have said it better.
-Mr. Wigggles
What the hell's wrong with you guys? Most posts in this thread dictate the "right way to do it" when the "right way to do it" won't be the same for everyone. And I think most of the posters know their logic is flawed even as they post. Some examples of the less than perfect logic:
"So-and-so is going to have a much better gauge set-up really soon." Sorry, but "really soon" doesn't usually mean "really soon" when it comes to RX-8 developement. So, I don't consider the "wait and see" a good approach for everyone.
"The only good place for a guage pop is up high." For someone who has nav or dislikes the a-pillar stuff, that isn't going to be the best sollution.
"I know this guy who has software that can interface your car-pc with your nav screen, blah, blah, blah...." I stopped reading after Car-pc and nav screen. If you don't have either it isn't a cost-effective option. And can we please stop posting the circa-2003 Mazdaspeed nav display? I don't think anyone even knows if that thing worked, but I still see that same exact picture over and over again (note the RHD in the picture.) Don't get people excited about something that really doesn't exist.
and to Racing Beat product itself:
"That's a great location because who needs to look a gauges on-the-fly anyways?" 1/4 milers or autocrossers maybe? If gauges were simply meant for tuning, then you wouldn't need permenant ones; temporary ones would be just fine. Different strokes...
For me personally the Racing Beat doesn't work because that is where my 5.1 audio processor controll goes, but I don't post: "That location sucks. Everyone knows that where you put your 5.1 audio processor controller. What were they thinking?" Now if I didn't have my controller there, the RB product would work O.K. for me provided I could find guages that had alarms, buzzers or really bright indicators when something went out of tollerance. I think you need something to grab your attention since the guages are not in the best visual location. But if you have good eye sight then maybe they are fine for you.
Now for the best quote of the thread:
Originally Posted by nycgps
Enough !
How Much ?
How Much ?
-Mr. Wigggles
Last edited by MrWigggles; 09-30-2006 at 09:57 PM.
10-04-2006, 05:29 PM
#74
Originally Posted by Rx7Roadster
No im not. It doesnt take more then half a second to read a gauge. I dont know why you would want to stare at it.
You are correct, a well set up instrument panel use to have all monitoring gauges set to point up if all was running normal so with a sweep of the eye a needle not pointing up and down would instantly alert the drive to a possible problem.
Edit:
As I finished reading this thread I see this was already covered. Sorry for the redundancy.
Last edited by Raptor75; 10-04-2006 at 05:33 PM.