Little digital readout for gauges

[Chapap]

I am basically looking for a little screen to give a digital readout of oil press, temp, and batt. I either want all 3 in a pod to mount in the empty 4x4 switch location, or mount the screens under their respective gauges on the cluster. Anyone know of something like this? It seems that all the gauges I can find are in pod form. I guess it’s possible to make something cause all these things do is convert a voltage to a number, but I’d need a dumbed down how-to for that.

 

[Angie]

you looking for stuff like this?

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=digital+auto+gauges&ref=nb_sb_noss

googled digital auto gauges and many showed up

 

[Chapap]

Well yes but more specific. This link is the only gauge I’ve found that has the three readouts I want… but I’d rather american units. This is the type of thing I’d mount on the fake AC vent.

ELING Digital Water Temp Oil Pressure Volt Gauge Meter

water temp gauge,oil pressure gauge,voltmeter

www.elingparts.com

A more elegant but probably far more involved option would be to get some screens (pictured) and mount them in the factory gauge cluster. I guess I’d have to build my own circuitry to run them as I can’t find anything like this.

I know the exact number isn’t all that important and the factory gauges (except oil idiot light) are sufficient, but I want to know these numbers danget! This kinda seems like a project I’d be willing to undertake just to do it, but I’d rather not reinvent the wheel if it exists.

 

[RonD]

Dakota Digital sells a Round quad digital display, just over 3"

Seen here: https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=368/category_id=262/mode=prod/prd368.htm

Not cheap but they do make good stuff
Comes with water temp sender and oil pressure sender, so they will be calibrated


Full page of their round gauges here: https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=results/category_id=262/mode=cat/cat262.htm

You can find them on sale at other places: https://www.phoenix-tuning.com/odyr-40-1/

Just make sure they come with the senders

 

[ericbphoto]

You can do it yourself. But there is a learning curve for that. To use an led display like your picture shows...

First you need a circuit to read the voltage from the device, ie. Coolant temperature sender. That is an analog signal. It must be converted to a digital signal. Then a scaling factor is applied so we know what the maximum and minimum readings will be. After that, a calculation must be done to convert that number into degrees Fahrenheit. That number is then sent to a driver that interprets it and lights up the proper segments of the display. These days, it is best done with a microprocessor. Arduino is a good candidate for this. You would need the arduino microprocessor, a power supply for it, the driver for the led display and the display itself. Design the circuit, solder it together. Write, upload and compile the program for the microprocessor. Test it and install it in the vehicle, along with whatever fabrication you need to put the display where you want it.

OR.

You can buy a digital display that someone else already produces.

 

[84tony]

Create-a-Dash Universal Bargraph Gauge Kit BG10003 | intellitronix

 

[ericbphoto]

Create-a-Dash Universal Bargraph Gauge Kit BG10003 | intellitronix

That's pretty cool.

 

[84tony]

I am putting that in my 84. I'm putting tack and speedo in there original location, but oil, fuel and temp are going where the radio used to be and the Volt will go where the heater control was. I also got there GPS speedometer sending unit, so I can change gears and tire size and it won't affect the speedometer.

 

[Chapap]

I plan on replacing my cluster with one with a tach. My speedo is the only gauge that works most of the time so that’s also an issue. What is the resting position of these gauges? A ton of the eBay clusters have a non zero reading on some gauges.

 

[RonD]

Fuel gauge is the only one that does not drop to 0 with no power, usually drops to just above empty
Sometimes the Temp gauge will hold last setting until key is turned on again

Oil and Volts, speedo and tach should all show 0

1996-2003 Rangers clusters are interchangeable

1994 needs a 1993 or 1994 cluster