Digital speedo rant

[sefer]

So I stuffed my bikes speedo a little bit back while cleaning it up. Being the bright spark I am I took it apart to clean inside the lens and dropped it, initially damaging the worm drive (yes, the piece that is likely impossible to replace) and then breaking completely. Anyway, I now have a even less accurate speedo than before and no trip meter.

Anyway, a new or second-hand replacement has proved difficult to find, so I though "hey, I'll get a digital one that fits inside the original cluster - it'll be more accurate anyway, cheap, and look cool!"

In the end there must be less than $10 of parts in most digital speedos (less I bet, since cheap bike speedos seem to do fine, for under $3 wholesale) but do you think I can find a stand alone speedo & trip meter for under US$300?

Anyone else have this problem before? I've considered a bike speedo (it'd actually be a perfect fit in the original cluster I think), but just can't find a large enough display, or simple enough operation (as in just speed, distance, odo - not the "16 functions" most seem to have).

Rant over ;)

[imdying]

In the end there must be less than $10 of parts in most digital speedos (less I bet, since cheap bike speedos seem to do fine, for under $3 wholesale) but do you think I can find a stand alone speedo & trip meter for under US$300?http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?searchType=0001-0026-0135-8560-&searchString=vapor&type=Search&generalSearch_keypresses=5&generalSearch_suggested=0

Who's ya daddy :D

[bogan]

Can't see what Imdying posted (stupid tm block at work) but koso guages are pretty good quality with a range of options/prices. See a lot of them being retrofitted to RC-31s, bear in mind they have to have a wheel speed sensor, and calibration ability, also cool LCD lighting, so don't expect em to be too cheap.

[imdying]

Just a link to the Vapor units on TM. I think the Koso ones might just step outside his budget.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?&searchType=0001-0026-&searchString=koso&x=0&y=0&searchregion=100&type=Search&sort_order=&redirectFromAll=False&generalSearch_keypresses=8&generalSearch_suggested=0

[The Pastor]

my speedo cost me about 1000$, why should a brand new speedo be under $300??? have you rang up the dealer and asked for a factory replacement? im sure they would be more than $300..... I'd say $450/500 is a more reasonable price for a speedo.

[Jantar]

...... but do you think I can find a stand alone speedo & trip meter for under US$300? ......
Of course you can. Its called a GPS and you can get cheap ones for way less than that.

[Mully]

Of course you can. Its called a GPS and you can get cheap ones for way less than that.

But can you pass a WOF with one of them??

[Jantar]

But can you pass a WOF with one of them??
Its my understanding that a GPS is acceptable. All that's required is a device that indicates your speed. How that device works is not specified.

[Mully]

Its my understanding that a GPS is acceptable. All that's required is a device that indicates your speed. How that device works is not specified.

But aren't you required to have an odometer as well?

And wouldn't the GPS have to be "permanantly attached"?

[release_the_bees]

That KOSO Digital GP Speedo (RX2) in the link above looks awesome!

[sefer]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Sear...ch_suggested=0


Considered, but a little too big for what I want. A last resort maybe (I'd probably go for a bike speedo first).



koso guages are pretty good quality with a range of options/prices.


Way more than what I want to pay, they do look nice.



my speedo cost me about 1000$, why should a brand new speedo be under $300?


Have you seriously considered what it would actually cost to make your speedo? The internals probably cost less than $20, the casing less (less if it's just a speedo and not a cluster).

A hobbyist with a PIC programmer, a little knowledge (the programming is online in multiple places, and apparently not hard to write anyway) and $40 worth of parts (prob less) can make pretty cool fricken looking display with any read out you could think of. I don't see why a manufacturer can't make a speed, trip, odo one (shit, I don't care if it runs 80's hardware - as long as it's smaller than a brick)

Sadly I have none of those things (anyone? I'd actually learn if I could - I love that stuff)



Of course you can. Its called a GPS and you can get cheap ones for way less than that.


Again considered, but a couple of problems - what happens for the first (insert time here) warm-up while it finds satellites? What happens when you are in the city and the buildings block the signal? What happens when they can't get a speed when testing for a WOF cause they're inside? ;)

It seems like a fantastic idea (I'd actually like a bike GPS), but while a GPS can give a really accurate speed some pulse less than others, and remember it calculates based on how much your position changed in a straight line, not how far you actually travelled - so if your not moving in a straight line you could be actually going faster than it reads (I'm not sure if there are any GPS models this crappy still on the market - probably though!)

[varminter]

If the speedo works to some degree you might consider a speedo healer?