I have posted this in under the hood but got no responses. Maybe I'll be luckier in here...

I am about to start installing gauges in my car and would like to include a sequential shift light like this one:

It's made by Spa, but it has been in back order for a couple of months, and I'm sick and tired of waiting...

Any of you guys know of an alternative? The Spa has the exact functionality that I want: 3 programmable set points to light up green, yellow, and red, a small set of leds that can be installed on the a-pillar or the steering wheel, and a digital display.

How hard would it be to build such an instrument? My electronics knowledge is a few years old, but I suspect this may not be one of those extremelly complex projects. I'll be happy with a green light to light up below 6000 rpm ("ok to downshift") and a red one to light up just below the rev cutter ("need to upshift") although a programmable system would be much better.

 

"Hard" is relative. If you have to use a soldering iron or make a PC board, is that "hard"?
I have made a shift indicator for my car that fits on a 1" x 2" perf board and is adjustable with a trim pot. It's pretty ugly, but since i't's a one-of-a-kind and hidden from view, I didn't bother with making a real pc board. I also used an audible sounder instead of lights, I spend too much time looking at the road when I'm going fast.

You'll spend more money on the cute indicators and packaging than on the electronics - my circuit uses one IC and a dozen other components. Your's would be a little more complicated because you want multiple trip points. If you can wait a few days, I'm in the middle of putting together a web page listing the electronic mods I've done to my car, and will post something on the forum when I get it done.

If you can handle your own design work, do a search for LM2917 on the Digi-Key web site.

 

I've got the unit now... where would you tap into the ignition on our engines?

 

Go see my shift warning installation instructions here . The BLUE wire behind the passenger dash access cover that I connect to in my instructions is the tachometer connection.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by modifry
[B]Go see my shift warning installation instructions here .

 

Ok. Tried it out.

There is indeed a problem in loading the tacho output down to earth.

Although the SPA unit performed faultlessly the tacho on the dash display wouldn't bulge! I had to wire 12V and tacho output instead of ground and tacho as suggested in the instruction sheet.

I only tried it for a few seconds (the wires were just interfering, no soldering yet...) but everything seems to be working ok. If you have any comments about this, please post them.

Unfortunately this unit is bigger than what I expected and I 'm not sure where to install it.

I am planning to take the led box apart, and install the leds directly onto the a-pillar or the top of the airbag plastic cover on the steering wheel. I believe the a-pillar is better for peripheral vision, but I'm concerned that it may be distracting at night...

My aim is to use green for "ok to downshift", yellow for "cannot downshift" and red for "must upshift". As the led lighting points are programmable, it will also be good to test out performance mods by measuring time between lights on.

As for the control unit I'm planning to install it under the dash on the left side of the driver's side on a hinge so that it can be retracted and set out of view.

Any words of wisdom are welcome.