I know a lot of us with old XJs have less gauges and more idiot lights, but even with the full gauge cluster information can be limited. those of us with a renix system have a voltage gauge that tends to lie. as a work around, you could install an aftermarket gauge, usually installed somewhere within eyesight, or just out of vision that it only take a glance. but what if we could do 2 wonderful things at once, get rid of the idiot lights, AND add digital bar gauges.

now, as far as I've come to know it, most digital gauges just read a voltage sent by a sensor between 1 and 12 volts, and then a micro-controller takes this voltage and registers it as information and displays that information onto an oled display. so, ANY gauge will read from ANY sensor, it just tells you the information is something different. so I wandered the internet for a bit and discovered this:

http://dan.pfeiffer.net/train/vmeter.htm

it's a simple led bar graph voltage gauge. but unmarked, it has a world of potential. this can be soldered up, and used for just about any sensor input there is, you just need to have the increments marked right.

though I haven't done this myself, I figured I'd share this with everyone seeing as the led bar graph can be pretty much stuck anywhere you'd like and be used with any electric sensor. allowing us to put it in where the idiot lights are and not have them disturb our view at all.

 

Sounds cool like a digital gauge?

 

yeah basically, it wont provide you with numbers outright, but what it does is basically changes the indicator from a mechanical needle and makes it an led display. you also don't have to use preexisting led assemblies like in the diagram. you can use any single led to replace each bar in the graph, allowing you to make the gauge any shape.

 

Turn the plan into a gauge! Do a write up ha ha

 

I have every intention of doing it, once I have other stuff worked out. right now I've gotta run new battery cables and I have 3 sets of lights to attach, but after that....

 

Just don't forget to do a write up, there are a lot of things I want to add to my jeep under the clock, gps, mpg, inside jeep temp, t case temp, tire pressure all 5 (spare also)