RGS instrument pod

Hy Darren,

Melle..... you are a Wiz with the scanner and paint
Click to expand...
Not really, my hand still hurts from moving the mouse, my eyes are still sore from staring at the screen, but the result was alright!

Connect the power supply wires from the tacho to your battery, Red wire is +, black is -, signal wire (usually green) should be connected to your 50 hz source. Change the switch to see 3000 rpm indicated. You will have to run a wire from the battery (-) to the neutral part of your 50 hz source! Note: do not connect to the mains, use a transformer max output 12 volts!! (thanks for that one, Cam!!)

Paul, you are right. The numbers you give are no problem for our 120 degree beasts! Butt I need my driving license for my job, so...

Good luck, Melle

tacho.jpg
 
Hi Melle

Just to clarify...

Your diagram suggests that the signal is taken directly from the mains suply. In Australia (as in most countries) that's around 240V AC.
I assume you're actually taking the 50Hz signal from the mains via a transformer with an output around 12V or less.

I wouldn't like anyone to electrocute themselves or see their instrument pod disappear in a cloud of smoke.

Cheers,
Cam
 
Hi Melle and Cam.
I was wondering the same as Cam. Not too sure about the diagram. I am waiting to see one of the technicians where I work, and show him this thread and diagram.
I work for a mobile phone wholesaler, and we have a service dept. They have a lot of test equipment, but not sure if they have something as basic as a signal generator.

I am bidding on the 8k RPM tacho in Queensland, the auction ends tonight. If I miss out on this, I reckon I will get the one with the three cylinder settings that goes to 10k.
The one in Queensland had been on eBay for three and half days without a bid, then I posted it on here, and then someone bid on it....... probably a coincidence  ::)
 
Oops!! You are absolutely right Cam, did not think that one trough. 6volts ac is enough for testing my tacho.

Darren`s approach, ask somebody who knows, is the right Way to go.

Cheers, Melle
 
If anyone's interested, you can get quite a servicable wave function generator with software and a laptop. I've used http://www.marchandelec.com/fg.html for a free wave function generator, with the output simply coming out of the headphone port on the computer. Chop the headphones off a 3.5 mm stereo cord, strip the ends back a couple of cm, plug the connector into the laptop headphone outlet; instant sine wave at whatever frequency you want! Even has a variable gain control (Windows volume). Voltage is only going to be around 1VAC, but it should be enough to calibrate a frequency-dependent device.

Ken
 
Hi all, I ended up getting one of these tachometers off Ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/52mm-GRAY-7-COLOUR-SILVER-TACHOMETER-TACHO-GAUGE-METER_W0QQitemZ200425600711QQihZ010QQcategoryZ33679QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m444QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DCRX%26its%3DC%252BS%26itu%3DSI%252BUA%252BLM%252BLA%26otn%3D5%26ps%3D63
I got it for $41.20 AUD delivered. It has a three cylinder setting, so I didn't have to risk electrocuting myself to calibrate it. It went in fairly easily. I had to slot the mounting holes in the original tacho face a little, and I had to cut a small hole in the rear of the tacho mounting to get it to sit right. I wired it to the same connection points the original one was wired to, so that part was pretty easy.

I am not sure how accurate it is, but from what I remember how the original one read, I think it is not too bad. Maybe someone with a RGS that still has the standard carbs and ignition can do a comparison for me?
On a flat road reading 3000 rpm;
in 3rd gear - 70 kph (about 43.5 mph)
in 4th gear - 90 kph (about 56 mph)
in 5th gear - 110 kph (about 68.5 mph)

In 3rd gear at 4000 rpm it does 140 kph (about 87 mph). I didn't go any faster, that was 50 kph over the speed limit, and it was a double demerit points for speeding offences weekend.  :cop:

At the end of the day, I am happy to have a tacho that looks right, and doesn't flop around all over the shop.
Some pictures attached.
Cheers, Darren.

 

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Hey Chappo, -
That turned out really nice!!! No one would ever know it wasn't original...um,...er,...except that the bounce is gone :D

-Galen
 
Darren
Sounds a good solution.
Clicked on the link and got a view with lots of gauges on it, which one of the many the place sells did you get.....

Looks like it will be a better conversion than the one I did some years back with a Jap electric one
Works OK but is a little out low down as my RGS ticks over at zero rpm, but is steady all the way through and above 1000rpm is rather accurate.

Now if I can get one like you got I will swap it out and fix my problems.

Steven
 
Hi Paul, yes the original needle went on like it was made for it, thank goodness, because I couldn't get the needle that came with the tacho off without breaking it, but even if I did, it would not be suitable because it had an extra long spindle to reach through the illumination part that I had to remove.


Hi Steven, it looks like the link goes to an auction that has ended, when I click on it, it comes up, as you say, with a lot of gauges. It is the 52mm GRAY 7 COLOUR SILVER TACHOMETER TACHO GAUGE METER.It was listed at $47.99 or make an offer. Free freight to Oz. En Zed should be free, I expect. I offered to pay $40.00, which they accepted. VISA charged me a $1.20 fee for it being an international transaction.
If you go to the bottom of the page, it shows one like the one I bought. Mine arrived late December.
Here is a link to their store, I'd try to find you one, but the better half wants me to take her out for a drink, so I don't have time right now. I'll have a look when I get home.

Cheers.

EDIT:
Sorry, was in a rush before and didn't paste the link to the store. I have had look on their site and cannot find another 52mm tacho. Maybe send them an email and ask if they will be getting anymore.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/GlowShift-International-Store_Gauges_W0QQ_fsubZ545087011QQ_sidZ40585621?_nkw=tacho

http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/GlowShift-International-Store

EDIT AGAIN:
I did find another 52mm one, but it is more expensive, says "Glowshift" not "Gray" in the item description. Must be the brand.
It is on the search page link above, it is the fourth one down, when you click on it, comes up with a price in GBP  ???.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GLOWSHIFT-7-COLOUR-TACHO-TACHOMETER-REV-COUNTER-GAUGE_W0QQitemZ110485284140QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item19b96fa52c

 

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I found another one. looks like Glowshift is the brand, Gray is the type. It comes up on their UK site. The item is in the US.
Make them an offer.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/52mm-GRAY-7-COLOR-SILVER-TACHOMETER-REV-COUNTER-GAUGE_W0QQitemZ200431636471QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item2eaaa80ff7

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/GlowShift-International-Store/Gauge-Series.html_
 
Chappo

Thanks for that, Another silver RGS..... not many around, red seemed to be the popular colour.
I seem to remember there were a few silver ones made and that the major colour on the Exec' was silver.
I got a silver one new out of the crate in South Africa in '84, just to be different at the time.
Now I am thinking I should have got the Exec'..... a bit more upright for the more mature rider and those sandwich boxes on the side, somewhere to carry the a spanner or screwdriver.

I have contacted Glow shift and asked if they would sell just the internals, saves the time of stripping it apart.

Steven

 

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Chappo said:
I am not sure how accurate it is, but from what I remember how the original one read, I think it is not too bad. Maybe someone with a RGS that still has the standard carbs and ignition can do a comparison for me?
On a flat road reading 3000 rpm;
in 3rd gear - 70 kph (about 43.5 mph)
in 4th gear - 90 kph (about 56 mph)
in 5th gear - 110 kph (about 68.5 mph)  

In 3rd gear at 4000 rpm it does 140 kph (about 87 mph). I didn't go any faster, that was 50 kph over the speed limit, and it was a double demerit points for speeding offences weekend.  :cop:
Click to expand...


Hi Darren,

On stock gearing and tyres the tach should show approx 28kph/1000rpm in top gear, so 3000rpm would add up to 28x3=84kph!  Seems you're a fair bit off, or have you radically changed gearing and tyre sizes?  Carbs and ignition(unless you have a very special one!) have no influence.... :wink:

The RGS throws a spark from each coil at each revolution, the stock tach is connected to one of these coils.  Cars typically run their distributors at 1/2 engine speed and use one coil to fire all cylinders..... newer vehicles have multiple coils, usually one(double) coil for 2 cylinders but their tach signals are usually supplied by the ECU.  So, if you connect the signal to the 6-cylinder port of the guage, the reading should at least come close.

But, do check your speedo first, they tend to be slightly optimistic!  My RGS speedo is about 10% fast over the entire range(checked against sat nav).

For checking engine speed in the gears, use Jlos' excellent chart on his Laverdamania site, http://www.laverdamania.com/chart.htm  ,19/40 gearing is almost the same as the stock 16/34 of the RGS.

piet
 
G'day Darren,

Liked your conversion so much, I ordered one for myself, once I figured out how to use ebay and paypal! (there a few of us luddites around still).

The tacho readings I had on my standard geared RGS were:

3rd - 60kph@3000rpm,
4th - 80kph@3000rpm,
5th - 100kph@3200rpm, and
5th - 120kph@4000rpm.

The indicated speed is a bit optimistic once compared to one of those bicycle computers, about 7k high at 100kph.

Did you have any hassles mounting the thing? Do you have the standard ignition or DMC etc.

Ride safe

Terry
 
Thanks for all the info Piet, and the link to JLO's site. I remember the last time I changed drive sprockets, I compared the number of teeth with what was listed in the manual, and the sprockets I had were different to the ones listed, but the ratio worked out the same, if I recall correctly. I'll have another look. The last time a cop pulled me over for speeding, the speed he told me he clocked me at, was pretty much spot on to what I saw when I quickly looked down at my speedo when I saw him, and other times it has been close to spot on as well, so I always assumed my speedo was pretty accurate.

Hi Terry, it wasn't too difficult a job. Like I said in my earlier post, I had to slot the holes in the face for the tacho. I used a small drill bit as a file, by hand, not in a drill. I used the original mounting screws. I needed to make the hole you can see in the image titled 'hole', so it would sit back far enough. As for wiring, there is a red (12V+) and black (earth), and a green for the signal from the negative side of a coil. There is also a yellow wire which I left disconnected. It lit up an LED in the front part of the tacho when I connected it. The red, black and green, I connected under the three screws that held down the flexible circuit board for the original tacho. I used a multimeter to work out which was which. I can pull it apart again and take a photo for you if electrics a not your thing, no worries.
Thanks for the info on your speed and rev readings. Seems like it is not too accurate, but it is relatively cheap, from Taiwan. (I hope I am not offending any Taiwanese  :cheesy: ). Like I said before, it is better than what I had. I have the standard ignition.
I do have another tacho I hooked up to get a comparison, a tuning thing made by Gunson, called an Autoranger, it has a dwell angle tester, ohm meter etc. The tacho on this reads for a four cylinder with a four lobe points distributor. It has a conversion chart for use with engines with more cylinders. The conversion for a four stroke motorcycle said something like 'one coil per cylinder, cam at half engine speed'. I have the info at home, I'll post it up tonight, maybe someone on here can make sense of it for me.

Cheers.
 
G'day Darren,
My tacho arrived from the states the other day, must say it looks like a nice bit of kit and it seems a pitty to open it up.
A few questions; I assume the can has to be opened up around the dial, did you cut around the edge or prise the lip up; also, the four wires going to the LEDs, did you just cut these or desolder the connections?

Regards

Terry
 
Hi Terry, yes it doesn't look to bad, but bust it open mate, you've gotta break some eggs to make an omelet. I prised the edge up around the lens to get it apart, and I cut the wires, I didn't bother de-soldering.

I have been meaning to get back to it and try Piet's idea of setting it on the six cylinder setting, but I haven't gotten around to it. Maybe this weekend.

Cheers, Darren.
 
G'day Darren,
Opened it up and fitted the dial, no problem a small drill bit didn't fix; next job is to open up the base so the thing will fit.
Should have it up and running next week, will let you know how it goes.

Ride safe

Terry
 
G'Day Darren and everybody,
Fitted the tacho over the weekend and was very perplexed when it went to full scale deflection as soon as the ignition was switched on. After about an hour of muttering, the penny dropped and I realised it was doing some sort of inbuilt diagnostic. Switched the bike on again and once the needle had gone back to zero, I fired her up, sad to say nothing happened and the needle stayed put with an occasional flicker when I blipped the throttle. Checked all the wiring out and it seems okay, does anybody have any ideas? I'm running DMC II ignition, standard coils and the tacho set on the three cylinder setting.

Help

Terry
 
Hi Terry

the needle swing through full range is typical of current bikes like my ZX 14, shows the tach is receiving power, that s about it.

as the tach has some sort of setting for three cylinders, where are you taking your signal feed from? One of the coils? Or off of the WITT?

just out of curiousity, have you tried a 6 cylinder setting on the tach, assuming it has one?

I hope Darren sees this continuation of his thread, or maybe you could contact Darren directly and compare wiring and tach signal source?

Paul LeClair
 
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