Building a digital inclinometer

red on black looks like it might be close too

 

I am digging the Red on black and the OLED Blue

 

Are these available for purchase yet??

 

Take a couple minutes and read the thread.


















And no, not yet

 

OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!! It's glorious!!!!!

Received my beta kit today and I assembled it. Assembly was REALLY easy, even for me having to customize the mounting of the sensor chip. Even without instructions, except for a few parts, I was able to put this together in 15-25 minutes from start to power up.

The quality of this item is top-notch! Everything needed is supplied in anti-static packaging, as it should, and it was wrapped up nice and safe. The unit is very sturdy, very compact, and definitely something that will last a vehicle's lifetime!

The screen is crisp and bright, and the navigation of the unit is pretty awesome! It's very simple to use and it's all you need in one small, easy to read package!


Rob supplied me with a 10 pin ribbon cable in order to test the distance theory with the compass. That theory sorta worked. What worked better was

But though the compass reading is BETTER, it still isn't perfect unfortunately.

And of course, the screen in bright conditions.

 

Nice dude! Can't wait to see it installed!

 

I looks like you've shielded the sensor?

I would think that the sensor would need to remain unshielded so it can sense the earth's magnetic field.

Maybe try shielding the rest of the unit instead? No idea if that will work or not but it's a theory....

Rob sent me a unit with the sensor directly on the board and the compass disabled as I already have a compass in the mirror and on a GPS unit. I'm contemplating trying to install it in the stereo surround right above the cd slot.

 

I'll try shielding the screen unit too.

I can remove the 10" ribbon cable if I want, but I want to see what my options are when mounting in the dash.

 

What about mounting it overhead by the sunglasses thing/mirror console?

 

I have two pairs of glasses in there as it is unfortunately.

 

You're trying under the hazards now?

 

Yep! Gonna be a lot of trimming but it'll be ok.

Already started drilling holes. I'm 2 6/32" down from the button on either side, and that puts me just under a clip. I'll have to trim back some of the plastic on the dash opening but who cares about that? Haha

 

Making some progress

 

Personally, I'm back to square one.

I had aspirations of mounting this thing in the stereo faceplate above the cd slot. This morning, I removed the stereo only to find out that all this stuff is way too integrated for my liking. I removed the faceplate to find that half the stereo goes with it. After a bit of pondering and poking and removal of tiny screws, I decided that I didn't want to take a dremel to something that would be so difficult to replace so I put everything back together and spent a few minutes looking at the truck again.

I don't care for the idea of putting it in the sunglass holder in the overhead console because I've raised my rearview mirror with an IamMrYo bracket and dropping the sunglass holder blocks the mirror. I'm still curious if the older compass/temp display could be integrated into my overhead console and used to mount this, but I don't yet have one to see.

I don't see anywhere else in the dash area that makes sense to me, so now I'm thinking about an enclosure for the inclinometer. With an enclosure, I could mount it either at the top of the A-pillar or above the steering wheel in front of the speedometer. The kids are getting suspicious as I'm eyeballing all of their little electronic gadgets now...

 

Here's a little sneak-peak to keep you guys with the beta boards on your toes:




Don't discard the idea of mounting it in the overhead console. It's worth noting you're all using the 5V screen which is mounted to a much larger LCD backboard, but if you purchased a 3.3V or one of the smaller 5V's (I think the OLED's are smaller to) they fit perfectly into the stock temp/compass sensor location for a flawless install.

Still working on integrating the 3-way button into the stock button spot.

 

I was forced to start trimming the board itself because the dash piece is just a tiny bit too narrow to fit it just right. It's coming along. I should have it fit tonight. I'm cold without my AC panel installed in the truck. Also I'm locked in 4wd because I unplugged the knob... Time is of the essence. At least I have a locking center differential unlike you taco dudes, so I can run on dry pavement in 4wd (technically AWD when center diff is unlocked)

Anyway, I should have it crudely installed and wired by tonight.

I'm gonna have to end up making a faceplate for the front of my dash, but at least this way I can use machine screws countersunk into the face plate to secure the inclinometer to the dash. That should look pretty spiffy.

 

See my '12 just has two sunglass holders. My temp/compass display is in the rearview mirror. I don't suppose you know if the older temp compass can be installed in the place of my front sunglass holder?

 

I only have a glasses holder stupid 4Runners

 

Get off the interweb and go make that thing fit!!!