VDO clock vs. Voltmeter
 

My 77 911 has a dead clock. After boiling an Optima battery and going thru the procedure of pulling the alternator and replacing the voltage regulator Im to the point of thinking,"Why not replace the dead clock with a voltmeter"? My question is this:
Is there a VDO voltmeter out there that will fit in the hole where the clock is? Would it be simple to hook up?

Thanks, Roger

Why not just fix or replace the clock and add a v-meter elsewhere? There are many candidate locations. I removed the ash tray in my '76 and hung a voltmeter there. That spot is shared by a switchable rev limiter, hooked into an MSD ignition.

Howard

you can have the clock customized into 2, 3, or 4 gauges.

i mounted a simple v meter on my console.

Many good meter ideas around here.

I like the idea of a voltmeter where the clock normally resides. Voltmeter is more important than clock and I'd place the clock out of the line-of-sight ( console area?) instead of putting a voltmeter down there.

Look at my post here showing three different units from( as an example with pics) Summit Racing ( All VDO) --> http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=307724&highlight=VDO+vo ltmeter

- Wil

Voltmeter
 

Thanks Will...I like that idea.

Roger

The Voltmeter is a great idea, but I have to encourage using one as large as possible and it should be 270° sweep, and expanded-scale ... which means that the scale begins above zero by some offset, say 8.0 Volts, and extends to 18.0 Volts. Military surplus is the most likely source of such a meter, and it may be a big chore to adapt to a VDO clock housing. It may actually be necessary to forego the stock 911 'look' and accept a military 'cockpit' series gauge on you 911 dash. 10-Volt full scale gauges are common and converting one to expanded-scale is as easy as installing a selected Zener diode in series with it. By 'selected' ... I mean that you would need to purchase 10 - 20 8.2 Volt zeners,and make precision measurements to find one displaying an 8.0 Zener Voltage for use in our example 8 - 18 Volt meter.

The important attributes for a system Voltmeter are high-resolution, accuracy, and repeatability! Once installed, the owner/driver must get accustomed to normal system operation and how the system behaves normally ... in cold weather, warming up, and in hot weather. I can detect a flakey alternator or Voltage regulator long before the battery is cooked or drained!

I had a small VM on the middle console and beleive me, since you have it, you want to look at it all the time :) But it's hard to see downthere. I want to move it up to the clock location. Since your clock is gone, it's a good chacne to modify a VM there. I am thinking of chopping off the clock and somehow tick the small diameter VM in the inside of the clock housing.

I made one out of a spare fuel/oil level gauge and a 2 1/16" VDO volt gauge. The internals of the fuel gauge and the volt gauge were almost identical.

Picture:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183360979.jpg

Guys,

Please put a digital volt gauge in the car. Digital will tell you loads more information about the charging system. Ron has a very nice one and I have had one in my car for a long time.

All it took was a regulator going out and my alternator going from 14.5 to 16 volts for several days to make me realize this. A "needle style" volt meter does not show small changes where a digital one will.

This one looks kinda cool http://egauges.com/vdo_grou.asp?Series=Cy_Blue_Black

Roger,
Is this what you are looking for ?
I bought a clock blank form the local Porsche dealer and put a VDO voltmeter in.
It has saved my batteries from cooking twice so far.
Both the clock in the radio and my watch keep good time.

Cheers,
Dennis.:) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183366770.jpg

Keep the clock & send your Tach. to North Hollywood Speedometer, have them integrate a voltage guage into the bottom of the Tach. Here is a picture.
Sleek, and simple as the Factory intended !

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183374759.jpg

This is my favorite fix for the voltmeter issue.

Masraum's is slick but spendy.

If you take gulf908's idea ( and picture) and use a 2 5/8" ( 67mm) gauge instead of the 2 1/16" ( 52mm) gauge.... it may even look better by filling up more of the perimeter void space, and the "increment" readings might be better for the eyes too.

Think this --> http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=VDO%2D332601&N=70 0+115&autoview=sku

- Wil

Excellent suggestions from evereyone....you guys are worth a million!!
Thanks for your help.

Roger

How much is the North Hollywood solution ??

One of the nice things about the Passport radar dectector, over alternatives like the V1, is that it has a digital voltmeter that shows when it's not receiving a radar signal. Very useful!

I've always been a fan of the volt/amp combo gauge that was standard equipment in my aircraft. You just pushed a button to go from volt to amp. I forget the brand but the surplus dealers should be a great source. Small diameter face.

Link to a source for new gauge.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/in/ammeters.html

Any of you guys know of digital voltmeters of the same (mounting) size?
Gonna' research tonight......

Also,...I do realize (being an EE) that making use of the cig lighter as a measurement point could (albeit somewhat remote[[vs. age]]) be a point of "resistive" contention, insofar as accuracy..certainly I would run fresh copper to the actual charge point to monitor events there. I've not compared the digital measurements I rx' from my digital meter plugged into the cig lighter WITH the actual battery terminals...bet it's decimal points, at best,..but being quite anal, I want to know. Especially having seen the meter hit 14.9 VDC yesterday........God forbid I've a .3-.5 drop in the cig lighter wire!!! I HAVE verified that the digital plug in meter is accurate, compared to my bench Fluke (same measurement to 2 decimal points, at the cig lighter) Meter's good!!!

rlh930: which models do you refer to? I've an 8500 but don't recall seeing this feature noted in the manual...guess I need to reread tonight. Should this feature be available for my model,..and is accurate as measured by the FLUKE, I'd love to lose the cig mounter meter......

..for now time to correlate what the battery is seeing vs. the cig lighter point ....I suspect the same, within 2 decimal places......proof's in the pudding, eh? We shall see.......

I'll report back with my findings.

My best to all,..

GREAT GROUP!!!

Integrated Voltmeter cost
 

I called and talked to VDO in North Hollywood. $225 bucks to integrate the voltmeter into the tach. A little spendy but it sure looks cool.

Roger

Type911, really like your solution. At the risk of exposing lack of knowledge, how is the volt portion hooked up? thanks. Lynn

they will do it internally so it will hook up the same.

Re: Integrated Voltmeter cost
 

I've got a whole cockpit laid out in my mind with wbO2, A/F, volt...all based on what North Hollywood can do with stock look!

To gulf908:
Is your unit one of the three I posted in my earlier thread. Here's a post that offers easy comparison-->

cockpit:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=VDO%2D332041&N=70 0+4294822101+4294900134+4294782479+115&autoview=sk u
This is 2 1/16" ( 52mm) and edge-lit.

pro-cockpit:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=VDO%2D332601&N=70 0+4294822101+400267+4294765776+115&autoview=sku
This is 2 5/8" ( 67mm) and edge-lit.

Vision:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=VDO%2D332103&N=70 0+115&autoview=sku
This is 2 1/16" (52mm) and backlit including needle backlighting. No 67mm version of this type is available.

The reason I ask is that the "Vision" looks best to match the OEM instruments, but it's backlit and wouldn't match the lighting of the OEM gauges. The other two ( I think) would match by using perimeter lighting. Correct?

To Jazzbass:
Here's a question on your method. Looks like we can turn your gauge 90 degrees clockwise, and have the readable "band" at the top of the gauge. Inside we can place the guts and face of the 2 1/16" gauge or the guts and face of the 2 5/8" gauge. The bottom band can be "blank" or we can use something else in it. In any case, which "radius" of the band would work better...the 2 1/16" gauge or the 2 5/8" gauge. All we would then need is a junk fuel level gauge. ( In re-reading your answers..it appears a 2 1/16" gauge was used. Maybe simply confirm.)

- Wil

Don't connect the backlighting and then it will match the factory backlighting. :)

OK PBH.....are you serious? What do you do at night ? Thanks for the insight....

- Wil

EDIT...maybe I misunderstood. I'm saying if you install the Vision in one piece ( like gulf908 did)...it has lighting that doesn't match the other gauges.

If you mean I'm using the cannibalized guts in the other method like Jazzbass....then OK...I think I see your point. Sorry.

Wil - you can use the 2 1/16th gauge. In fact, I made the gauge markings that are in there by scanning the original gauge face, turning the numbers in Photoshop, and printing the result out on photo paper. I made sure the graduations were exactly the same as the 2 1/16th gauge. Turning the gauge so the volt part was at top would be simpler and make more sense, actually. All you have to do is cut the original face of the 2 1/16th down so it physically fits.

Westach made me a combo volt and CHT meter to replace the clock....150 bucks.

Will,
I bought the gauge a long time ago and have had it in my previous Carrera before this car.
It sure looks like the #3 gauge which fits in with the other dial colourings for '71.
The lighting is a little brighter/whiter than the OEM gauges but I tell myself the other dials are 36 years old now,but even so the relative difference in brightness is not all that material.
HTH

Cheers,
Dennis. :)

Another thought...

If you take Gulf908's approach and insert an aftermarket gauge in a clock blank face... but use the larger 67mm gauge ( 2 5/8") instead of the 52mm ( 2 1/16") gauge....you get a look like Jwetering has here--->

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=243605&highlight=clock+ delete

Of course, the Autometer device Jwetering shows is no longer available with a black bezel, only brushed chrome. And...VDO does not make the "Vision" in this size ... :(

- Wil

my personal favorite, and it's still very visable on the top of the console stack without moving my knees.
(1.5 inch Stewart-Warner)
Bill K


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183652090.jpg

Maybe w/o having to move your knees.....but no doubt you have to move your eyes or head downward. As I mentioned before, looking for a solution that places an *important* gauge like this one in plain sight along the main instrument panel. If need be...I'd then put a 1 1/2" clock down there, like you did. Must say, however, it does look neat and tidy.

My last post showing a 2 5/8" ( 67mm) unit in the clock blank is to show the relatively shallow "rim" that results compared to Gulf908's approach using the smaller gauge.

Just my opinion......

- Wil

Wil, you can argue this till you're blue in the face.

I personally don't think the volt reading is as 'upper level' worthy as what the factory already put there.

I check to see where the battery charge is before cranking and occasionally during a run to see how the alternator is doing.

I like it there out of the immediate line of sight, and it takes no more moving of the eyes than checking oil pressure and temp once you're used to it.

Bill K

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183659147.jpg

I have the 8500 X50 and it also has the voltage sentry feature - what's even better is that it sounds an audible alarm if voltage falls or rises outside of the normal operating range. To me, this is invaluable because it will give me an audible signal that my fan belt has broken, possibly saving my engine. It will also signal high voltage in the case of a failed regulator, possibly fast enough to save your electronics/battery.

From p. 17 of the 8500 X50 manual :


Pilot V (Vehicle voltage)
In this setting, Passport will continually
display “H” for Highway, “C” for City, and
“A” for Auto, and the vehicle’s voltage. If
the vehicle’s voltage drops below 10.5 volts,
a low voltage warning is displayed, followed
by an audible alert. A high voltage warning
is also given if the voltage goes above 16.5
volts. The high-voltage warning is also
followed by an audible alert.

Thanks Thrasher,..my p. 17 doesn't show this feature. It's a manual for mine dated 2004. A review of the data I have unsurps any such feature on my (dated?) version. What's the production year of yours? Sounds like a nice, usable feature...wish I had it!!!

Best,

my bad,..

""""""A review of the data I have unsurps any such feature on my (dated?) version. """""",..should read: A review of the data I have unsurps no such feature on my (dated?) version. """"""""""""""


Sorry.

DS

My 5-year-old non-X50 Passport also has the Pilot V feature that displays voltage. See the EZ-Programming features on Pages 12-14 of the Passport 8500 manual, http://www.escortradar.com/pdf/8500manl.pdf. Enjoy!

rlh930:

Those pages brought me home,..thanks! I shall now go try it

As well, my 'best' to your "5-year-old"///...........

Hey bkreigsr:
I'm not arguing "till blue in the face"...I think I signed off my last post with "just my opinion". Which it is.
- Wil