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I am currently working with Paul at Marshall to figure out the best way to build and market these dimmer switches as they will need PCB boards manufactured, and I will need to be able to do a minimum quantity to recoup the setup costs. I will keep everyone posted.
I've been doing a little research on my end with one of the gauges. The first thing I learned was that you must connect the +12V line. Just wiring to the orange wire and ground will not turn on the light in the instrument.
Having determined that, I wired the red wire to +12V and a variable voltage power supply to the orange wire. One would assume that cranking up the voltage slowly on the orange wire should gradually light up the gauge, right? Wrong! The light goes from off to full on at about 7.5 Volts and doesn't get any brighter as you crank the voltage higher.
Just for fun, I switched the red and orange wires so that the variable was on the red wire and the +12V on the orange wire. Then, as I cranked up the voltage on the red wire I could see the light flicker to life at about 7 Volts. As I cranked the voltage higher it gradually got brighter all the way to full on at 12 Volts. Not what I expected, but maybe good enough to work with the signal off the dimmer. I haven't gotten into that yet, so I don't yet know what the dimmer feeds to the OEM dash lights.
For you electronics geeks (like me), I suspect that some sort of interface circuit may be required to get the gauge lights to track with the dash lights. There are multiple ways to approach this problem, but maybe something as simple as an op-amp with gain and offset (to be determined) would do the trick. A brute force approach would be to digitize the output of the dimmer switch and use that to drive the address bus of a PROM lookup table driving a DAC followed by an op-amp to supply voltage for the gauge lights.
That all sounds like a lot of trouble to simply get the gauge lights to track with the dash lights, so maybe it's just for the purist. The practical approach is to just wire the red and orange wires as directed in the instructions, adjust the dash lights until they match the gauges, and leave it at that.
Steve (SRTech) has Marshall dimmer switches that are specifically designed to work with the Marshall MINI OEM look gauges for anyone that would like to dim the gauges. Most people that use the dimmer just set it to the desired brightness then forget about it, but it can be mounted for easy adjustment on the fly. 1 dimmer can be used for multiple gauges.
If you want the gauges to dim along with the OEM gauges Ray (RJB) has created an "inline dimmer" to do this.
If you want the gauges to dim along with the OEM gauges Ray (RJB) has created an "inline dimmer" to do this.
I'm interested in this. Why reinvent the wheel? The only questions I have are, will the "inline dimmer" work with both stepper and mechanical gauges (I have both), and is one module sufficient to drive multiple gauges?
I'm interested in this. Why reinvent the wheel? The only questions I have are, will the "inline dimmer" work with both stepper and mechanical gauges (I have both), and is one module sufficient to drive multiple gauges?
Tom S
One dimmer will do up to 7 gauges. I haven't tried it on a combination. I have them for $25.
I'm interested in this. Why reinvent the wheel? The only questions I have are, will the "inline dimmer" work with both stepper and mechanical gauges (I have both), and is one module sufficient to drive multiple gauges?
Tom S
Mine (the in-line) should be able to support at least 4 (I'm guessing more like 7) gauges, I'm currently in the process of getting quotes for the PCB board. I'm probably a month away (maybe sooner) from having them commercially available. I don't believe it will work with the non stepper motor gauges as they dim via the "lighting" wire and not by varying the VCC voltage, Paul at Marshall can confirm. Mine also has a circuit that will turn the lighting on when the dimmer is turned on, this saves the trouble of needing to find a hot wire for the lights. I should have priceing in a couple of days when I get the PCB board qoute and a prototype in hand.
__________________ Sully/2009 JCW Chili Red/Black/Ordered 8-22-2008/Born 10-28-2008/Delivered11-17-2008
Black Bonnet Stripes | JCW Sport Suspension | Strut Brace
Auto A/C | MFSW | Arm Rest | Fluid Silver Interior surface
RJB's inline dimmer will work with all the Marshall gauges: non-stepper, stepper, and mechanical boost. You hook them up all the same way, i.e. the red output wire from his inline dimmer connects to the 12V ACC gauge connection.
The Marshall dimmer works similarly except it has a separate control knob for brightness, it does not work inline with the OEM dimmer.
Got the brackets, pods and psiclone adapter for the mech boost gauge from steve (Fantastic packing job btw). Its all installed and looks beautiful but I havent yet wired the lighting up. Is going via the cigarette lighter for 12V and Ground with the DSC for the amber lighting the best route? I'll post some pics up PDQ!!
Got the brackets, pods and psiclone adapter for the mech boost gauge from steve (Fantastic packing job btw). Its all installed and looks beautiful but I havent yet wired the lighting up. Is going via the cigarette lighter for 12V and Ground with the DSC for the amber lighting the best route? I'll post some pics up PDQ!!
cheers
That wiring plan is the easiest way.
__________________ 2 X Perma Grin tools & MidCal MINI's Dad(Navy 8300 MCPO)-2008 MCS DS/B, JCW Wing, Aero, Scoop, mirrors. (M7)Heatshield, USB, USS, Super AGS and Shift Knob. Marshall's Boost/Vac, H2O, Volt, Oil Pres. Gauges, BSH Catch can/DBP, TSW Springs, Helix Control arms, Go-Mini brake pulsar & no hole's plate, Borla Tour Exhaust. Custom MODS done by SRTech @ Custom Mini Shop 559-320-0004
One of my customers has reported back about the vibrating needle problem and how he fixed it. All it took was about an inch of cotton from a cotton ball stuffed into the tube as it gets to the gauge. Thanks, Brian!
I too started up with the vibrating needle. Simple simple fix. go snag an inline restrictor and splice it into the line. Problem solved. Most auto supply shops should have them.
Can anyone say with any certainty if RJB's inline dimmer circuit will work in an '06 R52, with a Marshall stepper Vac/Boost gauge? If there's a post in this thread addressing this combination, I've missed it. Thanks in advance.
Can anyone say with any certainty if RJB's inline dimmer circuit will work in an '06 R52, with a Marshall stepper Vac/Boost gauge? If there's a post in this thread addressing this combination, I've missed it. Thanks in advance.
I haven't tried it directly on a R52 but I'd be certain that it would. Paul at Marshall bench tested it on his bench setup and it worked fine. I've been using mine now for over a week in my R56 fine.
My only concern WAS is whether or not the R52 used PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), I verified the R56 does, to dim the lights, but I designed it to work either way, so I can't see it being an issue.
I'm waiting on final assembly pricing from my supplier (I should have it Monday) then I can give everyone pricing (I figure retail around $45) with a group buy (discount will depend on final pricing from my supplier).
BTW Not sure if you read my posts above but it also has the convenience of not needing to find a hot wire for the lighting (you can take the amber [or white] LED lighting wire to the dimmer to "trigger" the gauge lighting)
Update: I will work with Steve at SRTech to coordinate the group buy
__________________ Sully/2009 JCW Chili Red/Black/Ordered 8-22-2008/Born 10-28-2008/Delivered11-17-2008
Black Bonnet Stripes | JCW Sport Suspension | Strut Brace
Auto A/C | MFSW | Arm Rest | Fluid Silver Interior surface
Last edited by rjb; 11-07-2009 at 10:30 AM.
Reason: Update
Mech. boost/Vag gauge, Cravenspeed cup, cravenspeed A bracket run off the PSiclone adapter. I also used a fair amount of tie straps and some heat shrink tubing to make it look factory!
The tubing was made easy to work with thanks to a heat gun.
Mounted up nicely. At first I used the spacer but decided it looked better without.
A quick closeup whilst driving
Lit up
A close up lit up.
All in all I'm super happy with it and the way Steve took care of me from start to finish.
Now.. if only they had an A/F or EGT gauge that matched.. or charge temp.. hmmmm
Sorry for the poor quality of two of the pictures.. I was too lazy to switch from my macro lens.
I'll try to keep this on the current page of this thread. Group Buy still on through the end of December. New items in RED.
Group Buy Prices:
Vac/Boost, 30" Hg - 30 PSI (mechanical) $47.50
Oil pressure, 0-100 PSI (electric) $59.50
Oil pressure, 0-100 PSI (stepper) $83.50
Water temperature, 100-260°F (electric) $53.50
Water temperature, 100-260°F (stepper) $77.50
Dimmer for stepper gauges $25.00
Oil temperature, 140-310°F (electric) $60.50 (only a few in stock)
Oil temperature, 140-310°F (stepper) $84.50
Voltmeter, 0-18V (electric) $48.50 (only a few in stock)
Voltmeter, 0-18V (stepper) $63.50
Oil pressure, oil temperature and water temperature gauges include the sending unit with 1/8" NPT connection.
Stepper motor gauges have peak recall and warning functions.
Shipping is $10 in the lower 48 states. Hawaii, Alaska and non-USA destinations will be determined individually.
The CravenSpeed mounting and adapters are going to be 10% off list price for this group buy. If you have any other CravenSpeed requests, I will offer 10% off those items during this group buy. Anyone with existing CravenSpeed mounts should be aware that the new mounts are powder coated instead of anodized so they won't match perfectly. I still have a few anodized pieces in stock so let me know.
Gauge Cup (52mm) gen1 and gen2 $49.00
Gauge Cup (dual 52mm) gen1 and gen2 $71.00
Bracket X (gen1) tach mount for cups $30.00
Bracket ZL (gen1) cup mount for chrono/nav $40.00
Bracket ZR (gen1) cup mount for chrono/nav $40.00
Bracket A (gen2) cup mount $45.00
Bracket R (gen2) single cup mount $40.00
Cup Caps (52mm) caps for back of cups $26.00
Tapless Adapter (gen1) oil pressure adapter $44.00
Tapless Adapter (gen2) oil pressure adapter $67.00
Hot Link (gen2) water temp adapter $54.00
PSIClone (gen2) vac/boost adapter $35.00
Please e-mail your billing and shipping addresses to gaugegb@blackoaks.com. Be sure to include your phone number and the gauges and mountings you want to buy. I will e-mail you an invoice for you to OK and then you can call me or vice-versa for the CC info. Some have e-mailed me the CC info which is OK if you are comfortable with that. I do not bill until I ship. I have not received the gauges yet so I expect to start shipping next week. You can call me if you have questions at 559.320.0004 Thanks.
So with all of the good gouge in this thread, I'm now at a loss as to where I should tap for the amber lighting wire on my stepper motor gauges. I was going to tap the wire to the side marker light but I fear I'll run into the flickering that rjb experienced when he tapped the parking light (though mine is 1st Gen; may not act the same; also wondering if some sort of capacitor on this circuit would prevent the drop outs). I keep my instrument lighting pretty low so I suspect if I tapped the OEM dimmer line the voltage would be insufficient to trigger the LEDs in the gauges.
Any suggestions? I'm using Marshall's stepper dimmer, but it is wired in line with the 12v switched input, not the amber lighting wire. I'm hoping I don't have to resort to just going into a 12v switched wire, which would mean I'd have to use the Marshall dimmer to turn the lights on and off, in addition to dimming them.
"...indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady..." --- J.R.R. Tolkien
Try the side marker light (or tail light, parking light etc) circuit. If you get the issue with the computer sending out a pulse that interferes with the lighting on the gauge just install a relay to isolate the 12V to the light circuit.
Try the side marker light (or tail light, parking light etc) circuit. If you get the issue with the computer sending out a pulse that interferes with the lighting on the gauge just install a relay to isolate the 12V to the light circuit.
Thanks for the reply. I'll give this approach a whirl and let you know how things work out.
"...indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady..." --- J.R.R. Tolkien
so i own the oil pressure and boost guage so far and plan on getting oil temp and water temp soon as well. this might be a stupid question, but would the oil pressure sending unit work as a oil temperature sending unit as well? i only ask since there are 2 contacts on the back, only 1 of which is used for pressure read-out. if not, how would one install a pressure and temperature sending unit?
Winston - 2009 chilli red MCS
ROHERYN -- 2011 MCS SO/W -- 
RMW Head, Cam, Injectors and Tune. 249.5Hp 207.5lbft
