'07 Sensor Pod
 

Alrighty boys I'm looking for some input. Having a bone stock truck leaves some luxuries to be desired. So I figure I might as well use my $50k degree . I'm designing and prototyping a sensor pod utilizing the propeller stamp micro-controller.

So far I've got a temperature sensor up an running and printing out on an LCD. I'm going to use this to read outside temperatures. I thought about adding a humidity sensor, but that's where my brain kinda shuts off so I'm looking for other ideas on what might be useful to know.

I was thinking of using the existing oil temp sensor and running it to print out in numbers instead of a dial, also though of putting a rotation sensor on the wheel hub and getting a real accurate measurement of wheel speed. I'm just shooting in the dark for ways to use the propeller to it's full potential. Let me know what you think.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

Nobody's got nothing huh? Oh Well.

Found a nice thermocouple to measure exhaust temp and a couple accelerometers to measure the massive g's of acceleration and cornering. Then comes the tuning to maximize performance.

Got some reed switches to turn on my planned bed box lights and under hood lights.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

wow this so above my pay grade :eek:

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

Yes. More geeks! So, the gauge is reading oil pressure, not temperature. And its a dummy. Its a switch on the engine block that closes at 7psi and a resistor on the cluster that pegs the needle in the middle. You can however put a sensor in place of the switch and get a real pressure reading (and remove the dummy resistor). For the wheel rotation, you can tap into the speed sensor which is already counting rotations for you (pulses).

I suggest also tying it into the main deflector and possibly even the aft auxiliary shield emitter.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

You need to speak caveman for me to understand all this

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

The thing makes the thing light up.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

Ooooohhhh!! Thank you sir!

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

wait, are you talking about that one thing or the little doohicky?

I didn't know the gauge was oil pressure, seems like temp be would be more useful. Is the dummy resistor there for an analog conversion to temp? If not it shouldn't be too hard to drill a hole in the top of the oil pan and use a thermocouple. Any idea on the maximum oil temp i might expect?

No idea what the last line in your 1st post is about.

To Clinton: I'd explain it but it would take a while. All you really need to know is the accelerometers are for kicks and giggles. If it was race car, yeah but a ranger really doesn't have the get-up and go power or suspension for street racing.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

The doohickamaboblepod. Duh.

No analog to anything. The switch is just to ground. And the gauge reads ohms. The resistor adds the ohms required to center the needle. I think its ground, though it could be a two wire switch and use +12. I forget. Same concept.

The deflector is something Ford Rangers will not be equipped with for quite some time. Nevermind. :cool:

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

I've got a bed lighting project of my own going, and I should finish it up next week. I'll post up everything I did once I'm done - with pictures! All I also wanted to add that an oil temperature sending unit will not report air temp accurately, at least from my experience. I work in the hvac industry and fluid/air temp sensors are not generally interchangeable. An air temp sensor from a car that came factory with an outside air display should be relatively easy to salvage from the junkyard though.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

Something like 300F is probably a good upper range limit although you'd never want to see it get that high in use.






Actually, the 20 ohm resistor was in use only through 96. After that, the OP gauge was rewound to give about 40~50% of full scale when the OP sending switch closes to ground - no resistor needed.

The 95-96 OP gauge segment can be substitued into a 97~03 Ranger instrument cluster. That along with the change to a PS60 variable resistance sending unit will make the gauge read actual pressure.

04+ has a completely redesigned cluster and the 95~96 segment won't fit.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

I love how much effort Ford has put into building a fictitious gauge to make a variable appear constant for some reason.

Re: '07 Sensor Pod
 

Fire Ranger: if the variable is measuring constant, then it's always right :D. But it still seems that gauge is pretty much useless. It might be useful to know oil pressure in a high performance engine, but i can't see it in a 4-banger.


spankis: I'm going to use an LM34 temperature sensor for the ambient ($4). I've tested it in air and water seems to work just fine. Exhaust temp and oil pan temp will be high temperature (probably K-type) thermocouples that should work regardless of working fluid. I really don't want to mess with any of the factory wiring and don't plan on tapping any existing lines.


rwenzing: 300 is mighty warm. But it'll help me narrow down my selection. The k-type i was looking at are good to 1300 so they're a little much.