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Post by Rebel on Feb 23, 2012 2:03:04 GMT -5
I think the garmin is a better idea. Kinda what I was pointing towards. Now if you had said that you checked the phone ap against a car and a car timed by a radar sign I would be a bit happier.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Feb 23, 2012 10:11:54 GMT -5
I have been mega-busy with stuff that's kept me from much time on the site, and just saw this.
My Xingyue Eagle 150 has the same basic instrument cluster as yours, and amazingly, both the speedo and tach are quite accurate. However, if you decide to re-do your speedo face with your own graphics, you could easily "rotate" the numbers to the right to compensate for the difference.
I guess that would force the needle to climb 7 or 8 mph to reach "zero"... LOL... but I've had cars where the speedo didn't even have a "zero" but began at 5 or 10 mph. You get used to it.
If you'd like a really factory-looking cluster-face, you could cut one from metal or plastic, or, paint the stock face all black, white, silver, etc. and make your new face graphic as a decal.
I make waterslide decals for things I make, and they work great. You could make a decal either in traditional waterslide, or as a vinyl-sticker (probably the most durable). Just give the finished product a good coat of clear waterproofing of some kind and it should last.
Rather than keep the backlit illumination, you could likely install a couple of LED's ABOVE the new instrument face, shielded on the top, lighting them like the instruments on older cars of the forties. The end result should look good and work fine, and correct the speed-reading. Only the odometer would remain in kilometers.
If you've never made your own decals, you're missing out on a fabulous aspect of graphics that can be used for countless projects. Any inkjet printer can make VERY professional decals on decal paper available on eBay or other sources.
Rotating the new mph speedo face to compensate for a fast (or slow) reading may be the easiest way to get it right. And, as small as LED's are, it might be quite practical to light the instruments ABOVE the faces with the LED's tucked neatly under the "glass".
Hope this idea may be of help...
Leo in Texas
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2012 11:28:41 GMT -5
phones are as bad if not worse then speedos they dont always work of of sats more often then not the work off of cel towers so not truly gps WOW
I have had many folks tell me the phones don't work well many times when tested, so of course i repeated what i saw and took hell for it, but this cell tower as guidance enplanes a lot.
thank you
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Post by ikillbugs on Feb 25, 2012 21:39:03 GMT -5
Thanks for taking the time to sound off, oldchopperguy.
I did go to a craft store and looked at some acrylic and acrylic-like sheets but the lady in the store had a very good point. It has to be resistant to warping due to the 105+ degree Texas sun!
For now I am leaving it as is, but will look into buying some Lexan or something like that and then make a whole new set of gauge clusters. Thanks for the Water decal tip. I was thinking vinyl, but knowing it was prone to heat. I never thought about the water decals. I haven't used those since I was a kid building model airplanes :-)
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 1, 2012 1:26:12 GMT -5
Thanks for taking the time to sound off, oldchopperguy. I did go to a craft store and looked at some acrylic and acrylic-like sheets but the lady in the store had a very good point. It has to be resistant to warping due to the 105+ degree Texas sun! For now I am leaving it as is, but will look into buying some Lexan or something like that and then make a whole new set of gauge clusters. Thanks for the Water decal tip. I was thinking vinyl, but knowing it was prone to heat. I never thought about the water decals. I haven't used those since I was a kid building model airplanes :-) I've had marvelous results making them. You could paint the stock panel a solid white, or silver, etc. and re-use it with the decal, or, you could cut one from thin metal. If you'd use aluminum, or brushed stainless steel (or paint the original silver or gold) and use the transparent decal material, any colors come out "candy" in appearance. You have to paint the decal with a clear coat after printing so it won't disintegrate in the water. Once applied, I spray on a good clear finish to seal off the edges. You could use any good marine varnish, preferably one with UV protection and it should last years. I've never used the bumper-sticker vinyl material, but it should be very good, since it's designed to stand up to outdoor weather. Best wishes on the project! Please post some pix when you get it done... Ride safe! Leo in Texas
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