19 replies to this topic

[Tomf]

Iv never seen it mounted like that. It looks like the magnet is far to far away from the sensor mounted like that... might just be the angle of the picture though.

[dklawson]

I fitted mine to the gearbox and not to the cable, couldn't see the point in
keeping the cable when I haven't got an analog speedo.
The as-2 is made to fit a motorcycle drive, the nut is too small...
I have used one

I understand your reason for not mounting the pickup on the cable since you don't have an analog speedometer. However, if you had an early Mini and kept the speeo cable, there's a good chance that ACE-S2 would have fit directly to the analog speedo head with the cable connecting directly to it. The pickup may have been designed for motorcycle applications but Smiths used the M12x1 thread on many (most) automotive speedos (and cable drive tachs) up until their transition to the "clip on" cables. As I mentioned earlier, the gearbox cable connection thread is a much larger 3/4-26 as you found.

Thanks all for sharing what you have done.

[Russ528]

I'm using a simpler cycle speedo (Cateye OS1.1) in my mini - will take pictures at some point. Calibrated using my satnav and it's surprisingly accurate to be honest. Also has a chip in it, so it doesn't loose the settings nor mileage when you change the battery

I mounted the magnet on the pot where the driveshaft goes into the gearbox. Araldite the magnet to a strip of metal, then glued that to the pot and also secured with cable ties. Then twice round with some insutation tape to be utterly sure and also to keep it dry. The pickup is mounted off a small metal bracket I made up.

Sounds a bit Heath Robinson, I know, bit it's actually very tiday and not glaringly obvious.

Just this week I've fitted the display unit into the dash pod and also relocated the LED lighting for it.

Very simple, nice and accurate and cheap! Got the computer in a bike shop for a tenner!

My original speedo died pretty much 2 weeks after I bought the car, and despite frigging about changing speedo cable and so on, it never worked since - so I've been using this setup now for abotu 2 years with no problems at all.

Interestingly, the spec for teh computer says its only accurate up to 60mph, but I've had it to 75 ish and according to the sat-nav, it's still spot on. Result.

[dklawson]

I also have a bike speedo (calibrated in MPH) to compliment my Mini's KPH speedo. I have a Sigma BC1600L. Like your Cateye unit, my Sigma has an EEPROM chip to hold the odometer and calibration settings. Very handy and very accurate though not as inexpensive as your Cateye. It is nice to have an accurate speedo for so little money and it is easy to install as long as you can fabricate a mounting bracket for the pickup.

While all this is useful information, I think the object of this thread was more at attaching higher-end monitors (like the Acewell) and knowing what pulse generators would work with them. If there was a nice way to provide a "slower" series of pulses to my Sigma using a Hall-Effect device, I would certainly implement it. On at least a half dozen occasions I've had the reed switch on my Sigma "go nuts", showing I was driving 75 MPH around town. After coming to a full stop and starting off again, the problem was gone. I am confident that a Hall-Effect pickup would not have that problem but you cannot integrate them (directly) with the bike computers that use reed switches.

[Min E]

Probably not exactly what you were thinking of but a very easy option:

Because the final drive gear was changed.....and the wheel size.....and probably old age; Danny's analogue speedo is now way out so we fitted a GPS RIDER.



The RRP from novus is £100 but we got ours from ALDI for £40..

http://www.novus-gps...s_GPS_Rider.php

All the time you are moving you get a very acurate speed reading, when you stop you get the time displayed and as a bonus it has a built in speed camera database which is 100% legal and comes with a FREE lifetime database update.

The only connection is to a power supply.

Edited by Min E, 24 November 2009 - 01:32 PM.