Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 06:09:39 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Ingalls <ingalls_mark@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Ingalls <ingalls_mark@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Dash Console Story (Long)
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Hi Alistair,Tom, and the List,
Here's the console building story. I hope it makes sense....
Hi,
A couple of people asked me for a story about building Darrell Boehler's
Digi-Tool which is mounted in the EuroCampers Dash Console.
I built the basic model digi-tool first, the one that is used with the
digital multi-meter. I had never soldered before, especially not on an
engine computer, so it was exciting. I learned to keep the soldering iron
tip 'tinned' for proper heat transfer. Also I had to transpose the wiring
for the digijet system.
It was February in Nebraska, very snowy and cold, when I was ready to test
the basic model. I held off for a few weeks for fear I would really screw
something up in the van electronics. But then the temptation was too great;
I just had to try it out. Strangely those weeks of driving around in frigid
weather, not knowing if the ECU would fail because of my tinkering, are some
of my favorite recent memories.
The basic model digi-tool worked great. But I got tired of having the
ribbon cable strung down the middle of the van, the digi-tool lying on the
floor between the seats, and having to take my eyes off the road to look
down whenever I was trying to monitor a reading.
So I ordered the dash console. It's pretty flimsy plastic, but the price is
right. Darrell has rather cryptic instructions on his web site, but this
turned out to be fine, all the info you need is there. You just need a Radio
Shack catalog to translate some of the numbers. All the parts I used, except
for the fascia, came from Radio Shack. The fascia was made by a Trophy Shop.
The Liquid Crystal Display was a real adventure; they provide cryptic
instructions also. It can be configured to read all sorts of parameters, you
need to solder and wire on the back of this miniature thing to get it to
display 'volts' with the decimal point where you want it. I used a
magnifying glass to check my wiring and soldering. Figuring out the LCD
wiring gives a feeling of accomplishment.
The Digijet vans have the ECU mounted in the engine bay, so I used a 25
wire shielded printer cable to run under the van and bring the signals up to
the dash. It comes up through the rubber seal where the heater hoses come
into the van, behind that pull off panel in front of the gear shifter.
The most expensive mistake I made involved the 25 wire shielded cable.
Little did I know that they are not all wired straight through. The one I
was sold at the local 'computer store' had wires 21 through 25 grounded to
the outer shielding. So when I went to start the van, the wires that were
grounded together shorted out the ECU. I still had a tach pulse, so the hall
sender was still working, but no start. I pulled out my spare ECU and the
van fired right up. I then tested the 25 wire shielded cable and found out
what had happened. I found the correct 25 wire shielded cable, ONE THAT IS
WIRED STRAIGHT THROUGH, on the Radio Shack web site. Also, I don't know how
well this 25 wire shielded cable will hold up exposed to the weather in
Nebraska. Remember that these modifications involve a lot of risk.
The Dash Console EuroCampers sells is made for the '84 and earlier vans, I
believe. So on the newer vans, the new dash console hangs over the old dash
enough that the hot air from the windshield defroster is blown under the new
dash console. To try to solve this, I securely glued just enough lightweight
wood paneling to the underside of the new console to keep the hot air from
being blown under the new console.
The new dash console does not come with mounting instructions or hardware.
Trying to explain how I mounted the console in the van is hard to do, but I'
ll try. I didn't want to drill any holes in my old dash. So for the upper
right mounting, the console comes with a screw hole under the fold out
writing pad. I used a long drywall screw that went over the lip of the old
dash and into a hole I had drilled in to the metal. For the left side of the
console I mounted a small 90 degree metal bracket to the wood strip that's
on the inside of the front of the new dash console. (The wood strip the
console comes with, not the one I added.) Then I used a modified and
insulated 1 & ½ inch C clamp to hold the bottom of this bracket to the old
ashtray hole. I had also drilled a detent into the metal bracket, to give
the C clamp something to grab onto. I also had wrapped the C clamp with
electrical tape so if it did come loose and fall behind the dash, it wouldn'
t short anything out. To provide a back up support to this mounting system,
I home-made a couple of 90 degree brackets that are mounted to the wood
paneling I added to divert the defroster air. These hang down and will catch
on the old dash if the new console starts to slide off. These brackets are
not fastened to the van, only to the new dash console. They only provide a
backup to prevent the console from falling to the floor in case the primary
mounting system fails. It is very hard to explain this mounting system I
used, please e-mail me if you are going to actually use my mounting method
so I can explain it clearer.
It took me about 6 months to put the dash console together. I worked on for
a while, then put it away for a while. I might have 40 hours in it total.
Doing these major modifications to the van entails a lot of risk. So
remember to carry a cell phone, a spare ECU, and whatever else you feel you
need to protect yourself, just in case building this console leaves you
stranded somewhere!
I am a TOTAL amateur auto enthusiast; it is up to you to make sure your
work is safe. These instructions are in NO way complete!
(Boy I hate Disclaimers...)
Good Luck,
Mark Ingalls
85 GL
75 Beetle
ingalls_mark@hotmail.com
http://ernie_magoo.tripod.com/vwstuff/
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