Dash 3 RPM Lights

[nikpro]

Haven't purchased one yet but I need to know if the RPM shift lights can be set to read the RPM from a DL1 Logger - ie no pulses per rpm as the Logger is reading the rpm from the 5v ECU output.

Thanks

[faraday]

This is a general comment as I haven't a Dash to set up either...

Whether the signal you are talking about is an output from the ECU, pulses on a wire you have installed to an ignition component or injector lead, data in the serial stream from the logger, or even the output of a sensor you have fitted directly to the crankshaft, the signal is not "RPM".
It is frequency that depends on RPM (is proportional to), which you have to scale to make it a sensible revs reading.
As you have identified, the scaling factor depends on "pulses per rpm".

The best you could hope for, because the pulse is coming from a 'clever' ECU, rather than a 'dumb' wire, is that there is one pulse per RPM. This is possible but not probable.
It is more likely that the tacho converts the Hz into RPM.

Ask yourself, "What is there inside the logger that does this conversion?"


It is the display device, whether it is dash hardware or our Analysis software, that we instruct (with the scaling factor) to make the conversion.
This is necessary for both display of sensible revs and to correctly trigger a shift light.

[jlucas]

The DASH3 only has a serial cable for an input, so any channels including RPM have to from the DL1.

[brucew]

I got my Dash 3 yesterday. Nice unit and once I figure it out I think it will be great. However "out the box" it isn't very good at lap timing which I think is probably its main attraction. Because it is so powerful they seem to have overlooked the need to get a default configuration that is useful and have not really even expalined what default configuration it ships with. I guess this will be fixed with time.

With regard to RPM, this does work but has an error factor. On my DL1 I have to set the pulses per RPM at 0.5 presumably because my RPM feed comes (as low voltage) directly off one of the cylinders and only fires every 2nd rev. The Dash 3 seems to assume it is 2 pulses per RPM and I haven't yet managed to figure out a way to change this. Therefore as it ships the RPM reading is 1/4 of the true reading. I haven't tried programming the lights yet but I do notice they flash from time to time of their own accord which is a bit distracting.

[Support]

You can set up the number of pulses per revolution on the RPM of the DASH3 in the configuration software, under Configure / RPM. We are currently working on some default layouts for the unit to make it easier to use straight out of the box.
If you are getting glitches on the RPM, it could be that there is some noise on the RPM signal coming from the DL1, this can usually be cleaned up using the filtering options in the DASH3 configuration. If you have any data which is giving unusual displays on the DASH3, please feel free to send a log file from the DL1 through to me at mhill at race-technology.com and I'll take a look at it for you.

Regards,
Martin

[brucew]

Thanks. I found the correction factor in the configuration software under "Configure/RPM" as you said. I had previously been trying to adjust it in the variables section. Setting it to 0.5 (the same as I use for the DL1) is now giving the correct reading. When it works it works well but I do still get some noise in the Dash 3. This seems to come from moving the cable but I haven't quite identified the precise cause. (eg. touching metal/me touching the cable/something else). Maybe I have just got a dodgy cable connection. (The DL1 logging of revs is perfect.) I will send you the file but I am not sure if this will help as the RPM log on the DL1 shows no problems.

None of this effects the lap timing which I now have working really well - and is the reason I bought the unit.

[gavinp]

I would echo the comment about the Dash 3 config file. Seems a great bit of kit (although the rubber grommet on mine - where the wire enters the device - was not present - it was on a friends unit - so that looks like a potential failure point) but it does need to ship with a few more configs, even if they were available in the software package. The file on board at present doesn't really do the unit justice.

g