Digital Dash/ Voice Unit

[Telemedic]

Hi people, I have just started fitting a digital dash and voice unit from a donor VP to my Mayfair, now the wiring has been Straight forward, although i still have to connect the speed sensor and the fuel sensor. The radio i am using is a high powered cd unit that does not use common earth speakers, so i have given the voice unit a speaker of it's own. The Switch assembly of the Trip computer fits nicely in the ashtry housing, but i would like to know how on earth i am supposed to hold the display in where the original LCD clock was! I suspect it would be easier to fit it to the older type that used the flourescent display, but this has eluded me! I know that a lot of people have done this mod, so any advice would help. Also the time shows 9:70 for some reason!but seeing as i cannot get the buttons to work properly, i cannot set it yet! further problems in clude the temp gauge will intermittently show a high reading for a second or two, then goes back to normal. My understanding it that these things can be tempremental, so once again any advice is welcome! cheers.

John

[MaestroMatt]

The time saying 9.70 isn't a problem - it will function correctly as soon as you reset it. Same goes for the date which you can see and change by pressing the time button twice.

If your temp guage is fluctuating wildly, it could be the fuel ECU. On the Mk1, there is one ECU, which sits behind and below the transducer under the bonnet. When this goes wrong (as it has on my car and also on F153 JUE's Mk1) it causes the temp guage to whizz up and down with a mind of its own and opens and closes the auto-choke accordingly (i.e. when it spuriously thinks the engine is cold). You try getting a new one though - I was quoted £85 by Rover, if they could get their hands on one. I told them not to bother!

A neat mod is to run a wire from the 12v side of the voice unit relay to the mobile phone mute on your stereo so that the stereo cut-out (and therefore the restrict button) operate as it is intended to.

[Telemedic]

okay thanks for that, you say that that mod will make it work as it should do including the restrict button, what should the restrict button do?

and any ideas for securing the display?
John

[SimonR]

Hi there John,

The restrict button reduces the amount said by the lady. With it on she'll only bitch about warnings and not, for example, announce which button you've pressed or tell you to fasten your seatbelt.

You may consider bidding for the MG1600 owner's handbook that's listed on eBay - it'll cover all the digital dash/voice synthesis unit features that your Mayfair handbook doesn't.

I'm afraid I can't help you with fastening the display - why aren't you using the VP's display - or are you?!

[Telemedic]

I am using the VP display, but it is uncased, as i have a Mk2 dash. obviously the clock part is different between these cars:( still nm but i see that a lot of ppl have managed it somehow! Thanks for help on the restrict button, as a matter of fact, most mornings, it automatically comes on, and i allwas turn it off. i wonder iof there is a missing constant live in my car to that dash, i have not checked. The thought is that manual clocks dont need a peranent live, (the timeclock being fed by it's own separet wiring) perhaps i'm missing something! Cheers ppl!

[MaestroMatt]

Can't you use the original unit, case and all, and cut the Mk 2 dash to make it fit? As far as I remember, the space is the same size, but there is a divider between the clock and ashtray section. It has eben a while since I have owned a Mk 2 so I can't really remember. As Simon R says, restrict turns off all non-critical messages and it should be in the same state of on/offness when you turn on the ignition as it was when you turned it off.

[E_T_V]

Sorry to hijack the thread but on a similar note, can you use the voice synthesiser bit with an analogue dashboard?

[Telemedic]

Originally posted by E_T_V
Sorry to hijack the thread but on a similar note, can you use the voice synthesiser bit with an analogue dashboard?

I would say not personally, as there are two multiway connectors that connect the digital instruments to the voice synth.

[talkingcars]

Telemedic-all the purple wires are perminate live so need to be wired so.

ETV-The voice bit is in with the trip computer which needs the digital sender for the speedo.

As telemedic says - there are a lot of multiplugs etc and the speedo unit is integrated with the voice unit so unless you were to install the digi dash somewhere else and run the risk of strange reading on the gauges it is not really a sensible idea.

James

[Telemedic]

Thanks James that will help , will do that tommorrow

any ideas on fitting that display to my clock facia?

[E_T_V]

Oh well never mind, I just fancied useing my 150mph speedo with the voice unit too.. nevermind. I wonder which I should chose digi dash or 150mph speedo? decisions decisions.

[Telemedic]

the Digital dash is a lovely toy! and a good talking point, but the voice can ware you down a bit, but thays the beauty of the on/off volume control!!!

[MaestroMatt]

Originally posted by E_T_V
Oh well never mind, I just fancied useing my 150mph speedo with the voice unit too.. nevermind. I wonder which I should chose digi dash or 150mph speedo? decisions decisions.

Digi dash, obviously! It has a showroom mode (hold Ave and press Time) which displays, amongst other things, the speed as 150mph so really, you get both.

[Wonko_The_Sane]

Re: Fixing the MK1 clock innards to the Mk2 dash shell-'tis possible. I've forgotten how, but my dash is out in the garage..I'll look when I get home and try to digicam it..:)

As I recall, it was fairly easy. Certainly mine worked perfectly. I'm 99% sure no cutting was required either..:)

[talkingcars]

Theoreticly the digi dash should read up to 199mph


1..9999...9999
1..9....9..9....9
1..9....9..9....9
1..9999...9999
1.......9.......9
1.......9.......9
1.......9.......9 mph

sorry if the graphic isn't clear but the forum removes spaces and compressed the first 3 versions. (change that to read 4, no 5!)

James

[Jonathan]

The speedo display is actually limited to 155mph for some reason (I think, it's been a while since I last drove D428 CHO). And yes it is still reading approximately double the actual road speed!

[Telemedic]

Originally posted by D428CHO
The speedo display is actually limited to 155mph for some reason (I think, it's been a while since I last drove D428 CHO). And yes it is still reading approximately double the actual road speed!

just a thought, if it is reading double, then it should be possible to to build a cmos cirquit to halve the pulses to the dash, a small divide by two system. i say cmos as it is happy to run at 12volt quite well. why does it read double? mine reads bang on! or are you not using the VW gearbox?

[Jonathan]

It's in an MG with the Honda gearbox, that's why. Dave has kindly provided me with details of the electronics needed to halve the number of pulses, I've been meaining to get around to this for a long time.

[Telemedic]

well there, it is done (or was)! i am a nasty sod. the only way i could think to mount the clock, was to find a facia with a Flourecent clock, as this is fitted differently to the lcd variaty. the flourecent version also has a larger window! well i looked around my spares, and all them are lcd. then i remebered! the Mrs car!!!!
(i told you i was a nasty sod!)
so she now has an lcd clock!!! and on dismantling her old clock it is apparent to me the clock module is the same as the old Mk1!!! prefect!
the display to the trip computer fit like a glove! and works well.
Or at least did until today. The Mrs was driving it when she said there was a funny smell, and the car stopped talking.

The long and the short of it all was the fact that the lives to the radio and the clock are too thin, and when i measured the voltage the reading was 5 volts! so i will have to rewire with thicker cables and leave the Mrs' car alone! Thanks to all that have helped with advice etc, hope i can help anyone myself one day. Oh just one thing i did do that i found usefull, i powered the sensor for the speedo from the reverse light feed!