[Healeys] Fw: BJ8 Tacho Upgrade and Digital Speedos

[Roger Grace]

Recently went to Wales to collect my stepper motor converted tacho. and now installed.
So far very good; nice bright red ignition led indicator and led back lights.
They also changed the face text from “positive earth” to negative – nice touch.
Proper digital stepper motor (BTW Nisonger and others ? don't do this) so no more calibration or analog issues, or current pulses.  No mechanical hairspring type movement.
Input is from from the CB on the coil and a new wire has to be installed; a little sensitive to routing. I use a Pertronix.
No doubt they could also convert a mechanical tacho. to digital as well.

Now digital speedos.

There are 2 options.

The first, that I have ordered, is to cut the speedo. cable at a convenient spot and install a pulse transducer. My thinking is that this is preferable and easier than installing a magnetic type on the drive shaft.
They are building me a RVI instrument that will be near identical to the original Smiths with dished face, but with a LED display in place of the odo and trip.
This will have a modern digital stepper motor drive and hopefully be stable and accurate. High beam indicator as before. Easy, accurate calibration.
I have ordered this as MPH and so my plan, for driving in Canada will be to calibrate for 140 MPH as actually 140 kPH. This is easy to do and when in US will revert back to MPH. Only problem is that the total odo will be affected; may just use the trip to keep track or just stick with MPH.
Will report back after receipt.

Second option is to use an electronic digital cable drive to drive the original magnetic speedo with original odo. and trip, if preserving the original look is important. This also uses the same pulse transducer as per the LCD one. The pulses now drive a mini digital brushless dc motor in a separate box with electronic speed control. This box has a speedo cable output (usually short) so electronic scaling is easy but it is still a mechanical magnetic cup type drive. Hopefully, with no long cable and sable pulses the typical speedo blips etc will be eliminated. There is also some electronic filtering. This is the more expensive option and they insist they will only sell this option if you have the original speedo refurbished by them as well. This in the final stages of development and they have a large contract to fulfill in next 2 months, so realistically by Nov. time.

As I will still have my original speedo. so if not happy with the LCD above could resort to this solution.

rg

From: Roger Grace 
Sent: Friday, May 6, 2016 8:33 AM
To: Healey List 
Subject: BJ8 Tacho Upgrade

Seriously thinking of getting my moving coil tacho. upgraded to a modern stepper motor type movement, retaining the original face and case.
Speedy Cables in Wales offer this.
So, wondering (UK listers ?) if anyone has had this done and any comments about this type of conversion.
Are there perhaps any US companies that do this as well ?
Tkx
rg 
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