[ale] [OT] was need 5" android ... obd ... now setting up the UltraGauge
Ron Frazier (ALE)
atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com
Sat Sep 21 03:04:16 EDT 2013
Hi all,
I wanted to give you an update on my project. I bought the UltraGauge.
It came today. I spent a good bit of time looking over the pdf manual
from the website and setting up the thing. First impressions, I REALLY
like it. It's doing exactly what I want displaying 6 important pieces
of info that I wouldn't have access to otherwise. And, it has 7
customizable screens I can use for different purposes. I'll have to see
about it's performance and longevity over time, but, as of this moment,
I'm impressed. I recommend the device. My total cost for the device +
window mount + shipping was about $ 88. There's a rebate of $ 10 I can
get if I want to take their quiz and prove I read critical parts of the
manual.
It's about the size of a deck of playing cards, maybe smaller. It's
definitely more compact than a 5" tablet or gps, so it's easier to place.
Here are some tips if you decide to get one of these.
CRITICAL - Please ... PLEASE ... follow the directions and do not
operate the menu while driving. Even looking at the device while
driving can distract you. I had a close call when traffic on the
freeway decided to bunch up at an awkward time. I was only looking at
it. The same applies to ScanGauge, or tablet / phone.
From the main gauge screen, if you press the menu button or the page
button, you may feel that the buttons are broken if there is no
response. They're probably not broken. In fact, they're pretty
sensitive. If it's busy updating gauges, it may not respond to a short
button press. Just hold the button for a second or so. It will work.
If an alarm goes off that you don't like, you have lots of flexibility
to control them. You can turn all alarms off. You can turn the audible
alert off. You can enable / disable each individual gauge alarm
separately as well as enabling / disabling pending trouble code alarms
and trouble code alarms. You don't have to give up using the alarms
because one is annoying you. The first time one goes off, it may
startle you. Just calmly assess the situation. The current alarm can
be suspended by pressing the down key until the next time the car is
turned off.
You really NEED to read the manual to get the most out of this device,
and to some extent, to even get it to work accurately. It's not hard,
but there are many options. The manual is clear, but doesn't always
explain exactly when you need to do things in what order in an obvious way.
Here's what you must do, in order, to make the device work accurately.
Many of these would probably apply to ScanGauge or Torque Pro.
1) Enter your engine size
2) Enter your fuel tank size
3) Properly set the fuel injector cutoff. Almost all non diesel cars
with fuel injectors cut the fuel off when coasting above a certain speed
in gear. There is a parameter you need to set for this to work
properly, unless your car doesn't have this feature. (Note, this is for
the gauge to work properly. The car should work properly regardless,
whether you can measure it or not.)
4) Distance traveled calibration. This is important. Your car's
odometer may not be accurate. This was the case in mine, and it was
reading low. So, if I went 7.5 miles, it would read 7.4. Not huge, but
it will screw up all your distance and MPG readings. In my case, a
mileage correction factor of 1.008 was installed. Find a mile marker
where you can STOP to set up the test. Go to another at least 3 miles
away and STOP to complete the test per instructions in the manual.
Don't use your odometer as a reference as it's what you're trying to
correct.
5) MPG calibration. Also important. You will track how much fuel you
add at one or more fill ups and let the device know. It will apply a
correction factor to the calculations. (Not stated in the manual, but I
think winter fuel blends may change the accuracy.) (This IS in the
manual: Switching between blended and unblended fuel will result in
inaccurate fuel usage for vehicles which have a MAP sensor and no MAF*
sensor.)
6) Not really mandatory but recommended. Go to the version screen and
note the firmware version and date, fuel sender type, mpg sensor type,
and protocol.
7) If you have a fuel sender (I don't), you may have to tweak it's usage
mode by the Ultra-Gauge. If you have a fuel sender, the gauge can auto
detect fill ups under certain conditions. If you don't you must notify
the unit when you fill up using the buttons. (In my case, obviously,
the car has a sender in the tank, but it's not reported to OBD.)
8) If you have a MAP sensor rather than a MAF sensor, there are extra
calibration procedures. Mine is MAF. (Don't ask me what that means.)
9) Make a sun shade for the device or be prepared to remove it from the
dash on very hot days. This is important. The warranty is voided by
damage from temperatures exceeding 160 degrees F. I think I'll try a
styrofoam cup (maybe with tin foil) and cracked open windows. One of
the gauges you can bring up on the screen is the internal temperature of
the device. By default it has an alarm set to go off if this
temperature exceeds 145 degrees F. I want to avoid dismounting the
device if possible.
This will get you up and running.
Once this is done, you will probably want to:
10) Reduce the maximum back light brightness to 80%. This reduces heat
build up.
11) Customize the different screen pages of gauges to what you want.
12) Disable some pages, or set other page settings
13) Enable / disable / customize the alarms subsystem.
14) Make sure the device activates and deactivates automatically when
starting or shutting off the car. Otherwise, see battery drain in the
manual.
15) Deal with any (unlikely) problems like forcing the protocol
selection or MPG sensor usage. On mine, everything was recognized
automatically with no problem.
16) If your car has one of a couple of slow protocols (as my Hyundai
does), optionally optimize for a faster refresh rate. You must reset
this if you move the device to another vehicle.
17) Possibly use the device to poll and clear any trouble codes. There
are much better code scanners, but this does the basics. However, if
you have a real or persistent trouble code or check engine light on, let
your mechanic look at it or talk to him before clearing it. You may be
erasing important evidence he needs to troubleshoot your problem.
Well, that's it for now. I definitely recommend this device (caveat -
after 1 day of use) to anyone in need of a small but versatile OBD-II
monitoring gauge / alarm system / code scanner for your car. Read the
manufacturer's policies regarding returns, warranty, and support; and
know the limitations. But, I think it's a good deal.
Hope this is helpful to anyone interested in the topic.
Sincerely,
Ron
On 9/17/2013 12:45 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
> Hi Neal,
>
> You've got some good points there. The stand alone devices do have
> some definite advantages. If I was to use a tablet, I'd start it
> before moving the car and preset the gauges I want to see and then not
> bother it. Even so, while the tablet might power up automatically
> when the car is turned on, and could be configured to run without a
> password; I don't know if I could set it to autostart the torque program.
>
> Still doing research, but I may go with this:
>
> http://www.ultra-gauge.com/
>
> It has some very advanced configuration options documented in the
> manual, including automatic fill up detection (if the car has the
> right sensors), automatic display dimming, detailed mpg calibration,
> and odometer accuracy calibration. It displays up to 6 gauges at once
> and costs $ 60. Looks pretty interesting.
>
> faq - http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/FAQ.htm
> bigger faq -
> http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/UltraGauge_Support_LP.html
> knowledge base - http://ultra-gauge.com/customer_support/knowledgebase.php
> user manual -
> http://ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/Ultra_Gauge_EM_1_2_Manual_3_30_13.pdf
> product demo - http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/TEN/product_demo.htm
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron
>
>
> On 9/16/2013 10:40 PM, Neal Rhodes wrote:
>> >From a safety standpoint I'd stick with the Scanguage. It's the
>> simplest to place, easiest to read, and you can put it such that you
>> can see it without taking eyes far off the road.
>>
>> I do have torque and an odb reader and never use it.
>>
>> Scanguage IIs also can calibrate to your fuel injection system and
>> keep track of your fuel consumption, such that they can predict
>> exactly how many miles you have left before empty. (basically by
>> counting number and length of each fuel injection pulse) In the
>> truck, which shows empty when there are 6 gallons left, this is
>> helpful for planning gas stops accurately. Especially when you
>> have to find USLD instead of gasoline.
>>
>> I don't recall other Android ODB software doing that in a way that
>> I'd trust.
>>
>> I really think the 4 button Scanguage is the way to go. Dorking
>> around with the UI on an Android device while driving is just too
>> distracting.
>>
>> Neal Rhodes
>> MNOP Ltd
--
(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
call on the phone. I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
mailing lists and such. I don't always see new email messages very quickly.)
Ron Frazier
770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message.
linuxdude AT techstarship.com
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