Analog to Digital

[TidalWaveTiburon]

Would it be possiable to convert standard analog gauges (Rpm etc) to a digital display, if so what would I need and how hard would it be?

[zagrot]

why would you want to? though most people may not think so it takes a lot of time to see a number, recongnize that number, and apply that information in a usefull way, especially when you are doing other things -- like driving. for about a year i drove a crysler lebaron that was equiped with a digital numerical speedometer (think alarm clock display). i would often find myself staring at the speedo for several seconds before i realised whether i was speeding or not (more often when i was very tired), whereas with an analogue gauge it is possible to memorise relative needle positions and obtain the required information at a glance.

project difficulty, since you asked, is high if you cannot find a pre-produced gauge set with the features that you desire. by the way, the obdII computers have the capability to output a digital signal for nearly every sensor the car has and this information can be accessed with a specialised adapter and a personal computer with the appropriate software.

[curtis73]

What car and year? Some cars came with both so it might be as easy as swapping in a new dash, but others would be a completely custom electronic conversion.

[TheSilentChamber]

There is a few companies that make digital gauges, pick up a Street Rodder magazine and you will find many advertisments. However this would require you to redo that part of your dash/gauge cluster.

Also some digital gauges also have "hands". I have a buick that everything is digital but it also has a digital hand that moves like a regular gauge would. Its not exctly the same, but it gives visual representation.

[TidalWaveTiburon]

It is for a 2004 Hyundai Tiburon. The reason why Im doing this, is because Im going to make this a show car and I love the way the Digital Gauges look

[TheSilentChamber]

I didnt think I would ever see Hyundai and Show Car in the same sentence .

[curtis73]

Then aftermarket is the way to go. The only ones I know of (but I'm sure there are others) are geared toward classic American Iron, so they're designed for things like 0-90 ohm fuel gauge senders and GM-style coolant temp sensors. OBD2 cars as zagrot said put out digital information, so you may be able to find gauges that read OBD2 signals and skip the extra wiring headache.

[zagrot]

a show car? i have an idea that would fit into that scheme and simplify lots of other aspects of show cardom. for your gauges you could install a carputer and permenantly install a pc obdII diagnostic scanner. you could use the audio output from the carputer for music by running windows media player, or play dvds, or do anything that a desktop could do. wouldn't that be cool? with dual monitor support you should be able to display two different applications at once (gauges on one and some other media on the other). here are a few links that i found with a quick internet search, maybe you will find them interesting.

http://www.autotap.com/autotap_for_w...reenshots.html
http://www.xenarc.com/product/cp1000.html
http://www.mp3car.com/

this may not be a practical solution, but the best show cars are never practical.