20 replies to this topic

[yeti21586]

i did a search and couldnt fina any info.


i havent bought one but am thinking of getting an acewell and was wondering how easy they are to fit and how you connect it as the mini speedo ive got is mechanical and the acewell is digital??


YetI

[Tomf]

The acewell units come with full instructions, then just do a search on here and you will find a few threads on here showing where people have mounted the magnetic speedo sensor.

You dont use the mini speedo drive or cable, well you can, but it would be a bodge and would be just as much work as the magnetic speedo sensor.

[vtec_miniestate]

when i bought my acewell i got an adaptor that screws directly onto the mini speedo cable... works faultlessly

[AzMaN]

when i bought my acewell i got an adaptor that screws directly onto the mini speedo cable... works faultlessly

as did i much better than the magnetic sensor, and less prone to problems.

[Marky Tizz]

Does anyone know where to get that adapter? I'm still running the magnet.

[mini93]

when i bought my acewell i got an adaptor that screws directly onto the mini speedo cable... works faultlessly

as did i much better than the magnetic sensor, and less prone to problems.

how so? its just a magnet going past a hall effect pick up? nearly every car on the road will have one, crank shaft sensor, or old style hall effect distributors
only unreliable part is if you havent connected it proppery or fastened it in place securly/with correct distances set which is 8mm if i remember correctly from doing mine

[dklawson]

Your timing is a bit ironic. Regarding the sensor, see this old thread that has re-surfaced just within the past week.
http://www.theminifo...p;#entry1273699

As for the magnetic speed sensors, there are several types and not all perform to the same level. I don't know what ships with the Acewell so I can only offer comments on the "common" types.

Reed Switch: Cheap and common. This two-wire device is a mechanical switch that closes when a magnet passes nearby. They are limited in how fast they can open and close. They may not be suitable for high-speed driving. They can also be subject to false readings if the pickup (switch) is poorly mounted and vibrates.

Two-wire Inductive: Think of these like you would an ignition coil. A magnet passing by the pickup induces an electrical pulse, not a contact closure. They work well but often the sensor and magnet are large which makes them hard to install and they can affect the balance of rotating components. They also don't work well at low speeds. The magnet needs to go by the sensor fairly fast.

Hall-Effect: These are basically... electronic switches. These are three-wire devices and behave like a transistor. You have to supply them with power and earth. A third connection is for an output signal. Like transistors, the switch either provides a connection to the (+) voltage OR a connection to earth. You typically need to buy the right type of sensor to work with the gauge you're using. A lot of electronic instruments are "smart" enough to use either type. Hall-Effect sensors are very good at both high- and low-speed switching.

Inductive Proximity: Electrically these behave exactly like the Hall-Effect sensors mentioned above. They are three-wire devices that behave like transistor switches. However, unlike the Hall-Effect sensors, they are NOT looking for magnets to turn them on and off. An inductive proximity switch looks for "metal". Steel/iron is best as a target as it can be detected further away. Inductive proximity sensors are great for high speed switching. However, if you need one that can sense a target from fairly far away, the sensor required gets "bigger" pretty quickly.

My preference is for either the inductive proximity or Hall-Effect switches. These three wire sensors work great at both high- and low-speed. Industrial versions are typically sealed against moisture. The inductive proximity switch has the advantage that it can look for simple steel targets (like bolt heads) and no magnets are required.

[AzMaN]

the acewell one i got with the kit was a reed style, and when mounted on the rear drums (like some other people had) i found the brake dust would make the sensor work intermittently after a period of time untill you cleaned it. Where as the speedo cable style means you dont rearly need to fabricate anything to fit it, just plug it in and tie it out the way.

[dklawson]

If a gauge is designed to work specifically with reed switches it's often not possible to adapt it for use with other sensor types. I experimented with this quite a bit when installing my Sigma bicycle computer. It can be done, but there is som circuitry that has to be built to create the interface between the sensor and the gauge.

Where you had problems with the reed switch before, you may benefit from moving it to a different location. In my case, I was able to mount the Sigma magnet on the inner (yoke type) driveshaft joint. A simple but stiff mounting bracket was bolted to the gearbox for the pickup. I have a couple of acquaintances who have taken a similar approach by thoroughly degreasing and bonding the magnet to the pot joint using epoxy.

[Phaeton]

These work great Click use them on our Freestyles

Alan...

[yeti21586]

These work great Click use them on our Freestyles

Alan...

so does that attachement fit the mini???

[Phaeton]

You have to cut your speedo cable & fit it on the end of it, then attach the 3 wires

Alan..

[Marky Tizz]

So that would attach the mechanical speedo into a digi dash? Or am I misunderstanding? Is there a way to run the digidash of OE speedo cable and still use the original speedo clock too? Or will it only run one at a time? I'm currently using the reed switch that came with the 3150 and it's unreliable at best.

[dklawson]

You have to cut your speedo cable & fit it on the end of it, then attach the 3 wires

Alan..

Is that correct? The description made it sound like you cut the cable and inserted this in the middle. That would give you a digital pulse out to an electronic gauge while retaining the mechanical speedo drive. Did I read that incorrectly?

The concern I have is the fact as you say that this is a 3-wire device. Reed switches are often used with very low current instruments and as I mentioned earlier, it may require a dedicated interface circuit to allow the 3-wire sensor to connect to the 2-wire connection used by the Acewell speedometer. You can build such a circuit with a few simple components, but it's a bit of work if you're not comfortable with electronics.

Marky Tizz, to improve your existing reed switch performance consider mounting the speedo magnet on the pot joint as I suggested earlier. If that still doesn't address the problem, consider going to a firm that sells security systems. Ask them for a reed switch assembly and its matching magnet (often used on windows and doors as part of a security system). Tell them you want one that uses a powerful magnet... don't hesitate to tell them why. Replace the Acewell reed switch with the one from the security company, and use its matching magnet. If you mount the pickup/switch so vibration is minimized you should have good performance from it.

[Marky Tizz]

Marky Tizz, to improve your existing reed switch performance consider mounting the speedo magnet on the pot joint as I suggested earlier. If that still doesn't address the problem, consider going to a firm that sells security systems. Ask them for a reed switch assembly and its matching magnet (often used on windows and doors as part of a security system). Tell them you want one that uses a powerful magnet... don't hesitate to tell them why. Replace the Acewell reed switch with the one from the security company, and use its matching magnet. If you mount the pickup/switch so vibration is minimized you should have good performance from it.

Great advice, thankyou very much. what do you mean by pot joint, however?

Mark