help with speedometer

pwagg · June 04, 2006, 10:35:31 AM

Having trouble getting a new speedometer to work in MCI 9. Bought a set of Beede gauges from NW RV. Have everything working except the speedometer. Reduced down to 12 volts, added magnets to the front hub. Have nothing. I can only work on it on the weekends, when Beede is closed. Does anyone have any sugestions of what I might be doing wrong?

NCbob · June 04, 2006, 03:59:51 PM

I'm gonna take a pot shot at the answer to your problem...for which I'll catch all sorts of hell..'cause I'm a 'newbie' and don't know sheep sh-- from apple butter. But let's give it a try......

Somewhere on the back of your speedo head there must be 'dip switches' to help you calibrate your speedo. The best place to start is with your tire Mfr. who can tell you how many RPM's your tires need to rotate to make one mile...pretty much the same as if you were going to install a Hobometer. The pickup will sense the number of rotations of the drum (part of the equation) multipied by a constant in the speedo the (circumferance of the total tread of the tire)...and (light bulb)

...MPH!

Now, wasn't that simple?

I'm confident that the experts will jump in and give you a solid answer...but I'm sort of capricious this evening and having a bit of fun...not at your expense...mine...after all...I'M A BUSNUT!!!!!!!!

DrivingMissLazy · June 04, 2006, 04:10:01 PM

Quote from: NCbob on June 04, 2006, 03:59:51 PM
I'm gonna take a pot shot at the answer to your problem...for which I'll catch all sorts of hell..'cause I'm a 'newbie' and don't know sheep sh-- from apple butter. But let's give it a try......

Somewhere on the back of your speedo head there must be 'dip switches' to help you calibrate your speedo. The best place to start is with your tire Mfr. who can tell you how many RPM's your tires need to rotate to make one mile...pretty much the same as if you were going to install a Hobometer. The pickup will sense the number of rotations of the drum (part of the equation) multipied by a constant in the speedo the (circumferance of the total tread of the tire)...and (light bulb) ...MPH!

Now, wasn't that simple?

I'm confident that the experts will jump in and give you a solid answer...but I'm sort of capricious this evening and having a bit of fun...not at your expense...mine...after all...I'M A BUSNUT!!!!!!!!

Hey, having fun is what its all about isn't it?
Richard

NCbob · June 04, 2006, 04:15:32 PM

Hey, Richard....y'mean I didn't goof this one for a change?

?

NCbob

FloridaCliff · June 04, 2006, 04:18:35 PM

OK Bob,

Be careful!

Only one guy has chimed in, your not out of the woods yet.

Cliff

Ross · June 04, 2006, 05:55:57 PM

Could also be that the sensor is too far away from the magnets. Sometimes thay have to be pretty close.

RTS/Daytona · June 04, 2006, 07:33:20 PM

Hi

I've sent you guys a comprensive Data sheet for BEEDEE gauges - that contain testing procedures and switch setting procedures that I have developed and copywrigthed over the last few years - I have been selling surples Maonaco Dash panels / gauges for some time now

any questions / concerns - call me

Pete RTS/Daytona

My dash Gauges can be seen on the BNO board

fairbus · August 08, 2006, 04:00:09 PM

Hi everyone,
We recently purchased a 1981 MCI 9, and the speedo is showing 20mph setting still.....We would like to replace, but noticed there are several ODs available. Does anyone know which one we need, and where such thing is available? Would really like one with a trip odometer built in, if possible. Any help/direction will be appreciated.

Hartley · August 08, 2006, 07:34:58 PM

The factory electronic speedometer on an MC9 uses 4-pulses per tire revolution. @ approximately 495 rotations per mile.
It takes a speedometer that will calibrate on a very low number of pulses. Most Won't....

The manual says no reading below 5mph or inaccurate readings below 15 mph on the stock unit.
this is due to only 4-studs per brake drum that activate the sensors.

Good speedometers really need 5,000 to 20,000 pulses per mile (distance) to be able to calibrate or work.

The same is true for cruise controls that need high pulse counts to work correctly.ie: Rostra Units...

The options are;
1. Change the brake drum and add a full tone-ring like used on RTS buses.(some!)
2. Add a separate magnetic pickup on the drive shaft like used with the Rostra Cruise controls with 2 or 4 magnets.
3. Find a speedometer sender that fits your specific transmission that has a high pulse count.

If you want to continue by adding hex capscrews to your existing brake drum to get 8 to 16 points per/rev your mileage
may vary. Good luck there.... But once you go that way you can't generally back up if you make a mistake.

Or, If you decide to add the Rostra Electronic Cruise Control, Buy the magnet kit, then just tap into the cruise controls magnetic
sensor signal and kill two birds at the same time. ( Ask Pete about that part. )

Brian Diehl · August 09, 2006, 05:47:54 AM

Just a note about the 4 stud brake drums... I bought a VDO 85mph speed'o and it has worked just fine on the stock setup. I did purchase the VDO magnetic pickup sensor though. Using the VDO sensor may be what makes my setup work well.

Rich (Prevost) · August 10, 2006, 01:04:44 PM

The times we have had no reading on the speedometer, it was a defective head. The spedometer itself. If the manuals, etc....don't help. Let me know. I may need to see the setup, but there is some very good advice posted here. We have also run into reversing the (2) leads on the backside of the head..........

Rich
800-468-5287

akbusguy2000 · August 10, 2006, 01:25:51 PM

May not be the same speedometer, but here's the Beede page that gives the pulse specifications of their 3" 85MPH electric speedo:

http://www.beede.com/sales/3_0503.pdf

tg

belfert · August 11, 2006, 05:49:15 AM

The speedometer on my bus doesn't work worth a darn. It doesn't go all the way down to zero when stopped and it reads 5 to 10 miles an hour slow. It has the four bolts on the drum.

I ended up getting a cheap $99 GPS unit at Walmart so I know how fast I am going. The GPS is cheaper than fiddling with the speedo and is dead accurate. The only real issue is new batteries every 30 hours, but you can use rechargeables. Spend a little more and you can get a GPS that runs off 12 volt.

I looked at my electrical diagrams and noticed the original speedometer worked off a signal from the B500 WTEC computer. It could be that my 1995 didn't run the speedo off the WTEC since my electrical diagrams are probably newer than 1995.

Brian Elfert