Intellitronix digital dash

[74 Shortbed]

Nice!!!..

 

[87silveradok20]

is everything working correctly and accurate? How hard was the install?

 

[R8rPhan]

is everything working correctly and accurate? How hard was the install?

Sort of..


I tested it the night before, and when pushing the button to go into odometer or cal mode, it worked fine, but after taking it out for a drive, and driving over a pothole filled dirt road to get to the highway, when I pressed the button, the speedometer would go dark, and then reset itself when released... Could not get to the odometer mode or the CAL mode..

So I called their tech support this morning, and he had never heard of that.. But he went and talked to their engineer who said, something is shorting to ground when I push the button... That actually makes sense as I was having trouble with the wires for the button being in the way when I put the heater duct back in and probably stretched them to their max against something metal in there..

If so, I'll be very happy that it is an easy fix compared to taking the dash all apart again...

Other than that everything works... I love it...

It's snowing right now (was supposed to be warm and sunny), so I'l go out and check on that tomorrow... But I suspect that is the case.. Makes sense, seeing as it all worked before I drove it...

Had no issues getting through to tech support... They told me to check that and get back to them if I check that and it still is acting up...

The install was kind of a bear, mostly due to their instructions.. They are working on them.. I think any other model would not have all the issues with the conversion part of the gauges... All the other models are for dashes that are 'flat' and probably have everything all on one easy board... This one has three separate board, one mounted on standoffs on top of the other...

But I got it figured out.. The actual install in the truck was 'easy', but I already had the dash all taken apart from the install... The hardest part is all the associated stuff involved in actually getting to and removing the stock gauges and then modifying the backing plate and all that... Of course ya gotta put the pad and bezel and all that back on as well...

I am going to do a write up on the whole process with complete pictures and tips..

Even if it stayed like this, the only thing truly useful that would be missing is the trip meter, as the thing appears to be factory calibrated to the gears and tires already.. and the 1/4 mile ET/Speed, the 0-60 time, and the top speed stuff is more of a gimmick for a daily driver and probably something I'll rarely be playing with...

The speed kinda jumps periodically, but so did the original speedo, and the takeoff on the tranny seems 'iffy' (the tranny not their sender).. Kinda loose and sloppy.. Gonna have to look into what's involved in fixing that soon...

It looks freakin great tho!

So far, I'm giving it two thumbs up!

 

[R8rPhan]

As far as the Digital Dash Push button problem goes, moving the push button wires around did not resolve the problem... took the button out of the dash (in case it was shorting through the button), and that didn't help.. Feeling kind of bummed, that now I might have to take everything apart, convince them to send me a new board, and if I have to send this one back first, I'd be without the truck again for a week or so...

But as I started taking things apart, I found that when I took the screws out of the bezel, and tried it, it now worked! Put a couple screws back in and it stopped working right again... Put one screw in it was okay, put another in, it was okay, put a third in, and it didn't work right again...

So I took the thing all the way out of the dash, and laid it on a box, and it didn't work, but when I gave a little tug on the wires coming out that go to the switch, it didn't work right again.. Tugged them again, and it didn't work and stayed not working...

So, I disconnected it all (glad I used male and female connectors on each wire), except for the power and the ground and it still was not working right...
Brought it in the house, took off the lenses, and the lens retainer (now it's just the backing plate and the circuit boards), took it back out to the truck and hooked up the power and ground, pushed the button and it did what is was supposed to...

So I brought it back in the house, and pulled the main board out a bit and grabbed the wires to the push button, and bent them out straight (they were laid over tight from the factory)... Then I carefully bent the metal lens retainer so that it did not put any 'flex' pressure on the boards at all when installed, and put everything back together... Took it out to the truck, and now it all worked.. Hooked up all the wires, put the unit back in the dash and screwed it down and it still worked..

Put the bezel back in and installed the screws and it still worked... Put everything back together and it is still working...

I figure the issue was/is one of two things.. There is either an 'iffy' trace in the board, that shorts when the board is flexed (less likely), or the push button wires were laid over so tight that the insulation was being ever so slightly punctured by another solder joint on the board (most likely)..

Anyways, it appears to be fine now... So I took a video of the issue (with the unit out of the dash), and will contact them and let them know, so as I have it on record should the issue reappear...



Here's a link to a video of the issue:
(Is there a way to embed video in our posts, instead of just supplying links to them?)

Video of Intellitronix Calibration Button Problem

 

[R8rPhan]

I still gotta deal with the problem in the tranny with the 'iffy' speedo gear (causes inconsistent readings both with the factory gauge and the new digital one)..

But that's gonna take a bit of research.. In the mean time, I'm gonna download a speedo app for my cell phone, so I can compare them and determine which of the various readings the dash readout gives me, that I can trust)

 

[R8rPhan]

Here it is after the Calibration Button is fixed...

Was wrong about how the performance data is recorded.. It's automatic... The button is used to recall the data...

I'll post a video of that in the future...

Intellitronix Digital Dash Video #2

 

[R8rPhan]

And here it is with a road test

Intellitronix Digital Dash Video #3 (Road Test)

 

[74 Shortbed]

Looks like you got some steep gears there.

 

[R8rPhan]

Looks like you got some steep gears there.

It was a one ton 454 with a 12 bolt, if that makes any difference..

haven't checked the calibration on it yet either, and I also removed the little 'calibration box' from the speedo output, so who knows what everything is really at... Will calibrate it soon.. Gotta find a nice exact one mile stretch to do it on... and I need to have the speedo gear fixed..



Hoping to start getting things together for the 700r4 conversion soon...

and then this fall, when I put in the posi rear end, hopefully, everything will be geared for economy and towing..

 

[74 Shortbed]

Well, tire size has a lot to do with it too, but some of the 1 tons had some steep gears, one of mine had 4:56's in it, of course those are options you could get, standard was 4:10..

 

[R8rPhan]

I just went out and calibrated it.. It was off by about 10%.. That could easily be the difference of that little add on adapter calibration box I took off of the speedo port of the tranny when I installed the sending unit...

I loaded a GPS speedometer app on my cell phone to check cal and when the speedometer in the truck said I was going 45 I was actually going about 50...

So now, it is 3000 RPM @ 65 MPH.. and the speedometer and GPS are pretty close actually the same, but there is a little update lag on the GPS..

The speedo was factory calibrated @ 8000 pulses per mile, and now after I calibrated it, I don't remember exactly, but I think it's now about 7350 pulses per mile (I'd have to go check)...

Cool, little by little, bit by bit, checking things off the list..

 

[Slybeanx]

sorry to bump an old thread but how is the dash 3 years later?

 

[AuroraGirl]

sorry to bump an old thread but how is the dash 3 years later?

good you should feel bad. but not related to OP, I have a friend with one in a GTO and they say it has held up good for 2 years. Im not sure if he got a direct fit or a universal set but to my understanding its all the same just kinda how its conveniently packaged

 

[Slybeanx]

good you should feel bad. but not related to OP, I have a friend with one in a GTO and they say it has held up good for 2 years. Im not sure if he got a direct fit or a universal set but to my understanding its all the same just kinda how its conveniently packaged

Lmfao. Gotcha, I've been forum searching and did not see a review that showed long term reliability. Was considering those or the new Dakota Digital kit for 700$.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Lmfao. Gotcha, I've been forum searching and did not see a review that showed long term reliability. Was considering those or the new Dakota Digital kit for 700$.

i would personally do dakota, but i am a sucker for the real looking deal. and its one of those things if you like the dakota digital, ask yourself if you think analog and digital instrumentation would make you twice as happy as digital.

if you think so, do it.

I want to get their syndicate series, they look stock but have modern features etc