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Speedometer visibility issues

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I've taken the Roadster for a test drive 3 times now, and every time I have trouble reading the speedometer. I try not to go over the speed limit (by too much :biggrin:) but it's hard when you can't easily tell how fast you're going. In my Prius, there's a very handy digital display (see picture below) but in the Roadster I can't tell quickly if I'm going 62 or 68mph. Can the display below the tachometer be used to show the speed ?

Prius dashboard:
2423836077_3f57e65e20.jpg

Roadster dashboard:
2796383645_df8be2e94b.jpg
 
Your Tesla pic seems to be of the old "EP" design. Didn't you have the newer white on black dashboard?
2697394899_193ca1ab14.jpg




If all else fails, you could try an aftermarket add-on like this:

Odyssey Series I, Mini Speedometer
prd_sm_296.jpg
 
In my 1.5 Roadster with the JVC navigation unit, it has a nice screen that shows speed, 12 volt info and the clock. I hate the navigation part of the unit, but I always put the JVC unit into the speedometer mode so I can more clearly see what speed I am going. I'm use to some Toyota vehciles that have the speedometer in the center of the dash so it isn't a big change for me.
 
In my 1.5 Roadster with the JVC navigation unit, it has a nice screen that shows speed, 12 volt info and the clock. I hate the navigation part of the unit, but I always put the JVC unit into the speedometer mode so I can more clearly see what speed I am going. I'm use to some Toyota vehciles that have the speedometer in the center of the dash so it isn't a big change for me.

Isn't that speedometer a GPS based one, rather than actual road speed? The only problem with it is that there may be a time delay versus your real speed.
 
Yes, I'm assuming it is a GPS based one, but it seems to match pretty well with the actual speedometer (+ or - 2mph) when I compare them and there doesn't appear to be any practical delay in the readings it gives.
 
In my 1.5 Roadster with the JVC navigation unit, it has a nice screen that shows speed, 12 volt info and the clock. I hate the navigation part of the unit, but I always put the JVC unit into the speedometer mode so I can more clearly see what speed I am going. I'm use to some Toyota vehciles that have the speedometer in the center of the dash so it isn't a big change for me.

The double-din units have a similar display, and I use it all the time. But, 3 issues:

1. It is not in the drivers direct line of sight - eyes off the road.
2. It is slow to reflect changes in speed.
3. Lots of tunnels and underpasses where I live means the display is frequently wrong.

You might notice in the picture I also have a GPS-based radar detector up by the windshield. #1 is better for, that, but it still suffers from the other 2 issues.
 
Not sure if this is on-topic, but has anyone tried one of those little ODBII bus displays that can show customizable widgets (such as speed)? I've been holding back because I'm hoping to put a Tattler in my ODBII port.
 
They could simply replace the face of the odometer display and extend the lines to the center of the needle (with speed markings). That would be cheap and wouldn't require a firmware update.
 
Yes, I'm assuming it[the JVC unit] is a GPS based one, but it seems to match pretty well with the actual speedometer (+ or - 2mph) when I compare them and there doesn't appear to be any practical delay in the readings it gives.

Actually the JVC uses the speed pulses sent from the roadster to calculate the MPH. Initially, When the JVC is installed there is a cal proceedure that maps GPS speed to speed pulses. After that cal, it only uses the speed pulses. The GPS is too slow for MPH updates.

Not sure if this is on-topic, but has anyone tried one of those little ODBII bus displays that can show customizable widgets (such as speed)? I've been holding back because I'm hoping to put a Tattler in my ODBII port.

ODBII (driver side) won't work for two reasons: 1) No OBDII CAN messages on the port 2) OBDII baud rate on the roadster is 1Mbit, most tools expect 500K or less. The tattler uses the debug port on the passenger side.

I was talking to Scott[451] about this issue; he mused that the display is driven off of the CAN bus and that it may be easy for TM to send different messages, i.e. speed instead of current draw. That'd be the cheapest way and the one that I think 8 out 10 owners prefer.
Yes. I have successfuly overridden the LCD display. I replaced "trip" value on the LCD with mph since trip is also available via the VDS. The LCD still shows "29.5 mi Trip", but "29.5" is actually the current MPH. I don't know if the CAN controller on the tattler is fast enough to make it work without the LCD flickering. but it is on my todo list...


Now that I've switched from a 1.5 to a 2.5 it's much harder to see the speedometer. On the 1.5 the speedo is on the right so 55-75 is kind of near the center of the binicle. So I could slump down and see the speed. On the 2.5, the speedo is on the left and I can't see it at all.
 
Actually the JVC uses the speed pulses sent from the roadster to calculate the MPH. Initially, When the JVC is installed there is a cal proceedure that maps GPS speed to speed pulses. After that cal, it only uses the speed pulses. The GPS is too slow for MPH updates.

I have a really old Garmin unit that shows (fairly accurate) MPH even though it doesn't connect to the car for anything other than power. So, at least some GPS can do MPH from the sat signal. I think that Garmin has a fairly slow processor too. On the other hand, the Roadster can change MPH more quickly than any of the cars I had my own GPS in...:wink:
 
I have a really old Garmin unit that shows (fairly accurate) MPH even though it doesn't connect to the car for anything other than power. So, at least some GPS can do MPH from the sat signal.

They all can (unless you have an antique one). Most boats rely on GPS for speed indication as the thru-hull speed wheels get clogged up with seagrass and/or barnacles on a regular basis. LE on the water rarely gives speeding tickets unless you are blatantly racing through a no-wake zone.
 
My relatively new Garmin has a reasonably fast update rate, but it's still slower than the VDS. But what it displays agrees very well with the VDS.

(One caveat - the Garmin doesn't work worth beans in downtown Toronto; must be multipath from all the tall buildings. Strangely enough the crappy JVC's GPS, which sometimes indicates that my garage is in a local river, has no trouble at all with that!)
 
(One caveat - the Garmin doesn't work worth beans in downtown Toronto; must be multipath from all the tall buildings. Strangely enough the crappy JVC's GPS, which sometimes indicates that my garage is in a local river, has no trouble at all with that!)

My old Garmin also has my location jumping off into random places when I drive between tall buildings.
I think the car integrated GPSes tend to avoid this because they use car speed sensors (and maybe even steering angle sensors) to know when to ignore GPS readings and internally conclude "this must be multi-path as the car hasn't really suddenly driven over there."

The best car integrated GPS systems seem to consider and correlate multiple sources of input to make a "best guess" as to your actual location, speed, etc.
Also helpful and welcome as you drive through tunnels.
 
for the roadster though, it is not integrated that way since it is not an OEM part. however, the separate antenna in any in-car system including the one in the roadster is much stronger than the integrated antennas in portable systems such as the garmin
 
I have a really old Garmin unit that shows (fairly accurate) MPH even though it doesn't connect to the car for anything other than power. So, at least some GPS can do MPH from the sat signal. I think that Garmin has a fairly slow processor too. On the other hand, the Roadster can change MPH more quickly than any of the cars I had my own GPS in...:wink:
Same here. My decade-old Garmin GPS III+ served as my speedo after my CRX Si was stolen and the instrument cluster was taken - the car was recovered. It's slow, but not any slower than my dad's Ford Thunderbird with digital dash. I spent about 5 years using the GPS for speed and odometer (with no fuel gauge, I had to be really familiar with the car's average mpg). I did finally find an instrument cluster on eBay, and it's surprisingly reassuring to see a needle smoothly flow from speed to speed.
 
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Strangely enough the crappy JVC's GPS, which sometimes indicates that my garage is in a local river, has no trouble at all with that!

The JVC does get a speed signal from the car so goes into dead-reconing mode when it looses the gps signal, which isn't often as it has an external GPS receiver. I'm not sure where it is though. It might be in the same location as the garmin gps used by Tesla. That's located under and ahead of the left-hand headlamp.

Sorry, please resume normal topic...