Thinking of a new gadget...

[Csory_imp]

Yup, got it, just asking so i did not make any "impossible to input" request, by the way i'm for the third option or a variety of it, close encounters of 3rd kind, can still remember that one, made an impression on me, nice movie, and i'm with you on the choice of the led display

Yeah, now that you mention it - but that spaceship disappeared at the end scene the other way around

[Cormanus]

Thanks for the explanation Csory. Keep going and pay no attention to anyone who can't add valuable technical advice. Can the smiley. Yee-haw will be just fine.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Perhaps I should've better explained design constraints and considerations...

(a) form factor: wanted something as unobtrusive and nondistracting as possible. Creating something that is as small as it can be (within my design and building skills, yet remaining legible) was definitely a goal. The only place on the CB1100's instrument cluster available (at least to my eyes) was right above the small Honda logo. This defines the gadget's exterior dimensions.

(b) reliability and sunlight-visibility: optimal solution would be a trans-reflective LCD, with back lighting. This is the same display type Honda uses. However, I was unable to get hold of any right-sized such displays, and don't have the financial resources to have one manufactured... I have a candidate in my project box, but it is much wider (1.5x or so) than the current display. Second best was the LED display - good visibility, quite rugged, and available in different colors and sizes. Went with this one.

( c) ease of use: 7-segment displays don't require the computing and memory capacity graphical displays do. Maybe I could squeeze in a larger microcontroller and have a graphical OLED display, but that would be a can of worms. OLEDs, so popular these days, are prone to burn-in and fading over time, not really UV proof, and have lower surface brightness than LEDs. Also, just could not find anything with the right size

(d) limitations of the selected display module: the 7-segment display I went with is really just what the name says. It can show 3 numbers, with decimal points between them, and nothing more. (Actually, 7 tiny glowing bars and a dot per number). You can imagine how easy it is to make "graphics" with this - or just a proper "w" letter...

Conclusion: I'll finalize the gadget using this type of display and see if it works okay. If I'll ever have the feeling that a graphical display would significantly improve user experience, will go and make another prototype...

Ha! "...will go and make another prototype..."!!
Just like that! Beautiful!

Ha! "...will go and make another prototype..."!!
Just like that! Beautiful!
I think based on your internal requirements and early feedback, you did a fine job with minimal or no scope creep. V1.0 success I'd say.

[Csory_imp]

This will be a multi-part post to show installation steps on an '18 EX. It should be about the same on most bikes, the only difference being the source of switched 12V. For this, I went with the OEM Honda grip heater installation manual. It utilizes the fused/switched rear light circuit, and found it "good enough" to be used for a USB charger and this gadget too. On earlier models ('16 and before I guess?) there should be a brown connector in the headlight assembly for the same purpose, making installation easier.

The general outlook is unassuming and reserved, just what I hoped for. Used 2-sided outdoor tape to fix the gadget above the Honda-logo and installed the wiring from there working towards the rear of the bike.




Step1: Disconnect battery. Remove seat and the tank bolt. Lift the rear end of the tank as much as wiring/fuel lines allow, about 2". Support with a piece of wood (that white thingy I used is turned to size from a teflon rod, just because I could )



Step2: Remove right side cover. Pull the plastic boot up from the right-topmost connector. Disconnect the connector - the brown wire is where +12V will be sourced from (Note: I have already "hard-sliced" a USB charger there, that's the red wire). Honda's installation manual recommended splicing blocks, but I much prefer soldering...




Step 3: It might be easier to have someone with small hands to help with getting to narrow spaces



Thread the wiring loom, along with the oil temp sensor behind the headlight. No hard rules here: just follow all the other wires, exiting on the right side (as looking from driving position). This will help us later in getting to the right side cover where power and earth will be connected. Let the oil temp sensor branch of the loom dangle just behind the right oil cooler tube (that is the forward side, with warmer oil). There is a section of flexible pipe of about 4" used to compensate for thermal expansion and vibrations. We'll use that to fix the sensor to. It is barely visible from the outside, and black (as opposed to the piping itself, being shiny chrome) which further helps to blend cabling in.



Step 4: Put on two medium-sized zip ties around the pipes on the right side of the cooler, but leave them loose. Slide them down along the tube all the way down to the black tubing and secure the oil temp sensor in place with them. Thighten as good as you can and clip ends short.

[Rocky_imp]

Great stuff Love the puddy tat

[Csory_imp]

Step 5: Tuck the long end of the loom behind the little "ear" on the frame. Put a zip-tie around the wire fixing it to the gas cables, but again, leave it loose a bit - just enough so that you can push it further back under the tank. The little ear and this zip will keep wiring neatly out of sight, and we saved removing the tank...



Tuck in the wire towards the rear end of the tank and add another zip-tie to hold it in place.



Step 6: follow the other wires down and around the airbox (ended up removing the airbox cover for the photo but it might not be necessary). Thread the wire under the right-side cover where we exposed the rear-light connector earlier. It is always better to form a "drip loop" when routing wires on a bike, so let it run upwards a bit from the bottom and don't just cut off the wire going straight for the connector.



Step 7: Splice (or solder) the positive wire to the brown cable in the connector. Connect negative wire using the ring terminal to the battery. (I created a ground terminal right under the cover for the USB charger earlier and re-used that, but it is not necessary.)

Reconect connector, pull back the plastic boot and re-arrange other wires/connectors under the cover. Put back the cover. Remove support, lower the tank and put back tank bolt. Reconnect battery. Reinstall seat.

Aaaaand... Congratulations, you're done
Somewhat anxiously, fired up the engine... Battery voltage shows up nicely, along with LCU (lowest cranging voltage) being 8.8V, and oil temp at 20C. The display is too bright, will adjust it a bit later. Will go for a ride now and see how it performs And by the way, added the flashing method to select C/F and also select any of the 5 intro "movies". Will keep posting...

[Toro5xi_imp]

Very Cool thanks for the detailed post

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nice and comprehensive Csory.



The red enamel looks great even in the closed garage.

This is really good the project has aligned to expectations.

- - -

I reckon you have more to share, but I will ask nevertheless:

* As you ride, will the display "settle down" and just show battery and/or oil temperature periodically?
* If showing blank (sleeping display?), will the display show when a voltage and temperature status has changed? Example: When the temperature changes from 29C to 30C.
* After initial engine start-up report out, does the "OIL" still flicker when riding?
* If so, would it make usability sense to display the battery voltage simply as a decimal number and the oil temperature as a non-decimal number? That is, the rider should know the decimal numbers, by default, refer to the battery status. The non-decimal number is oil temperature whether in C or F. My motive for bringing this up is to simplify the report out without distracting the rider with "flickery" prompts.

Just some lame thoughts.

[Bazbro_imp]

Absolutely superb, Csory.
I also wonder at what point the display "settles down"?

I would like mine to possibly cover the Honda logo... I wonder what that would look like? I think the Honda badge looks like a "blanking plug", like those used on cheap spec cars to cover unused switch positions! Csory's display could have been what Honda were thinking and meanwhile plugged the hole with their logo!!

[Csory_imp]

Bazbro: the "algorithm" of the display right now:

0. User menu (if selected by 3 direct flashes at the bottom of the unit within 15s after power-up), as long as it takes.

1. Boot-time animation, user selectable out of 6 different eye-candies.

2. Battery voltage until engine fired up, but at least 10s

3. Lowest cranking voltage after engine fired up, for 10s with flashing"LCU" message once per second

4. Oil temp displayed until oil gets warmer than 60C/140F with flashing "OIL" message once per second. Should oil temperature not rise to this level after 20 minutes (might happen in extreme circumstances) it switches to air temp display.

5. Air temp displayed (no flashing markers, just the temperature). I believe this could be considered as "settled down"

To install over the Honda logo I'll have to create an alternative housing. Temp sensor, light sensor, cables will have to be routed through the forward looking side (bottom side would be unusable, being the mating surface...)
GoldOxide: Thanks

* Please see my previous post about the current "algorithm" and timings. It settles down to air temp only.

* It's a bit like NYC - never sleeps

* Oil flickers once per sec until engine gets warmed up a bit (60C or 140F). If it does not warm up after 20 minutes it stops flickering anyways and goes to air temp. Flickering is meant to "warn" the rider to be easy on the throttle.

* Using the decimal/non decimal as a visual clue is a great idea! Now that you came up with it, I can even use the decimal points as a "marker" - have 3 of them! Say, 2 on the left could be air temp, 2 on the right oil temp, single one battery, or something along these lines...

A few things I learned from yesterday riding:

1. The display is too bright. Will have to reduce current (i.e. change in hardware). This will - as a side effect - extend the life expectancy of the display and also cut down power consumption (now around 10 milliamps, but will be about halved - practically nothing with a running alternator).

2. The display is too "reflective", i.e. direct sunlight makes it look busy with detail. Its not distracting, just not as pleasing as it could be. Will change the housing and move the display deeper behind the glass (about the same depth as the instrument panel LCD is). Will also try covering with a thin layer of matte lacquer.

3. Thermal coupling between the oil temp sensor and the oil line is crappy. It keeps showing oil temp at 55C even under extended load (riding up the mountains), after stopping it jumps to normal levels. Must be wind cooling effect. Will cover in aluminum tape and see if that helps. In that case will have to come up with an alternate method to mount the sensor to the oil line. If the problem lies with the engine cutting off (shunting) oil cooler depending on load and temp, will have to move the sensor to somewhere on the crankcase.

4. Flickering OIL (and LCU) messages are a bit too obnoxious. Will change to non-flickering ones (or just a few slow blinks) and see. Might be easier on the eyes - and less prone to cause problems for people with lurking PSE (photosensitive epilepsy).

Also, what Bazbro asked for: to have a mounting option over the "Honda" logo would require a new (bigger) housing to flow nicely with the outline. May even opt for splitting display and "brains" for better look.
Oh, just one more thing: if you fire up the engine while the boot-time animation is still running, it will entirely "miss" the lowest-cranking-voltage reading. (The microcontroller is busy animating, and does not read sensors during that phase). I can't do anything about this - to put it simple, the micro has not enough program space to make boot-time animations multi-tasked...