[ale] [OT] was need 5" android ... obd ... now setting up the UltraGauge

Ron Frazier (ALE) atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com
Sat Sep 21 03:04:16 EDT 2013


Hi all,

I wanted to give you an update on my project.  I bought the UltraGauge.  
It came today.  I spent a good bit of time looking over the pdf manual 
from the website and setting up the thing.  First impressions, I REALLY 
like it.  It's doing exactly what I want displaying 6 important pieces 
of info that I wouldn't have access to otherwise.  And, it has 7 
customizable screens I can use for different purposes.  I'll have to see 
about it's performance and longevity over time, but, as of this moment, 
I'm impressed.  I recommend the device.  My total cost for the device + 
window mount + shipping was about $ 88.  There's a rebate of $ 10 I can 
get if I want to take their quiz and prove I read critical parts of the 
manual.

It's about the size of a deck of playing cards, maybe smaller.  It's 
definitely more compact than a 5" tablet or gps, so it's easier to place.

Here are some tips if you decide to get one of these.

CRITICAL - Please ... PLEASE ... follow the directions and do not 
operate the menu while driving.  Even looking at the device while 
driving can distract you.  I had a close call when traffic on the 
freeway decided to bunch up at an awkward time.  I was only looking at 
it.  The same applies to ScanGauge, or tablet / phone.

 From the main gauge screen, if you press the menu button or the page 
button, you may feel that the buttons are broken if there is no 
response.  They're probably not broken.  In fact, they're pretty 
sensitive.  If it's busy updating gauges, it may not respond to a short 
button press.  Just hold the button for a second or so.  It will work.

If an alarm goes off that you don't like, you have lots of flexibility 
to control them.  You can turn all alarms off.  You can turn the audible 
alert off.  You can enable / disable each individual gauge alarm 
separately as well as enabling / disabling pending trouble code alarms 
and trouble code alarms.  You don't have to give up using the alarms 
because one is annoying you.  The first time one goes off, it may 
startle you.  Just calmly assess the situation.  The  current alarm can 
be suspended by pressing the down key until the next time the car is 
turned off.

You really NEED to read the manual to get the most out of this device, 
and to some extent, to even get it to work accurately.  It's not hard, 
but there are many options.  The manual is clear, but doesn't always 
explain exactly when you need to do things in what order in an obvious way.

Here's what you must do, in order, to make the device work accurately.  
Many of these would probably apply to ScanGauge or Torque Pro.

1) Enter your engine size

2) Enter your fuel tank size

3) Properly set the fuel injector cutoff.  Almost all non diesel cars 
with fuel injectors cut the fuel off when coasting above a certain speed 
in gear.  There is a parameter you need to set for this to work 
properly, unless your car doesn't have this feature.  (Note, this is for 
the gauge to work properly.  The car should work properly regardless, 
whether you can measure it or not.)

4) Distance traveled calibration.  This is important.  Your car's 
odometer may not be accurate.  This was the case in mine, and it was 
reading low.  So, if I went 7.5 miles, it would read 7.4.  Not huge, but 
it will screw up all your distance and MPG readings.  In my case, a 
mileage correction factor of 1.008 was installed.  Find a mile marker 
where you can STOP to set up the test.  Go to another at least 3 miles 
away and STOP to complete the test per instructions in the manual.  
Don't use your odometer as a reference as it's what you're trying to 
correct.

5) MPG calibration.  Also important.  You will track how much fuel you 
add at one or more fill ups and let the device know.  It will apply a 
correction factor to the calculations.  (Not stated in the manual, but I 
think winter fuel blends may change the accuracy.)  (This IS in the 
manual: Switching between blended and unblended fuel will result in 
inaccurate fuel usage for vehicles which have a MAP sensor and no MAF* 
sensor.)

6) Not really mandatory but recommended.  Go to the version screen and 
note the firmware version and date, fuel sender type, mpg sensor type, 
and protocol.

7) If you have a fuel sender (I don't), you may have to tweak it's usage 
mode by the Ultra-Gauge.  If you have a fuel sender, the gauge can auto 
detect fill ups under certain conditions.  If you don't you must notify 
the unit when you fill up using the buttons.  (In my case, obviously, 
the car has a sender in the tank, but it's not reported to OBD.)

8) If you have a MAP sensor rather than a MAF sensor, there are extra 
calibration procedures.  Mine is MAF.  (Don't ask me what that means.)

9) Make a sun shade for the device or be prepared to remove it from the 
dash on very hot days.  This is important.  The warranty is voided by 
damage from temperatures exceeding 160 degrees F.  I think I'll try a 
styrofoam cup (maybe with tin foil) and cracked open windows.  One of 
the gauges you can bring up on the screen is the internal temperature of 
the device.  By default it has an alarm set to go off if this 
temperature exceeds 145 degrees F.  I want to avoid dismounting the 
device if possible.

This will get you up and running.

Once this is done, you will probably want to:

10) Reduce the maximum back light brightness to 80%.  This reduces heat 
build up.

11) Customize the different screen pages of gauges to what you want.

12) Disable some pages, or set other page settings

13) Enable / disable / customize the alarms subsystem.

14) Make sure the device activates and deactivates automatically when 
starting or shutting off the car.  Otherwise, see battery drain in the 
manual.

15) Deal with any (unlikely) problems like forcing the protocol 
selection or MPG sensor usage.  On mine, everything was recognized 
automatically with no problem.

16) If your car has one of a couple of slow protocols (as my Hyundai 
does), optionally optimize for a faster refresh rate.  You must reset 
this if you move the device to another vehicle.

17) Possibly use the device to poll and clear any trouble codes.  There 
are much better code scanners, but this does the basics.  However, if 
you have a real or persistent trouble code or check engine light on, let 
your mechanic look at it or talk to him before clearing it.  You may be 
erasing important evidence he needs to troubleshoot your problem.

Well, that's it for now.  I definitely recommend this device (caveat - 
after 1 day of use) to anyone in need of a small but versatile OBD-II 
monitoring gauge / alarm system / code scanner for your car.  Read the 
manufacturer's policies regarding returns, warranty, and support; and 
know the limitations.  But, I think it's a good deal.

Hope this is helpful to anyone interested in the topic.

Sincerely,

Ron


On 9/17/2013 12:45 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
> Hi Neal,
>
> You've got some good points there.  The stand alone devices do have 
> some definite advantages.  If I was to use a tablet, I'd start it 
> before moving the car and preset the gauges I want to see and then not 
> bother it.    Even so, while the tablet might power up automatically 
> when the car is turned on, and could be configured to run without a 
> password; I don't know if I could set it to autostart the torque program.
>
> Still doing research, but I may go with this:
>
> http://www.ultra-gauge.com/
>
> It has some very advanced configuration options documented in the 
> manual, including automatic fill up detection (if the car has the 
> right sensors), automatic display dimming, detailed mpg calibration, 
> and odometer accuracy calibration.  It displays up to 6 gauges at once 
> and costs $ 60.  Looks pretty interesting.
>
> faq - http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/FAQ.htm
> bigger faq - 
> http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/UltraGauge_Support_LP.html
> knowledge base - http://ultra-gauge.com/customer_support/knowledgebase.php
> user manual - 
> http://ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/support/Ultra_Gauge_EM_1_2_Manual_3_30_13.pdf
> product demo - http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/TEN/product_demo.htm
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron
>
>
> On 9/16/2013 10:40 PM, Neal Rhodes wrote:
>> >From a safety standpoint I'd stick with the Scanguage.   It's the 
>> simplest to place, easiest to read, and you can put it such that you 
>> can see it without taking eyes far off the road.
>>
>> I do have torque and an odb reader and never use it.
>>
>> Scanguage IIs also can calibrate to your fuel injection system and 
>> keep track of your fuel consumption, such that they can predict 
>> exactly how many miles you have left before empty.   (basically by 
>> counting number and length of each fuel injection pulse)    In the 
>> truck, which shows empty when there are 6 gallons left, this is 
>> helpful for planning gas stops accurately.    Especially when you 
>> have to find USLD instead of gasoline.
>>
>> I don't recall other Android ODB software doing that in a way that 
>> I'd trust.
>>
>> I really think the 4 button Scanguage is the way to go.   Dorking 
>> around with the UI on an Android device while driving is just too 
>> distracting.
>>
>> Neal Rhodes
>> MNOP Ltd


-- 

(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new email messages very quickly.)

Ron Frazier
770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
linuxdude AT techstarship.com
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