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Sat Nav or Three Gauges? I’ll have the lot, please!
Yes, you can have them all!
My 4.2S XK8 came with the satnav option, but it was already well out of date. Should I change to three gauges, or try for something a little different? Following my good luck in winning a RealGauge kit, generously donated to the forum by WhiteXKR Steve, I decided to add to my now-accurate coolant temperature gauge by installing an oil pressure gauge, while keeping the sat nav for later development. The details of that pressure gauge project are at https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...v+oil+pressure
but this photo shows it working, it having taken the place of the trip switch pack
The now displaced trip switch pack has been put in the sunglasses stowage box at the (RHD) driver’s right knee.
So the next step had to be to replace the original sat nav with something that would actually guide me to where I want to go!! I chose a Garmin Nuvi 2599 LMD-T that has enough up-to-date features to make it a really useful addition to the dashboard. My preferred method of fitting it was to make up an alloy bracket that not only positioned the screen correctly, but also provided fixing points to take the sat nav microphone and speaker on extended leads, behind the grills filling in the original sat nav switch panels.
The icing on the cake is that the Garmin Satnav accepts the output from the Garmin Bluetooth Reversing camera and that camera might have been designed to fit in place of the trunk button in the trunk finisher. The trunk button is easily re-positioned to the side and on the bottom edge of the finisher.
What was lost, however, was the analogue clock display of the OEM sat nav. This was fixed by fitting a quartz watch movement with a custom built case, dial and hands and fixing it in position as shown in this photo.
Nearly there now. Just the voltmeter to go. Now much derision has been and still is poured on the OEM coolant temperature and oil pressure gauges, hence the need for RealGauge, but the OEM voltmeter is hardly up to the task of interpreting battery condition really accurately.
To take account of the limited spaces to fit another meter and also to have one of high accuracy, I felt digital was the way to go. I purchased a superb quality instrument from RS Components and wired it to the battery terminals via a press-to-make switch and an inline fuse. The gauge itself is fitted in a custom built panel in place of the little tray in front of the J Gate.
Also there are two rocker switches – one to switch on the forward park assist and the other, a two way press-to-make switch operates the voltmeter when pressed back and the garage door opener when pushed forward. This switch allows an accurate battery voltage to be read at any time, ignition on or off, engine running or not, but without adding to the quiescent battery drain when the car is shut down and locked.
So there we are; an up-to-date sat nav plus a Jaguar styled oil pressure gauge and clock with a volt meter subtly completing the set. You can argue the aesthetics of my all-in arrangement against the traditional Jaguar three gauge layout, but I’m very happy. I’ve got the lot!
What a beautiful, elegant solution. I love it! And your voltmeter solution is sublime. What was the make of the voltmeter - I think I would like to have a go at that one
It's a Garmin Nuvi 2599 LMD-T that comes (in UK) with free lifetime map updates and subscription-free Traffic Alert. It's powered from an added powerpoint in the glovebox. The bracket arrangement to hold the screen in position is made of sheet aluminum, folded to dimensions arrived at by making trial cardboard patterns.
Originally Posted by Diddion
.....What was the make of the voltmeter - I think I would like to have a go at that one......
Manufactured by Murata, retailed by RS Components here
I didn't use the extra optional bezel that RS C offer, just fitted it directly in the black plastic sheet of the new panel.
Can I ask for some more information on this? The same unit is available from RS in the UK. The datasheet looks a little complex to me - so, before lashing out on it:
What did you connect to where?
I believe it uses a 5V supply? How did you create that?
Is this unit permanently on - ie when the button is not pressed to connect to the battery, does it show, for example, 0.0? If so, I might consider using a double pole switch, with one connecting to the battery, the other connecting the voltmeter supply.
I'm in UK so I have the same meter you're looking at.
There are just two connections. I used a direct wire from the battery negative terminal to the meter -ve post (to avoid using the body/chassis) and another wire from the battery +ve terminal, through a 5 amp inline fuse (close to the battery), to a Momentary press-to-make-switch and from there to the +ve post on the meter.
There's no 5v supply involved, just the vehicle battery supply.
If you connect directly without a switch, the current drain by the meter is about 2mA. A single pole switch is sufficient. When the switch is Off, the meter screen is blank. Its screen has no nighttime illumination.
Order from RS using RS's Part Number 810 3340. RS (UK) deliver next day at no charge, but require a signature!
Sat Nav or Three Gauges? I’ll have the lot, please!
