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Subject Finally did something Z related. Defi-Link hacking :-) >>
     
Posted by Greg (Dallas) on November 26, 2003 at 6:23 PM
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Message A) Defi-Link system is awesome. :-)
B) Defi-Link system is friggin expensive :-(
C) Defi-Link system only handles ONE EGT per control unit :-(
D) Greg is lazy and doesn't want to mount two control units


Solution:

Hotwire the two units together so that button presses on one trigger button presses on the other! :-)))

I may turn this into a tech page in the future.

Steps:
1. Buy two control units to go with two EGT's
2. Break open the control units (5 screws) to expose the breadboard.
3. Buy two RJ-45 connectors and a short run of Cat 5 cable.
4. There are 4 solder points per button. The front left one is the signal wire.
5. Cut a length of the cat5 wire, and pick colors for each button (choices are irrelevant but must be matched on both units).

6. Here's all 6 buttons wired on one of the units:


7. Leave some of the wire exposed out the side of the control unit and attach an RJ-45 connector. I used some from Radio Shack.


8. Dremel off the corner of the control unit breadboard to make room for the wires with the cover on.


9. Dremel a hole out of the side of the top cover to make room for the wires to run through the case.

10. Test bench! Connect up the cat5 cable and the gauges to the control units. Wire the power cables to battery using hi-tech black tape method :-)

11. Example: Pressing the peak button on one unit causes all gauges (including the EGT on the other unit) to go into peak mode.

Voila! One interface, two control units, two EGT gauges. The only downside is setting the warning levels. It's done in a round robin fashion where each click of 'Warning' cycles to the next gauge. Since the second control unit only has an EGT, that one is always active while the gauges on the other unit cycle. This means when I adjust boost warning (for example) it also adjusts that second EGT. I have to then cycle to where my first EGT is selected (on the first unit) and adjust everything to zero, then adjust back up so the EGT warnings are correct.

I'm thinking about installing a second pushbutton switch on the 'warning' lead that will essentially disconnect the second unit allowing you to only update the second EGT when the first EGT is selected on the first control unit. Oh well.. not perfect but a hell of a lot better than having to mess with two control unit button panels.

Also, peak, record, playback are all synchronized and handled from the one control unit. :-)

Thanks out to Damon for the idea of using RJ45 to connect the two units.


Mr. K gets it!

     
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