AYC gauge in centre clock

[apeman69]

Inspired by MarkSanne's "AYC extra (external LEDs) in a-pillar mod" (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47449) and bigsed's "It's Boost-a-clock" (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49337) threads but a little disheartened at the recent Eurospec RR day by tw5jim's "Wonky boost gauge in what used to be a clock" (only joking Jim, but it did give me quite a chuckle), I've finally got the bits I need to put a second standard AYC gauge in the centre clock area.
I got a high vis VR-4 dash clock thingy and a centre clock (the one that tells you the time, if it works!)
I chopped the high vis dash to bits and took the clock apart.
What I ended up with was the AYC gauge circuitry that I will be fitting into the spare clock I acquired. I got a spare clock just in case I damaged mine on removal or botched the job totally.
Anyway I know that there were some wiring problems with MarkSanne's LEDs but what I am intending to do is simply extent the circuit from the AYC gauge in the dash to a second AYC gauge in the clock.
I have thought about this and I think that all I will need to do is run a wire from each of the AYC gauge terminals to the respective one in the AYC gauge in the clock.
Can someone please confirm that my thinking on this is correct before I try to actually get at the AYC gauge circuitry within my dash in the car?
If so then I can wire the clock part and assemble the gauge within the clock (with a bit of modification to the clock fixings) in readiness for waking up one day feeling brave and hacking at my dashboard.
Thanks all.

Pics attached of the front and rear of the AYC gauge circuit removed from the donor dash and with the AYC 'graphic' attached and ready for fitting into the clock.

[apeman69]

Here's an idea of how it should look. I toyed with chopping the inside of the clock display apperture fixing so that the graphic 'AYC' was on display in the clock area and then thought that it's a lot of effort for no real gain. The AYC bars will be on show and it will look more stealthy without 'AYC' on show all the time. The lettering is a much brighter white than the AYC bars and you would be able to see it generally.
Sorry about the pics but it is difficult to get a good shot what with lighting, reflections etc.

[MarkSanne]

Oh I like this mod a LOT when it's done. I think your plan should work. I'll read this thread again tonight and refresh my memory on my own mod to see if I understand.

[apeman69]

I can't see why it shouldn't work because I'm just, effectively, extending the gauge circuits..... I think

[Turbo_Steve]

That'll look great! I was thinking of doing something not dissimilar with coloured LEDs in the "clock buttons" holes (and moving the buttons elsewhere).

This looks pretty slick, though.

[apeman69]

Thanks for the kind words.
I've just spent the last 2 hours whittling away at the innards of the clock housing in order to enable fitment of the AYC gauge circuit (well a lot of that time was waiting for the dremel to charge in between chopping sessions).
Here's a couple of pics of the gauge fitted into the clock housing. I am surprised at exactly how good a fit it is once the whole available space has been opened up. AYC gauge should have been here in the first place with a roof mounted clock I reckon.
I haven't fixed the gauge in place yet (though there is little movement and it really only needs a bit of padding such as strategically placed double sided foam tape) as I intend to solder the wiring connections before fitting it in the clock for good.
The side of the circuit board hangs out of the right hand side of the clock housing by about an inch but this doesn't intrude on any of the other fittings I have for the clock and shroud. Hopefully there'll be nothing in the way of this protrusion when I get it in the car.
Can you get to the back of the dash clocks without removing the whole cluster? I know that taking the dash apart will mean the wiring process itself will be much easier but I only need to connect 4 wires to 4 screws. Has anyone had a go at anything dash-clock-cluster-related from underneath the steering wheel? I'll have a look myself at some point but if anyone knows it'll save me finding my torch.

[Confused]

Looking very good

Might have to steal this idea!

[elnevio]

It's upside-down!

[apeman69]

It's upside-down!

Trust me it isn't. I wrote 'TOP' on every piece of plastic with a permanent marker to make sure of that one!

[Kryton]

Nicely done. Like it

[bigsed]

Nice work. I was thinking of doing AYC but opted for the boost clock in the end. There will be less and less "my clock doesnt work" threads around from now on I think!

[SGHOM]

Good work

So that's the A pillar sorted & the clock sorted .... Who's going to do the HUD where it will be most useful ?

[apeman69]

I've got to get the wiring sorted next and I think I'll probably use USB cables. I've got loads of them from old mobile phones and I'll buy a USB extension cable for the female (or is it male?) connector so I can plug one into the other and cut the plugs off the other end of each cable. I'll solder the bare wires to ring terminals that will then be attached to the AYC circuitry using the four mounting screws that attach the gauge to the dash. I think that using this 'plug and socket' approach to wiring it up will make it a bit easier to test and/or change the wiring configuration should I mess it up.
Then I can test the thing to make sure it works and it's at this point that I'll find I've got the AYC gauge upside down, Nev.
I know I should have tested the wiring theory before chopping up the clock but I got a bit carried away yesterday morning when the two parcels arrived and I'm convinced it will work.
I'll update when I've made some progress (probably at the weekend) though I'm not looking forward to removing the dash from my car just to get at four little screws.

[miller]

I think three big green neons across the length of the rear windscreen wired up to the AYC lights with a dark background tint would do just fine!!!

[apeman69]

Well it goes through the self-test when the ignition is on.
I'll go for a drive in a bit and find out for definite if the bars are upside down.

[aboo]

Nice work. Looks a bit like KIT from knight rider

Can you make it talk to you

[Geraint]

thats a fantastic modification very clever.

[apeman69]

I wish the Mrs thought the same. I picked her up from her parent's house on saturday night about an hour after I had completed the job. As is usual when she visits her parents, she was worse for ware due to the drink.
She said to me "You spent all that time on that. It's a black space where the clock used to be. The clock was useful. That doesn't even work." She proceeded to bang the dash board with her fist and then attempted to remove the clock forcibly before I went apesh!t. Apparently she thought a wire was not connected properly and was trying the old TV repair trick.
After a few muttered sentences from me she said "You spent all that time on that. It's just a black space. All that time so you can tell if you're going around a roundabout too fast?"
Given that I was completely sober and she was far from this, needless to say my enthusiasm and sense of pride from doing this modification took quite a sharp beating that evening.
She has since appologised and I have not yet let her forget about her drunken antics.
BTW the gauge works perfectly and as expected.

Anybody want to buy my original clock? In great condition and full working order.

[apeman69]

Nice work. Looks a bit like KIT from knight rider
Can you make it talk to you

No, not needed as I've got a TWIT that talks to me. See above post.

[scott.mohekey]

An even cooler mod, which would retain the use of the clock, is to make the clock say COOL when the ayc is on, or something along those lines. You might be able to fit AYC1, AYC2, AYC3 in there.

Of course.. getting the clock to do this will be nigh on impossible.