EliteCM.net

So any of you who already know me from v6p probably know of my s2k project... but for those who dont any way want to tackle the project themselves.. I'm going to spill the info i gathered and developed since I started this project back in september 08.


The s2000 cluster is a fully digital display with no moving needles. the cluster is comprised of a backlit panel with a LCD in front of it, that turns "off" to display numbers... therefore the LCD itself acts as a window to the panel behind it.. and you can change the color of the display to whatever you'd like by changing the color of that panel.  here are pictures of the stock cluster i received (this is a ap1 cluster- 2000 - 2003 models)

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02101.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02095.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02098.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02099.jpg)


now... the 7th gen accord is a smart car.. too smart for the s2k cluster. the s2k cluster has a dedicated wire for each of the signals (door, turn, trunk, high beam, etc). the 7th gen accord however receives most of its data through can buses.. meaning the data is computerized and sent to the cluster through 2 or 3 wires, then decoded within the cluster. this means that to connect each wire in the s2k cluster... i would have to hunt around the car for those wires, instead of being able to connect them to the accord's cluster harness.

furthermore, the accord is smart enough to know when an *accord cluster* is plugged into it. when no cluster is detected, the car throws a CEL. therefore, I bought an accord cluster as well... and stripped it to its bare bones of a circuit board.. and wired LEDs to that board to be fed into the S2k.. this is what I came up with (first revision.. these wires were later replaced with thinner wires)

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02079.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02080.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02117.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02120.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02122.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02126.jpg)

new wiring with connectors:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02246.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02245.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02248.jpg)

therefore.. the accord circuit board will sit behind the s2k cluster plugged into the car to keep the car happy... and the indicator lights will be driven by the accord board. in this setup.. the s2k mostly acts as a new faceplate.

next i changed the color of the backlit panel from orange to this..

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02108.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02110.jpg)

it is essentially white... and in the tachometer... there is a red bar that increases as the RPMs sweep all the way to redline

next.. i had to deal with MPH, RPM, ECT, and Fuel signals. since the s2k uses different sensors and is a 4cyl (i'm working with a v6)... the signals in my accord are different and needed modifying.

using PIC microprocessors and some basic circuits i developed a converter box to read RPM, MPH, and ECT from the accord and convert it to the signals needed for the s2k to operate. the code for these signals was based on the code developed by members at clubintegra.net... some test videos:

indicator lights only test:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/th_MOV02128.jpg) (http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/?action=view&current=MOV02128.flv)
ECT and Speedo:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/th_MOV02254.jpg) (http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/?action=view&current=MOV02254.flv)

another vid
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/th_MOV02253-2.jpg) (http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/?action=view&current=MOV02253-2.flv)

finally for fuel... there was no easy way to modify the fuel signal... so i picked up a s2k fuel meter and glued it to the accord's stock meter, which was then placed in the gas tank. the rod from the s2k's meter is attached to the accord meter.. so that they sweep the same distance and speed. the plug in the accord's gas tank luckily had one unused slot through which i wired the connection from the s2k meter straight to the cluster

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02319.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02318.jpg)

and that brings me to where i am now... fabbing the bezel to surround the cluster.  I have 4 defi blackface gauges that will be installed around the cluster for Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, Fuel Pressure, and Boost/Vacum (I am N/A at this time with a 3.5L built by nva-av6).  through heavy modification of the accord bezel and fiberglassing... I am integrating the 4 gauges. I also have a AEM AFR gauge that i took apart and removed the numerical display.. which was placed directly in the corner of the bezel. the odometer display from the accord cluster is also installed on top of the bezel:
progression:
 (http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02149.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02307.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02306.jpg)
AFR display:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02309.jpg)
display button:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC02308.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/fiberg1.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/photo-2.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/photo-1.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/photo-1-1.jpg)


I am doing my best to have this completed in full by the end of june

enjoy! - Kai

EDIT- well after reading through my initial post it looks as if i took way too much credit for the developments made on this project.
MANY MANY MANY countless thanks to Paul (NVA-AV6) for the electronics help, Koneri and Othello of Clubintegra.net for their research and development of the signal conversions (they have a good thread over there detailing the research process as well), Marc Lamond's website outlining some of the details of the retrofit process, and last but not least Brian (Nexson on V6P) for his fiberglassing advice

UPDATE July 8, 2009
well, it's all come to this..

receiving coats of primer:
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0604.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0603.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0602.jpg)
paint
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0605.jpg)

INSTALLED!
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0606.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0622.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0623.jpg)

Openning sequence when the car is started
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0612.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0618.jpg)(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0616.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0615.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0614.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0613.jpg)


random shots
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0607.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0608.jpg)

thanks for following my progress!
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0621.jpg)


now the project is 98% done. i had embedded a bracket in the bezel for two screws to hold it in place in the car but forgot to drill out the holes. also one of the backlight LEDs in the cluster died so i have another en route. ALso, i will probably repaint the bezel since i realized in broad daylight the color doesnt totally mesh with the car's interior.

there are imperfections in the bezel that became much more apparent after painting... but i've exhausted the amount of time i allotted for this project and am pretty happy with how it came out. maybe at some point in the future ill rip it out and do some more bondo-ing to improve it. you can especially see some of the imperfections in the pictures above with the flash... but they arent as noticeable otherwise.

VIDEO TIME!

i turned the key on and then off... you can see the openning "ceremony" as Defi calls it... and then the closing "ceremony"

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/th_MOV02323.jpg) (http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/?action=view&current=MOV02323.flv)

Good to see you got some of the fiber glass done. This thing looked bad ass last time I saw it even when it's not complete. Cant wait to see it come full circle!

Amazing work, cannot wait to see the finished project!! If you don't mind my asking how many hours do you have into this?

How much is this costing you? Looks like its going to be sweet. Cant wait to see the finished product

So, are you going to start mass-producing these for the rest of us?

too hard to say since I had to learn a LOT.. i didnt know anything about electronics going into this and there was a lot of research required. I'd say fabrication time ONLY (once I figured everything out), about 7-8 hours total so far not including fiberglassing

that wont be easy to do since a number of things are custom to each car (brackets). also i wont have time since I start law school in august.


thanks for the comments everyone

What no time?????? lol

guess i would have to increase the bribe!!!!! hahaha i only need the harness, the fab work i can get it done somewhere else...but the important thing would be the harness...

congrats on going to law school btw

very cool shit man... i was pondering the amount of hours also...

genuinely one of a kind man... awesome...

Yeah, I read the whole thread on v6p, good stuff, thanks for transfering the great info here as well... im glad it's coming along nicely...

Looks good man.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  If you need help with any of the electrical, let me know.  If I can't help, I know k.huston can help you out since he's fairly knowledgeable the the electrical areana.  I also spied a digi-key box in one of your pics. I just got my phone book sized parts catalog from them the other day.

You have got to love what people imagine and produce on these forums…

Great read can wait to see the finished product too…

wow this is really great work

Looks excellent !! can't wait to see the final result... Congrats on the law school.

That is really creative, however, I am not a big fan of digital speedometers. Too futuristic for me.

It may also be a good idea to put in high temp vynil in the speedo if you want to change the colors...

actually i just went to staples ang bought some plastic folders that i cut up to make the color panel in the speedo... i'll probably upgrade it to some higher quality photo gels later. but the cluster is backlit via LEDs now, so it doesnt heat up much at all

after rough sanding with 60 grit and some grinding wth the dremel..

fiberglass matt laid
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0309.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0310.jpg)

next: 2 types of bondo and lottss of sanding... then paint!

bondo-ing and sanding... way more pictures than necessary but here goes anyway
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0312.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0313.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0314.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0315.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0316.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0317.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0318.jpg)
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x40/kairajan/S2000%20cluster/DSC_0319.jpg)

since that last picture i got a lot more sanding done at home with the 220grit.... one i completely sand it with that i should just need to slap on some finishing compound and paint her up

It's coming together!

nice work kai, i cant wait to see the finished product

Can't wait to see how this turns out.  More pictures than necessary are appreciated.

this is amazing! I cannot wait to see the finished product.

+1 to what time said The more pics the better!!!

I wonder if you could replace all the LEDs for the speedometer to a different color...

Congrats on a cool project. It looks like it's coming together very well. Keep us all updated, and dont forget to write a DIY, lol.

original post updated

Nice! Why do you have two odometers? Wasn't it something about the integrated one not being compatible?

ahhhh i forgot to mention... the s2k odomoter will be blacked out by just using electrical tape over the backlighting for it beneath the s2k cluster glass. i totally forgot to do that thanks for reminding me. the accord odometer is more accurate due to minor errors in the speedo converter box.. and i will also still have my outdoor temp display with the accord odometer

are you goin to work up a diy?

Not bad.  I'm glad to see that you'll be re-working in the future.  I noticed the imperfections you mentioned.  Those shouldn't be too hard to fix though.  A little time sanding should get everything perfectly smooth and pretty.

Looking very good Kai!

VIDEO added to the original post

Now that's pure sex. I want one now.

I love how gauges now have "ceremonies".  Yours are fancier than mine though.  I only have an opening ceremony with mine.  The closing ceremony is that they go blank.

I love how your project came out, it looks f-ing sweet…

Suggestion;

Post everything on the OP easier to follow….

tim- what kind of gauges do you have?

ibc- will do, thanks for the suggestion

The final video and pictures are amazing. You did a really nice job, congrats!

AEM in my A Pillar and PLX in my gauge cluster.

WOWW plx has some nice gauges!! i had never heard of them before but now wish i had..maybe ill swap over to these at some point and sell my defis.



to those who asked if i'm making a DIY... hell no. there are way too many things that need to be done to get the cluster working, and in some ways is integrated into the car. if anyone is ambitious enough to take on this project... i will help you through email or PM.. and if there are actually enough people who start the project.. i'll make a formal writeup of the steps i took. i'll also make my code and circuit diagrams available via email.. the code and circuit are still evolving as i am trying to work out some bugs and make everything smoothing. it's certainly NOT for the weekend modder... this will take weeks if done in spare time, and will require a number of different tools and supplies. it also isnt for someone who just wants to pay to have it done... because the labor costs would be very high. a guy in england is charging 500 dollars to convert the signals in the s2k cluster for civics/integras/rsxs... and for our cars that is only about 60% of the conversion needed to make it fully work.  so i hope you all understand that i'm not trying to be a dick by not making a writeup... i just dont forsee enough people taking on the project to make it worth my time doing the writeup.

Wow man it looks amazing! I would love to have this, but i am not even remotly skilled enough to do this. Wish there was a way to just pay and have it done. Too bad. Please keep us updated, with videos of normal acceleration, hard accel. and things of the sort. Superb work kSchwiggy, superb work.

That's completely understandable. If someone wants to tackle this, be prepared to enter a world of hell Great job though!

The most I'm going to do to my cluster is tinting it blue, lol. The only thing is, I can't for the life of me find where to get the blue tint.

check ebay, search for high temp gel sheets or filters. if it helps they are used for filtering light on stage lights.

thanks fenix.. once the cluster operates smoothly i'll get some more vids up.

jeff- luckily for any followers... i've been through most of the hell, so it'd just be a matter of getting the tooling and materials and following instructions   . it's the first one thats always the hardest. also, like icebox said, look for gels. if you google search Color Gels you can find just about any color you want... i think they run like 5-10 dollars for a whole sheet

Sweet, thanks. I never knew what keywords to search for, and i would have never guessed color gels, lol.

Anyways, back OT, have you thought about replacing all the LEDs with a different color, like blue? Or even purple, lol! Or you could like fade the speedometer from left to right: green, yellow, then red.

the original cluster was backlit with regular incandescent bulbs which i already replaced with white LEDs. there are four LEDs that light the RPM band, and one in the middle behind the speedo. so you could put whatever color leds you want... OR you could just make a new color gel with whateever pattern you want to go in front of the white LEDs. in my case... i used a white gel with a strip of red for the increasing RPMs. that is also temporary... and I'll be reworking it later when i work on some of the cosmetics of the cluster.

i can also rearrange the Icons for CEL, doors, trunk, etc... and even make my own =) look for those little upgrades when im in between law school semesters and have some time for tinkering. right now 1st priority is getting the converter box up to full smooth operation now that the physical install of the cluster is done.

I love the ceremonies, I'm liking the progress!... Good choice on the lighting too, looks great..

2 things:
a> Why you kept the original millage on the upper gauge? Does not display into the S2K cluster?
b> What are the digital numbers on the left side?

2 things:
a> Why you kept the original millage on the upper gauge? Does not display into the S2K cluster?

at the time i wanted to keep my outdoor temp display, and also the accord odometer was more accurate than the s2k... now i have the s2k calibrated such that theyre just about the same so i may do away with the accords display. but it's still useful for maintenance information. if i do decide to keep it, i might black out the odometer display on the s2k
b> What are the digital numbers on the left side?
AEM air fuel ratio gauge that i disassembled and mounted only the numbers... the rest of the unit is under the steering wheel buried.