Notices
RX-8 Discussion General discussion about the RX-8 that doesn't fit in one of the specialty forums.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

Dumb Question Thread - no flaming or sarcasm allowed

Thread Tools
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Aug 27, 2013 | 05:43 PM
  #2576  
Slidin8's Avatar
Un-Registered User
 
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 3
From: NZ Brahhhhh
Originally Posted by Chrishoky

I have ordered from Mazmart twice in the last two months. No problems with my order, fast shipping
He asked brettus for a kiwi point of view so your answer is kinda irrelevant
Reply
Old Aug 27, 2013 | 06:08 PM
  #2577  
Stephen T's Avatar
Bikes are Rotaries
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
From: Kerikeri, NZ
Originally Posted by Slidin8
He asked brettus for a kiwi point of view so your answer is kinda irrelevant
It's all good info though. Plus, it's always nice to see the good guys get a plug! By the way, I finally pm'd you. Technology tricked me the first time. Lol
Reply
Old Aug 27, 2013 | 09:57 PM
  #2578  
Chrishoky's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,186
Likes: 49
From: North Wales, PA
Originally Posted by Slidin8
He asked brettus for a kiwi point of view so your answer is kinda irrelevant
I had no idea that was his intention, my bad!
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 03:37 PM
  #2579  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
Possibly stupid question of my own, but the words used are so commonly used with other purposes that I can't find much information at all via google.

Anyone know if there are LED "strip" gauges out there? As in, a strip/string/line/whatever of LEDs that light up progressively based on input voltage.

There is the basic essence of this in gauges that have LEDs around the outside edge that light up progressively like this:



... but I'm curious about ones that are physically linear in design configuration, rather than circular, like this: (except perhaps changing in color from one end to the other)


"LED strip" is just lighting strips and stuff, "LED gauge" is all normal gauges, mixing the two just mixes those two results, and anything else I'm trying gets even farther.

Maybe I'm brain dead though, and missing something.

Last edited by RIWWP; Aug 28, 2013 at 03:39 PM.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 04:03 PM
  #2580  
bladeiai's Avatar
Plus One...
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 501
Likes: 0
From: Frederick, MD
Originally Posted by RIWWP
Possibly stupid question of my own, but the words used are so commonly used with other purposes that I can't find much information at all via google.

Anyone know if there are LED "strip" gauges out there? As in, a strip/string/line/whatever of LEDs that light up progressively based on input voltage.

There is the basic essence of this in gauges that have LEDs around the outside edge that light up progressively like this:



... but I'm curious about ones that are physically linear in design configuration, rather than circular, like this: (except perhaps changing in color from one end to the other)


"LED strip" is just lighting strips and stuff, "LED gauge" is all normal gauges, mixing the two just mixes those two results, and anything else I'm trying gets even farther.

Maybe I'm brain dead though, and missing something.
I have never encountered this in all my searching of the vast internet. It is a great idea though. You would have to make your own led strip and controller... It seems like something there would be a market for though.

This could be the idea that pays for your next RX-8!
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 04:11 PM
  #2581  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
Yeah. I was thinking about how circular gauges often have the problem of where to tastefully mount them. Almost no places exist that are actually subtle/tasteful. And besides, you don't really want to have to take time to actually "read" a gauge at speed, especially at full throttle down the front stretch of your local road course. Something that can be placed subtly within your peripheral vision and read entirely intuitively seems like the best course.

Progressive LEDs in a strip design could be placed far more places than a 2 1/4" circular gauge, read peripherally and intuitively, etc...

I have no idea where to even start with building a controller though.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 04:43 PM
  #2582  
bladeiai's Avatar
Plus One...
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 501
Likes: 0
From: Frederick, MD
Originally Posted by RIWWP
Yeah. I was thinking about how circular gauges often have the problem of where to tastefully mount them. Almost no places exist that are actually subtle/tasteful. And besides, you don't really want to have to take time to actually "read" a gauge at speed, especially at full throttle down the front stretch of your local road course. Something that can be placed subtly within your peripheral vision and read entirely intuitively seems like the best course.

Progressive LEDs in a strip design could be placed far more places than a 2 1/4" circular gauge, read peripherally and intuitively, etc...

I have no idea where to even start with building a controller though.
I have a tablet in the nav hood that displays all kind of cool useful info including A/F, lambda etc. What I have found is that I have to close it when I am doing autocross because I will try to look at it and end up going off course or something stupid. Something that is large and easy to read visually like an led strip would be useful.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 04:45 PM
  #2583  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
Yes, for the street I have an OBD2 plug and a tablet floor mount for the data. But as you note, not wise on the track or autocross (and probably not permitted in many organizations) That's really where I started wondering about this.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 04:55 PM
  #2584  
BigCajun's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 0
Likes: 2,703
Make it so!
I have avoided getting gauges because I don't like the looks of them either.
That would be a great upgrade.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:05 PM
  #2585  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
Hmm....

ShiftPWM example: PWM with shift registers and Arduino - YouTube

Some interesting possibilities there... I might actually have to starting tinkering with something.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:10 PM
  #2586  
BigCajun's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 0
Likes: 2,703
There's a lot of smart guys here, I'll bet y'all could figure something out.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:14 PM
  #2587  
alnielsen's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 12,255
Likes: 8
From: Buddhist Monastery, High Himalaya Mtns. of Tibet
Just build a glass dash that you can program whats displayed. If you didn't have all that plastic that separated the individual gauges of today, you would have more area to read information.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:15 PM
  #2588  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
"Just" is the key word there. I can type the word easily enough
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:16 PM
  #2589  
Stephen T's Avatar
Bikes are Rotaries
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
From: Kerikeri, NZ
Originally Posted by alnielsen
Just build a glass dash that you can program whats displayed. If you didn't have all that plastic that separated the individual gauges of today, you would have more area to read information.
We built a glass dash for my CF Bedford with a 350 Chev motor back in the day. Pretty basic by today's standards but it looked pretty cool then and I don't see why it wouldn't still work.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:27 PM
  #2590  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
"glass dash" is i guess a more unfamiliar term than I expected. Is it as obvious as it sounds? I see that as part of the model name of one model for truck dashboards.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:37 PM
  #2591  
BigCajun's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 0
Likes: 2,703
I would want something to complement the dash, not totally change it.
Maybe a glass add-on with the LED display to fit inside the existing cowl?
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 05:53 PM
  #2592  
1.3_LittersOfFurry's Avatar
Flame On!
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,897
Likes: 6
From: New Orleans, La
I use this website a lot, maybe it has what you are looking for if you're into building things yourself.

Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs Forum
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 06:05 PM
  #2593  
BigCajun's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 0
Likes: 2,703
Not me.
I'm a Tech idiot.
Reply
Old Aug 28, 2013 | 07:52 PM
  #2594  
Stephen T's Avatar
Bikes are Rotaries
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
From: Kerikeri, NZ
Make friends with geeks, they love strange ideas that shouldn't work!!
Reply
Old Aug 29, 2013 | 11:12 PM
  #2595  
JManX's Avatar
New Member
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Header Question

Ok I have read a couple of the threads on this topic and most of them turn into debates or go off topic completely so I was wondering...I would like to purchase a header and I am torn between the two leading options on all the threads I've read which are OBX-R and RB, my main concern is with the way they are designed specifically the O2 sensor location. On the OBX the O2 sensor seems to only read the emissions from one rotor while the RB O2 sensor is positioned in a collector. So my question is this will the location of the OBX O2 sensor interfere with the way the computer adjusts the air fuel ratio and take away from the car (because its only reading from one rotor) or does it not really matter? I've read about plenty of ppl who have this header and seemingly don't have any problems with it, but I've never read about this specific issue being addressed. I have read about fitment problems for the OBX (which is a turnoff) but on the other hand Racing beat's $536 price tag is also a turn off. Help me out guys and thanks in advance!! I attached some pics of the headers for reference and even though it usually ends in an inconclusive debate, which do you recommend.
Attached Thumbnails Dumb Question Thread - no flaming or sarcasm allowed-obx.jpg   Dumb Question Thread - no flaming or sarcasm allowed-rb.jpg  
Reply
Old Aug 30, 2013 | 07:09 AM
  #2596  
RIWWP's Avatar
Registered
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 267
From: Pacific Northwest
If a $500 price tag on a mod for the 8 is a turn off, you are in for a world of hurt. Mods cost a lot on this car, and that is CHEAP. Outside of sway bars and a couple other very simple items, I'm not aware of a single mod that is under $500 without also being complete crap. This isn't a Civic. There aren't many vendors doing R+D, and there aren't many buyers to recoup the costs of R+D, and R+D costs a lot more.

I don't know why you would consider paying several hundred bucks for a mod that would have fitment problems thinking you are saving money, when you would end up having to get rid of it or pay more to get it altered or if nothing else revert to stock. Sounds like a complete waste of money.

That being said, even the price for the RB header is a waste, because the RB header doesn't really have any gains.



The O2 sensor should be in the collector, or at least the center of the 3 runners if nothing else.
Reply
Old Aug 30, 2013 | 08:54 AM
  #2597  
fio07's Avatar
crazyrussian
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 207
Likes: 62
From: Sedalia, MO
Originally Posted by JManX
on the other hand Racing beat's $536 price tag is also a turn off..
Another one.. drinking champagne on a cheap beer budget..

Originally Posted by RIWWP
That being said, even the price for the RB header is a waste, because the RB header doesn't really have any gains.
According to my research, BHR's long awaited header is the way to go. I await the day when I can say I have a full BHR exhaust

Last edited by fio07; Aug 30, 2013 at 08:56 AM.
Reply
Old Aug 30, 2013 | 04:53 PM
  #2598  
MarcoT11's Avatar
Registered
 
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton, AB, Canada
After cleaning my SSV I then noticed after putting everything back together that I had a pretty nasty coolant leak. It seems to be coming from the thermostat area but I cannot tell if it is the thermostat itself or the gasket or even a hose because it drips straight down. I need this car fixed because I start university next week. What should I do.
Reply
Old Aug 30, 2013 | 08:24 PM
  #2599  
puppet623's Avatar
OddBall_8
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: Cali
Alright well heres a great question hahah what is the difference between the rx8 series 1 engine cradle cross members made by mazda???
One is normal suspension
and the other without normal is there a difference like ones more stiff???
i getting mine replaced for no reason warranty said sure so no more rusty cross memeber hahha
Reply
Old Aug 30, 2013 | 08:37 PM
  #2600  
J8635621's Avatar
Pew Pew Pew
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 6,344
Likes: 128
From: Waco
The shinka one is filled with foam instead of being hollow I think?
Reply


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:42 PM.