I recently got hold of a car temperature, clock and voltmeter sensor from LAZADA.
Since I'm a control & instrumentation freak, I find this a cool gadget to accessorize my car. And so, the story goes. After a week of use, I'm pretty satisfied with how this gadget performed. Considering the price, the product is solid and functional as advertised. One of the feature I like is ease of control/adjustment and being able to select the back light color (blue or amber). Clock is working fine, big visible displays, voltmeter and temperature readings are not that accurate but it's pretty close. The voltmeter update though is very slow compared to other voltmeter gadgets I tried (it takes a second or two to update). But hey, I'm not after the quantitative nature of the product and this is not a lab grade gadget so fine with me. I only look at it as a cool accessory. And so, I thought of permanently installing this gadget on my dash. All along, I used the product by just plugging it in on the cigarette lighter jack using the supplied cable sitting on a vacant compartment on my driver console.
First up, the challenge was finding a suitable location for this gadget. The display is pretty bright and it reflects on my windshield especially at night. Every driver can tell you how uncomfortable it is. Another thing, I don't want any gadget cables (i.e. chargers, usb connectors, audio cables, etc) dangling on my dashboard. Also, I'm not into drilling holes, screw attachments and sticking adhesives for my gadgets. I just want to maintain a clean look on the dash. The accessibility of the controls should not be compromised as well. And most importantly, the installation should be completely reversible. Meaning, I can perform a clean uninstall if the need arises and maintain the look of the dash as if nothing has been modified.
It was a bit of a challenge at first. I spent a considerable amount of time finding a suitable location and considering attachment options. Finally, I found a suitable location to install this gadget. Also, this gadget requires 2 pairs of external cables for the power supply and the external temperature sensor so it required a bit of hacking to satisfy my requirements, as you'll see later.
Next up, the attachment. The gadget came with no other attachment option but a round base and a double sided adhesive so you can stick it on the dash. As mentioned, this will not work for me. Then lies the rub...
Considering the spot where I thought of installing the gadget, a little hack is required. For now, the only tool needed is a screwdriver, a small drill bit (dremel tool) and a humble paper clip.
This is how the inside look like;
As expected, the base is completely removable. You can see some passive electronics which do not need further modification. The only purpose of opening the gadget is to remove the base and install the attachment option I have in mind.
*And of course, I'm aware that doing this completely voids the product warranty. That is why I did this only after I have confidence of product functionality and accepting the fact that if I f*cked up, it's a complete loss. I recommend NOT doing the same thing if you are not sure of what you are doing.
Next step, putting on my attachment option. First is drilling a hole at the back cover to for two small self tapping screws.
Then, using a paper clip (straightened out), it was attached on the screw like this.
I used a paper clip since it was both flexible and sturdy enough considering how it was attached to the gadget and the car (as you'll see later).
The plan was to install the gadget just just in front of the rear view mirror, and so after doing a temporary install, this is how it looked like inside the car.
The clip attachment did it's job nicely. It was held in place along with a screw holding the rear view mirror. After prying the plastic cover, the screws are accessible then the clip is installed. You may notice a different color of the clip. I have to redo the previous setup to fine tune the lenght of the attachment so it will fit nicely as the plastic cover is installed. Also, this allows more room so the top control buttons will still be accessible.
Then comes the next step, electrical connections.I prefer to install the power supply (+12V) along the accessory power rail so the power will automatically turn on or off at the turn of the key. I prefer to get a tap from the cigarette lighter supply since this is controlled by the key and is already fused protected. This will also minimize intrusion on the car's electrical system. And so, after removing a couple of plastic retaining clips from the bottom part of the console, I was able to tap the cigarette lighter power cables. I wasn't able to document this procedure since I drew much attention not to ruin the car's electricals. All connections were properly soldered and insulated. The picture below illustrates how the cable was routed out of sight (green line).
This was also the same cable route I used during the installation of my dash cam. Only difference is that the camera power supply is connected to the rear USB output of the car stereo. I really like this rear USB output provided by the car stereo. Aside from being accessible just behind the glove box (and away from view), this also rated with 1A of maximum current. That means I can power the dash cam and charge my phone at the same time. A simple addition of a spare male USB connector and the power connection is complete.
After the power connection, next up is the outside temperature sensor. The cable is routed on the same path and is installed on the side of the windows just below the side view mirror. Since the measured temperature should be the ambient temperature outside of the car, this location will most likely indicate a realistic temperature measurement.
To simplify the installation (and uninstall if needed), I used a blu tack to secure and fix the sensor in place.
Here's the final setup with all the needed cables installed (rear view).
The cables are neatly tucked away from view, the controls are accessible and the backup battery slot is also accessible during battery replacement. Below is the view of the 5V power supply cable for my dash cam and mobile charger (also nicely hidden from view).
So this is how the gadget looked like after the installation. Looks pretty nice :)
Well, this was another fun project. I was very satisfied with how the installation turned out. I was able to satisfy all my preferences without sacrificing functionality and purpose.
Would love to know your thoughts, have a nice weekend.
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