Sensor Monitoring - Turbo PSI - Etc.
05-16-2014, 11:52 AM
#1
Robinson
Thread Starter
Sensor Monitoring - Turbo PSI - Etc.
Thought I'd share a mod(ish). I'm probably not the first one to do this on here but I haven't seen any other threads.
I purchased a mechanical Boost/Vacuum gauge for my 2014 F150 however because the engine changes from 2011/12 I wasn't comfortable "T"ing into the lines.
After some research on OBD2 gauges and comparing prices I ended up going this route:
DashCommand App for iPhone - $9.99
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dash...321293183?mt=8
In App purchase of the Ford specific sensor support - $9.99
OBD2 WI-FI Dongle off Amazon (iPhone requires Wi-Fi, Bluetooth will not work from my research) - $23.39 cdn shipped
Connect your iPhone, iPad or Android and away you go. (I hear better things about the Android Torque app.)
I can now monitor pretty much any sensor on my truck and have created custom towing screens for when I'm towing. For example a screen that has:
- Trans Temp
- Coolant Temp
- Estimated Boost
- RPM
- Instant l/100km
- Wastegate % open/closed
- Throttle Position
The cool part is you can customize the gauges however you want. For example I have a large boost dial with a digital RPM reading in the middle. LED Style round gauge that shows instant l/100km that turns from GREEN to RED when I hit 25 l/100km. The LED gauge shows up to 40 l/100 with an exact unlimited digital reading in the centre.
Plenty of graphing options available so you can customize screens to show data over a period of time, averages, min, max, real time, etc for pretty much any sensor in your vehicle.
You can pull codes, clear codes, etc. and it works with any vehicle with an OBD2 port, you don't need the specific sensor package, it has quite a few built in. I've pulled codes and can read data on our work fleet vehicles.
Pretty slick if you ask me, and cost effective compared to some other solutions out there.
From what understand so far the boost is only estimated based on calculations from other sensors in the vehicle. There is a small bit of lag on the display but not really noticeable as far as I can tell, my eyes don't move fast enough between the road and the app. Great for logging road trips and stuff.
Check it out, it's worth the $50 +/- I'd say.
I purchased a mechanical Boost/Vacuum gauge for my 2014 F150 however because the engine changes from 2011/12 I wasn't comfortable "T"ing into the lines.
After some research on OBD2 gauges and comparing prices I ended up going this route:
DashCommand App for iPhone - $9.99
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dash...321293183?mt=8
In App purchase of the Ford specific sensor support - $9.99
OBD2 WI-FI Dongle off Amazon (iPhone requires Wi-Fi, Bluetooth will not work from my research) - $23.39 cdn shipped
Connect your iPhone, iPad or Android and away you go. (I hear better things about the Android Torque app.)
I can now monitor pretty much any sensor on my truck and have created custom towing screens for when I'm towing. For example a screen that has:
- Trans Temp
- Coolant Temp
- Estimated Boost
- RPM
- Instant l/100km
- Wastegate % open/closed
- Throttle Position
The cool part is you can customize the gauges however you want. For example I have a large boost dial with a digital RPM reading in the middle. LED Style round gauge that shows instant l/100km that turns from GREEN to RED when I hit 25 l/100km. The LED gauge shows up to 40 l/100 with an exact unlimited digital reading in the centre.
Plenty of graphing options available so you can customize screens to show data over a period of time, averages, min, max, real time, etc for pretty much any sensor in your vehicle.
You can pull codes, clear codes, etc. and it works with any vehicle with an OBD2 port, you don't need the specific sensor package, it has quite a few built in. I've pulled codes and can read data on our work fleet vehicles.
Pretty slick if you ask me, and cost effective compared to some other solutions out there.
From what understand so far the boost is only estimated based on calculations from other sensors in the vehicle. There is a small bit of lag on the display but not really noticeable as far as I can tell, my eyes don't move fast enough between the road and the app. Great for logging road trips and stuff.
Check it out, it's worth the $50 +/- I'd say.
05-22-2014, 06:27 PM
#2
Thanks for the write up! I have a few questions for you.
We're you able to get any data without the 9.99 in-app purchase?
How accurate is the boost data? This is what I'm most interested in seeing. What ranges are you seeing in your 2014? I saw a thread on another site saying that the app didn't subtract the atmospheric pressure from the MAP pressure when calculating boost. Hopefully they've fixed that by now.
How much of a pain is it to hook up your phone via wifi to the ODBII dongle?
We're you able to get any data without the 9.99 in-app purchase?
How accurate is the boost data? This is what I'm most interested in seeing. What ranges are you seeing in your 2014? I saw a thread on another site saying that the app didn't subtract the atmospheric pressure from the MAP pressure when calculating boost. Hopefully they've fixed that by now.
How much of a pain is it to hook up your phone via wifi to the ODBII dongle?
05-23-2014, 03:47 PM
#3
Robinson
Thread Starter
Hi There,
I could get data without the in app purchase. It just opens up more ford sensors from what I can tell. If I remember correctly the Boost would register, it may be more accurate with the in app purchase??
I'm not sure how all that boost and sensors and science of calculations work but I could make the connection between how the turbo and waste gate sounded vs. what the app way showing. I've only seen the PSI max out at about +14, I don't recall the vacuum as I was never overly entertained by watching it. I'm taking the trailer out again this weekend so I'll try to keep an eye on it.
Whether it's accurate or not, I guess the only way to tell would be to be able to compare it to a mechanical gauge?
The waste gate % open/closed is pretty cool too, you can really hear it vent and see the relation to the app.
As far as syncing the two up, it was surprisingly simple. Just manually configure the network on your phone to the settings for the device and every time I jumped in my truck and lost connection to my home wifi it would automatically connect to the dongle. No hiccups as of yet, it's been pullet proof.
The only downside is that I haven't seen the dongle power down yet. I'm not sure if it will time out or not, I've always just unplugged it when I've left the truck for an extended period. I assume the OBDII has a constant power?
You'll also want to have your phone plugged in, it's a battery sucker!
I could get data without the in app purchase. It just opens up more ford sensors from what I can tell. If I remember correctly the Boost would register, it may be more accurate with the in app purchase??
I'm not sure how all that boost and sensors and science of calculations work but I could make the connection between how the turbo and waste gate sounded vs. what the app way showing. I've only seen the PSI max out at about +14, I don't recall the vacuum as I was never overly entertained by watching it. I'm taking the trailer out again this weekend so I'll try to keep an eye on it.
Whether it's accurate or not, I guess the only way to tell would be to be able to compare it to a mechanical gauge?
The waste gate % open/closed is pretty cool too, you can really hear it vent and see the relation to the app.
As far as syncing the two up, it was surprisingly simple. Just manually configure the network on your phone to the settings for the device and every time I jumped in my truck and lost connection to my home wifi it would automatically connect to the dongle. No hiccups as of yet, it's been pullet proof.
The only downside is that I haven't seen the dongle power down yet. I'm not sure if it will time out or not, I've always just unplugged it when I've left the truck for an extended period. I assume the OBDII has a constant power?
You'll also want to have your phone plugged in, it's a battery sucker!
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ksujeff99 (05-27-2014)
