Speedometer cable help!

[skilletmo]

Ok so ive been out trying to see again. My neighbor is an electricion. He swung by and tested the volts going through the gauge and its 12, He tested if the black wire is the same wire going to the ECU and it beeped, which means it is. He tested If the signal wire to the gauge is giving it power and it is. I connected the rpm signal to the "check engine" light and the light started flashing bright then low and kept doing that. Which makes me think it is giving some kind of signal but when placed back on the new gauges tachometer wire it starts doing nothing again, its giving it power for-sure because we tested it, but nothing is happening. So unless there is some kind of secret method im not getting then my conclusion and my neighbors too, is that Its the actual tachometer and not the bike or how we are wiring it.

So what im going to do is send it back, hopefully he agrees to pay for the cost of that. Then im going to tell him to test it with his bikes or however he does it, and if it doesn't work then we were right, it was the tachometer, and he will send me a new one and it should be a breeze to place it back on once the new one comes. If it does work for him then either he is a LIAR, or he wires it differently and he can probably tell me. If i think that is exactly what i did, then im going to get my money back and invest in a different one.

This whole thing was frustrating and annoying and unless it really is that the tachometer is broken, then i wouldn't recommend any one buying this or any replicas... But i will let you all know which will be like in a matter of a month or 3 weeks since he is located all the way in china. Till then i will have my old giant speedo back on...

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Ok so ive been out trying to see again. My neighbor is an electricion. He swung by and tested the volts going through the gauge and its 12, He tested if the black wire is the same wire going to the ECU and it beeped, which means it is. He tested If the signal wire to the gauge is giving it power and it is. I connected the rpm signal to the "check engine" light and the light started flashing bright then low and kept doing that. Which makes me think it is giving some kind of signal but when placed back on the new gauges tachometer wire it starts doing nothing again, its giving it power for-sure because we tested it, but nothing is happening. So unless there is some kind of secret method im not getting then my conclusion and my neighbors too, is that Its the actual tachometer and not the bike or how we are wiring it.

So what im going to do is send it back, hopefully he agrees to pay for the cost of that. Then im going to tell him to test it with his bikes or however he does it, and if it doesn't work then we were right, it was the tachometer, and he will send me a new one and it should be a breeze to place it back on once the new one comes. If it does work for him then either he is a LIAR, or he wires it differently and he can probably tell me. If i think that is exactly what i did, then im going to get my money back and invest in a different one.

This whole thing was frustrating and annoying and unless it really is that the tachometer is broken, then i wouldn't recommend any one buying this or any replicas... But i will let you all know which will be like in a matter of a month or 3 weeks since he is located all the way in china. Till then i will have my old giant speedo back on...

I see he has a TWO DAY return policy and expects you to pay for shipping even if it's not working right

The only way to take advantage of that is to not only start right away but to then give up almost as soon as you start! If I ever order one, I will have mine set up with the Koso gauge first ready to go so I can just switch it over and test right away.

[skilletmo]

well he said 30 days in an email, so im good on that part. But he will pay for the shipping, im not spending another cent on this. Man this is frustrating. Thing is though that his reviews show people satisfied with good reviews, i wonder if they ordered the same one and had any problems with the rpm...

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

well he said 30 days in an email, so im good on that part. But he will pay for the shipping, im not spending another cent on this. Man this is frustrating. Thing is though that his reviews show people satisfied with good reviews, i wonder if they ordered the same one and had any problems with the rpm...

could just be a bad one or maybe got damaged in some way in the shipping?

[skilletmo]

maybe man, maybe... Hopefully this all works out, im contacting him tonight. Ill let you know what he says!

[skilletmo]

Before I wanted to ask him to return it I asked him if:

If there are 2 connections on the gauge for rpms or of there are 2 connections from the bike for the rpm.
This is what he said:

" hi,friend there are 2 connections on your motorcycle, not in the meter It has two signal lines on your motorcycle for RPM, Pick out from an electromagnetic machine . You can try Best wishes! Ron"

Anyone understand? Im sure that your only supposed to connect the black one. Tell me your thoughts before I make it offical and ask him for return.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Before I wanted to ask him to return it I asked him if:

If there are 2 connections on the gauge for rpms or of there are 2 connections from the bike for the rpm.
This is what he said:

" hi,friend there are 2 connections on your motorcycle, not in the meter It has two signal lines on your motorcycle for RPM, Pick out from an electromagnetic machine . You can try Best wishes! Ron"

Anyone understand? Im sure that your only supposed to connect the black one. Tell me your thoughts before I make it offical and ask him for return.

I think he is talking about direct connection vs. electromagnetic induction (coiling it), each of which has a few different possible connection points. It sounds like he's saying that either option definitely connects to the same point on the gauge, just like the Koso unit.

I think the gauge may be broken. I don't know if it's because you connected to the wrong wire once or if it just came broken. If you can open it then their might be a fuse or an obvious burned-out component or something, but it is a cheaper unit and fuses and protection circuits are the first things to go in most knock-offs unless it's a direct clone right down to the schematic and microchip logic.

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Before I wanted to ask him to return it I asked him if:

If there are 2 connections on the gauge for rpms or of there are 2 connections from the bike for the rpm.
This is what he said:

" hi,friend there are 2 connections on your motorcycle, not in the meter It has two signal lines on your motorcycle for RPM, Pick out from an electromagnetic machine . You can try Best wishes! Ron"

Anyone understand? Im sure that your only supposed to connect the black one. Tell me your thoughts before I make it offical and ask him for return.

maybe he is saying dont use the one from the meter but the other direct sources. The coiling around or directly spliced in it.

[skilletmo]

Ok so after a long argument i ended up having to pay for the 15$ shipping... But he gave me a full refund because i dont even want a new one that works if that is the problem. After he receives the item and gives me my money im giving the longest and most detailed bad review. I will never buy a cheap Chinese product of that value, only the small items like under 30$. Thanks for all the help everyone who did especially Byron and Emmet! I now have the knowledge to put on any new speedo once i decide on which one i want to get.

Again thanks. Go to my "my project" thread to see what happened to me today!

[EMSRacer07]

o well. good that you tried it out to see if it would work. Would have been a nice cheap koso replacement.

[CZroe]

Yeah. I was really hoping it was a good Koso alternative so I could sell the one I have that's plug-n-play for another bike. Of course, too many people get the same idea and Koso would end up suing them for blatantly copying their design.

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Yeah. I was really hoping it was a good Koso alternative so I could sell the one I have that's plug-n-play for another bike. Of course, too many people get the same idea and Koso would end up suing them for blatantly copying their design.

I actually might consider this and try it myself. Would really like to know once the owner gets it back to see if it was broken or faulty. Could have been just one of those bad ones. Usually the speedo thats not right about these gauges not the tach.

I seriously dont want to pay 300+ for a new gauges for my pregen nor do i want an digital tach from vapor tech. I like analog tach

[spawned4562]

maybe after the holidays cool down and i get some money in the bank for a change ill pick one up and give it a go myself. for as cheap as it is im not surprised if it fried itself. but a HUGE thanks to skilletmo for starting this quest and sharing his tale. I know this will be a huge knowledge base for anyone else who wants to take a swing at it. even if it takes two units to get one working one its still cheaper than a koso.

[skilletmo]

Ok so all in favor, Do you guys think i should get a new one and put it on perfectly now that i know how? Or should i just get my money and not spend it on this Chinese speedo? I really feel like if i do it might get fried in like 6 months or so maybe...

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Ok so all in favor, Do you guys think i should get a new one and put it on perfectly now that i know how? Or should i just get my money and not spend it on this Chinese speedo? I really feel like if i do it might get fried in like 6 months or so maybe...

I say try it again. Really could have been defective.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Ok so all in favor, Do you guys think i should get a new one and put it on perfectly now that i know how? Or should i just get my money and not spend it on this Chinese speedo? I really feel like if i do it might get fried in like 6 months or so maybe...

Hard to say. It would be really nice to have a comparable warranty but that usually only comes with original products (not clones). Buying another and returning the old one if it breaks would be considered fraud but it's entirely possible and I wouldn't shy away if they sold me something they knew was crap and expected me to just sit on it. In that case, I feel it would be morally justified even if it's not legally justified. Obviously, legalities don't factor much with pirated or clone products.

[spawned4562]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Ok so all in favor, Do you guys think i should get a new one and put it on perfectly now that i know how? Or should i just get my money and not spend it on this Chinese speedo? I really feel like if i do it might get fried in like 6 months or so maybe...

even if your 15 bucks in the whole getting another one and hooking it up the new way and finding that it works as planned would still be way cheaper and like you said it was awesome and everythign worked like a champ except that one thing. so id say go for the gold. if we can get it to work id be more than happy to help throw together a detailed guide on how to install it with you.

[Domagoj]

Originally Posted by skilletmo

Ok so all in favor, Do you guys think i should get a new one and put it on perfectly now that i know how? Or should i just get my money and not spend it on this Chinese speedo? I really feel like if i do it might get fried in like 6 months or so maybe...

Honestly, when I saw that thing going for $70 I was almost sure that something will not work.

In my personal experience, absolutely EVERY chinese product, made by chinese company without any foreign control is rubbish.

I learned my lesson. I don't buy chinese stuff anymore. I realize that most companies make their products in china, but at least they keep some sort of quality control because they care about their brand name.

You lost $15. You haven't even seen if that thing can handle working for 3 hours without overheating, or God forbid getting wet. Don't get screwed over again by the same guy. Bike can run without gauges after all. So save up for Koso if you really want to modify it that much.

[skilletmo]

Thats exactly what i was thinking in my head, and i completely agree. If i do keep it i feel like it will die in less then a year... So i think im better off buying a vapor! Or another non chinese preferably american gauge that i can actually call and not have to email once a day