Digital vs Analog gauges
 

Ok, first time posting, but have been an avid reader for years. I have read so many posts that my head is spinning. I have an '01 EX with 7.3L, stock other than the added tranny cooler. I am looking for monitoring gauges. I have read in some post that digital readers are not as accurate as analog gauges, specifically the trans.

I'm looking at the Edge Evo on XDP (not the CS or CTS) and the ISSPRO gauges (Boost, Pyro, Trans) on Diesel Manor. Before someone launches into the programmer part of it, I am not looking to use the Evo for progamming, so lets not open that can of worm. The Evo through XDP and the ISSPRO through Diesel Manor are about the same cost, but the Evo boasts monitoring more parameters (engine oil temp, intake temp, barometric pressure (not sure if that is important), battery voltage, and diagnostic trouble code count.

Help me out guys. I know that some of my post is asking for opinion, and opinions are appreciated. But I am also looking for reasons that the digital tans temp would not be as accurate as the analog.

Thanks for your help.

First off, Welcome to the 7.3 side of FTE. I'm glad you finally posted. 5 yrs is a long time to be a lurker:D
I personally use the Xmonitor from BD power. I have used this setup in two trucks. My reasons are #1 compact size. I don't like the big guage pods adding more size to an already oversized A piller. I like to see whats coming at me.
#2 I don't like lights in my eyes at night. My night vision isn't what it used to be and the piller pods just add more distraction.

while its true some digital guages only plug into the vehicle harness therefore
only reporting what the computer sees. the BD uses an actual temp sender in the pan or where ever you chose to install it.
to each his own, but thats my .02

Barney

Barney, thanks for the info on the Xmonitor, looks good. I agree, had an '03 F250 with gauge pod and had to turn off the gauge lights at night, blinding! Marriage and 4 kids later the Excursion came into the picture and I need some monitoring equip. Never really thought of myself as posting. Glad I did. Thanks again.

Gary

Gary - Don't sweat the accuarcy part. Digital or analog will typically get you +/- 3 to 5 Deg 5. No better. Reality is if that uncertaintiy is the difference in making a temp decision or not, you are already there...

External vs. Internal is an interesting question. Personally, I like the patient being able to tell me how it is feeling... In my experience, the transducer itself is the flakiest part of the gage "system." It's highly unlikely that a bad gage gives good readings, so if you see an odd reading on the truck's computer bus, then you can quickly locate a point of interest, validate the reading and add additonal intrumentation as required... The more bus data you can get, the better. Think AutoEnginuity...

Just my $.02.

Cheers

Digital vs. Analog is a personal preference. I prefer analog for rapidly changing parameters like Boost, EGT, & fuel pressure since I can see where the needle is without having to look directly at it and "think", if that makes sense. IMHO, the A-pillar gauge pod doesn't do much to obscure your view -- I've had mine for over 4 years now and never thought it's been in the way (and I have a 4 gauge pod!). I use a digital meter for things like intake air temp, Volts, etc. I do use it for HPOP pressure, even though it's a rapidly changing parameter as well, but that's more of a diagnostic measurement than something that needs constantly monitored so no problem there.

Of course, there are a lot of "digital" displays out there that emulate analog gauges too -- best of both worlds there. I'm happy with my full-time analog gauges for the important stuff though, so no regrets here.

Joe, I never thought that the gauge pod was obtrusive, I actually like the gauge pod and am still considering use analog gauges. I just keep flipping the coin.

I love my edge CST for a monitor compact reads good easy to see and can pull a lot of data when needed and you can change what you want to monitior very fast.

Running the Edge Evo for 2 years now. Really did it for the gauges and not a programmer or for tuning. Overall it has been great and would not do anything else but a digital combo gauge. I like seeing data based on what the PCM is putting out. Good size foot print and looks like it belongs there. I like to glance at a gauge and see an actual number and not a moving needle. Just how my eyes work. I find it is not an issue for fast moving numbers like exhaust temps while excelerating. The 1st digit is what you are really paying attention to. Built in code reader is a nice add for on the fly checking without needing to hookup anything additional. I have mine set to display EGT, Boost, oil temp, voltage. You can set the color and brightness to match what works for your eyes too. I like the ability to display oil temps when towing. Good flexibility.

i would say more difference in electric & mechanical than digital and analog. mech not needing a sender or electricity to work like temp gauges, pressure gauge's for example i have always used mech gauges when i can less parts to brake . more accurate i think as well .. as for the a pillar in the way thats why i did the 2 gauge and added the others to the dash. more visibility in my old age. and the new autometer leds have a dimmer you can install on all of them so i turn it down to match the dash lights. just finished my hpop boy that gauge is very busy as is the icp solenoid i guess. :D

I've never had digital gauges, but I've had my triple gauge pillar ISSPRO's for about 4 years now.....and don't even notice them there now. It's definitely a personal preference, but one more reason to NOT have digital gauges is if you have a short somewhere, it'd create that much more of a nightmare to find it. Good luck.....either way you decide, gauges are a MUST :-X22


EDIT: Don't be scared to post! You've been lurking a long time, your only going to learn more being active here! :-X25

If you aren't interested in changing your tune then you have another option to look into.
DashDAQ from Drew Technologies

It's basically a scan tool with a customizable interface that can monitor stuff (gauges). Check out posts #29 and #33 of this link for photos
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...uge-or-ae.html

When you say "Digital vs Analog", I presume you are referring to how the information is displayed compared to "Electric vs Mechanical" which is how the information is transmitted. These days, most analog gauges are electric which basically means the information is transmitted exactly the same as digital gauges so I don't expect to see any difference in accuracy. The difference would be in how the electrical signal is processed and then converted into some sort of visual representation of the measurement. Because of the variety of methods of processing the electrical signal, the readings are going to vary by product to product. However, they all should be fairly close to each other so it's not really a big issue.

If your question is should you get a digital number readout or round gauge with increments and a needle....then that comes down to personal preference. For me, it's very hard to look at a digital readout unless the number is really small such as volts (14.1 for example). My eyes would freak out trying to monitor HPOP for example because the number would always be changing and my brain wants it to stay still for a second so I can read the number. :) My eyes prefer the analog style of readouts since I have to think less.

Since I am somewhat familiar with these engines, I have a fairly good idea what numbers to expect for the various functions but other drivers may not. If someone else is driving my truck for whatever reason and they are towing something heavy then it would be easier for them to monitor the gauges because some of them have the danger zone clearly labeled (ISSPRO Pyro for example). The Dash Daq can do the same thing....
But a digital readout doesn't really communicate anything special. Meaning, 1100 degrees looks about the same as 1400 degrees so whoever is driving my truck won't know that anything is wrong unless the gauge also has some sort of alarm feature.

My wife's truck has analog type gauges (Autometer) and she asked me to mark them with a thin piece of pin striping tape (yellow and red) so she can know if something is approaching the danger zone. If her truck had a digital readout, she would completely ignore the gauge because she won't know what any of the numbers mean. It's even easier for her when she tows with my truck because I have the temp gauges in the A-pillar pod and the pressure gauges on my F650 dash. So, she knows to keep the temp gauges low and the pressure gauges high and things will be golden. :-X22

Again, it just comes down to what you like and how you like to drive. Hopefully we all have given you some good options to consider.

Congrats on your first post! :-drink

ISSPRO gauges have this feature built right into them. They are color coded Green, Yellow & Red......comes in handy :-X22

Yeah, I like ISSPRO better myself. My truck has the EV2 style and I find them very easy to read, especially at night. Her truck came with the Autometer Phantoms so we just haven't felt the need to change them out yet. The most she tows with her truck is about 8000 lbs so I'm not too worried about it. :)

I think that after all that I have read that I need to rephrase my question. I have had had analog gauges and am not opposed to having them again. I should have inquired about mechanical versus electrical. If the difference between digital and analog is personal preference, then what about the accuracy of the mechanical versus electrical. Some have already answered this as well stating that there is not much difference, but just to be clear is there an big enough accurace difference where mechanical is more accurate that electrical?

Another question would be reagrding the degree of difficulty with installation. Having read installation instructions for electrical monitors, it sounds pretty easy, just unplugging a few clamps and plugging in the monitor. I am aware that I will have to drill for the EGT and there should be an spot for the tranny temp, but what about boost, oil temp, fuel pressure, etc? I have plenty of experience with the wiring aspect and I think that I can handle drilling and tapping the exhaust. What about the rest?

Final question. Greg and Travis have stated that they prefer ISSPRO. The EV2 are alittle more than I wanted to spend. Are the performax good enough?

The Performax gauge line from Isspro are more expensive than the EV2 since you need the ESP for them to run.

I prefer and sell Isspro EV2 at a 4:1 ratio to the Autometer line. They are a great gauge the is made right here in Oregon and not overseas which is also very nice. If you have any questions give me a call and we can talk through it all.

Here is an EV2 kit we have that has everything you will need for install.

Riffraff Diesel: RDP Triple Gauge Kit

http://www.riffraffdiesel.com/mm5/RE..._Gauge_Pod.pdf

Like Clay said, the Performax gauges are more expensive cause you have to buy the ESP at first. The cool thing is though, thats a one time cost and you can add up to 17 gauges to it. EV2 gauges each have their own sender (which is why they cost more compared to a Performax gauge) and need wires run from the senders to each gauge. The Performax series uses only 3 wires that run from the ESP into the cab. All your gauges go on those 3 wires, so its easier to install, especially if you plan on adding more gauges down the road.

No. I have a mechanical boost gauge (ISSPRO EV) and it registers identical to the electrical MAP sensor (monitored via AE). I suppose it's possible that it depends on what you are monitoring though....perhaps a mechanical gauge for HPOP pressure is a bit more accurate than an electrical one but the variance is insignificant.

For electric boost and fuel pressure, you will need to install the sending unit that comes with the gauge (or purchase it separately depending on the vendor). Riffraff's kits generally have everything you need with the exception of fuel pressure. You will have to order an adapter from Dieselorings.com so the sender can be installed onto the fuel bowl. Clay may have that part included in his kit by now but I didn't see it last time I checked.

I am not sure about electric oil temp since I don't have that one myself. There is a factory sensor already installed so you might be able to piggy back off that signal for the Performax system but the EV2 may need to have it's own sending unit that you'll have to find a home for. Clay (Riffraff) can help you with those details.

I don't think there is an option for mechanical EGT so you are probably out of luck if you want one of those. Even if someone does make one, you probably don't want it because that is a lot of heat to conduct into the cab and it will cause more problems then it's worth. My '55 Bel Air has a mechanical engine temp gauges and I hate it. If it wasn't for the fact that it's original, I would have changed it to electric by now.

Mechanical boost is pretty easy to install. You just run a small plastic tube into your cab and connect up to the back of the gauge. Sort of like an air pressure gauge...

Mechanical Trans/Engine oil temp and Fuel pressure require that you run the lines all the way up to the gauge which most of us don't like doing because of the possibility of a leak and getting fluid all over the inside of our trucks.

In my experience, mechanical gauges are far more difficult to install compared to electric gauges. (boost being the only exception so far...)
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the reason electrical gauges were created was to ease installation.

I thought the ISSPRO EV2s were priced quite well but I might hold a higher premium on a quality set of gauges than others. I guess I figure that if I am going to take the time to install a set of gauges then I want a set that I can depend on. I started off with the standard EV gauges and have since changed to the EV2 when I got my F650 dash. In my opinion, the EV2 gauges are a premium brand and a nice improvement over the EV(1) models.

The Performax and EV2 are the same gauge. The difference is the ESP box and it is probably your best choice for ease of installation but it also is a little bit more $. The hardest thing you have to do is find a home for the ESP module. Robin did a very clean installation on his truck that was quite impressive. If I had to do it all over again, I would have sprung the extra coin for the Performax just so I can add some gauges later (which I am already thinking about doing.....again). :)

Like I mentioned earlier...I have ISSPRO EV2 in my XLT and Autometer Phantoms in my wife's Lariat. The EV2 are way better in my opinion...especially at night. They are very easy to read and that by itself has a ton of value to me.

I hope some of this info helps. :-X22

Thanks for all of the info, I did not know about the ESP box. I was pricing individual gauges. I like the idea of adding extra gauges to the ESP box. Tanks again guys you have been very helpful. Was already planning on calling Clay tomorrow.

Glad we could help Gary, and look forward to talking to you.