Digidash / voice synthesis questions AGAIN

[Guest]

Hi all, I'm new here. I've acquired the Trip Computer / Voice Synthesis unit (with the clock) from a left hand drive Maestro - looks like the 1983 version from looking at the wiring diagrams.

I've got the Haynes and AR workshop manuals and I've spent hours reading all the existing threads here and other sites on google about the digidash wiring but unfortunately still need more help please.

My aim is to get the clock display and voice synth warnings (even via the demo mode) firing up with just this unit. I don't have the digidash motherboard and none of the diagrams I've found tell me the function of each wire that runs from the motherboard to the voice synth unit!

Can anyone tell me what each pin on the 20 way connector on the voice synth circuit board does? I think I've identified two grounds but I need to know which pins provide power and what voltages at the very least please?

[Captain Slow]

From a left hooker? That should have four languages - it's something we didn't get in the UK.

[Russ]

You cant really get the trip computer to do anything without the actual digi dash unit. Easy to fit, put a saved search on ebay and one should come up soon. I have a spare but the temp gauge is a bit dodgy and you get fed up of the new zelander teling you of 'high engine temprature!'

[Guest]

Thanks for your help Russ. I feared that might be the case. There's this on ebay though the price seems a bit steep for my purposes - but I wasn't sure if it's a Montego one there, can you tell from the photo anyone?

Also, on the wiring diagrams the wires on the loom that plug onto the digidash are given letters (a to t I think) but is that the order they are in on the actual connectors?

Cheers.

[digital efi]

Looks more Montego than Maestro to me.

Will have a look at the ones I've got next time I visit my car storage barn.

I might be persuaded to sell one of my (secondhand) Maestro units if the price is right!

[E_T_V]

Not sure if you can read my writing

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/...45a_z.jpg?zz=1

yes they are in order - you can work it out via the colour codes if you want to check.

[Russ]

Are you saying,Dan. That it is possible to use the trip computer without the dash?

[E_T_V]

Not as far as I know. The dash trips the appropriate warning via the cables that link the two together so they are a pair, the trip computer doesn't work without the dash. (The dash will work without the trip computer though).

[Guest]

Thanks guys I'd better start looking for the dashboard then - and thanks for the offers - I'll have to get back to you as I'm off on holiday for a couple of weeks. If I'm gonna get it working with a dash then I suppose I should aim to get one with the gauges as well rather than just the motherboard. This is all highly experimental at the moment - for all I know the voice synth unit I bought could be dead, so I can't spend silly money on it, but I've wanted to get one of these working ever since my old man brought an MG Maestro home - it's the ultimate vehicle accessory lol.

Regarding whether it can work without the dash, once I've got a dash I'll let you guys know. As there's a big computer chip on the voice synth / computer board and 20 inputs I was suspecting the connections to the dash are fairly simple. It might just be a few power lines and then a line for each of the sensors, preprocessed by the motherboard to just be on or off to select the warning - that would be the simplest. Of course there must be a speedo pulse or some kind of distance information being passed through too. All guesses though - if I get a working setup I'll dig my multimeter out.

[Russ]

To fit the dash and the computer is simple IIRC there are three extra leads reqd ,one to the door switch (so she tell you when you have left your lights on.. the only decent thing she says really!) one to I think pin 11 on the ecu ( the unused one) so the MPG works and the sticky one is the speed sensor. If you extend the wire (black/red) from the ecu it will read double. If you do this then change the speed sensor from one for a digital efi the speedo works ok but the ecu tries to stabilize idle at 28mph instead of the normal 14mph you can get round this by fitting an ecu from a digi efi.
The way I did it after going down the previous route with my old ecu ,was to piggyback an mg1600 speed sensor onto the efi one where the speedo cable comes out and feed the digi speedo from that. You need to make a short drive shaft for it but nothing difficult ,mines been like that for nearly two years now

[digital efi]

Can a speed sensor from a Rover 200, 400, 800 etc be used in the PG1 gearbox to provide the correct signal for speed? They are still relatively easy to get hold of from breakers yards.

Obviously, if Andy's car is not a 2.0i, then most of this won't apply: he will need a fuel flow sensor (are any of these still in working order anywhere?? - both my MG1600 and VP have faulty ones) and a speed sensor that will fit into the VW gearbox. Or maybe one of those mentioned in the first paragraph, grafted on to the original speedo cable!

[Russ]

I didnt read it properly for some reason thought it was an efi. I sold a brand new fuel flow tranducer to Andy the express valeter. As the part is made by VDO i suspect some VWs may be fitted with the same unit as trip computers were quite common on 80s VWs some of which were carb fitted.
The R800 and it is only the 800 one that works arnt really up to the job, there is actually a simmilar one with a 2001 part number to fit the maestro.(i bought one) why rover were still messing about with a new part for a 16yr old car in 2001 ,god only knows. But these suffer the same prob as the 800 unit in that under hard acceleration they loose count for some reason and on occasion read 0