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SIP speedometers

Technical help for Series one, two and three Lambrettas. Models include the Li, Li Special, TV, SX, GP, Serveta and API/SIL models

SIP speedometers

Postby solostax » Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:50 pm

The SIP electronic speedo looks great and incorporates many useful features But I feel the manufacturer of this instrument is missing a huge oportunity by not addressing the British/Imperial system of speed measurement.
For those of us that think and drive using MPH as the working unit this device just isn’t a good alternative to the original speedometers that were calibrated in MPH and ododmeters registering miles.
When the needle meter is used as an analogue MPH speedo ,the full scale deflection of 140 MPH is a nonsense for a standard road going Lambretta. Relative to a standard or mildly tuned road going Lambretta working in MPH, using the needle display as an analogue MPH speedo results in a 50percent redundancy of the full scale needle deflection.The speed dial marking is more meaningful if you switch to KPH, although switching the needle function to show either MPH or RPM is still a waste of nearly half of the dial face at the sacrifice of better resolution .
I’m sure there would be market for an instrument that not only mimicked the original physically but perhaps with LCD technology the display could be switchable to display relevant MPH, KPH ,RPM tailored to suit the scooter it was fitted to.
The heart of this unit seems to be common technology that is sold in other guises ,to wit, very cheap bicycle speedometers which are adaptable to different size wheels, temp, distance and indeed all the functions the SIP device incorporates.
So what about it ?,if SIP don’t see the shortcomings of their offering and redesign perhaps some entrapeneur might.
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby coaster » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:53 am

You need to contact Anthony Tambs via his Scootronics site on Face Book, he is developing an alternative speedo unit using GPS technology and was recently canvassing for ideas as to which features to add. If you don't know about him, he already makes the Gammatech speedos, stators, external ignition pickups and CDI's.
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby solostax » Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:34 pm

Thanks for the update Coaster ,much appreciated.
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby Fast n Furious » Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:32 am

The legality situation on GPS speedo's is very unclear.
A speedo should work for the MOT. Odometers doesn't matter.
So how would the Mot tester verify a working GPS speedo without taking it down the street?
How would you verify your speed through a tunnel?
What if a natural disaster wrecked most of the satelites?
They make dammed accurate speedo's on flat open ground though.
Nice to have as an additional phone app.
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby solostax » Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:00 pm

Fast and Furious
Thanks for the valid comments regarding GPS,speedometers ,but I haven't seen a vehicle speedometer that relies solely on GPS signals.I believe that GPS trackers employ dual operating systems using ground station telemetry that can compensate for weak or loss of GPS data.However this would still not satisfy reliability and accuracy requirements.

I have found the 'Diablo super biker' GPS phone app is great for checking the accuracy of speedos whereby I'm lucky to have an 8 mile dual carriageway to ride at an 'Indicated' 50 MPH. Unfortunately, on testing 7 speedos no two speedometers gave the same results and all were inaccurate.

The magnet giving a "pulse per revolution" system seems the best way to go and I have a handlebar clip on bicycle computer with nearly all the features as the SIP product bar a moving needle indication.If the SIP needle unit read MPH with a full scale deflection of 70 or 80 switchable to RPM with corresponding full scale deflection of 7 or 8K I'm sure they would sell many more.

I can envisage a device that is built into a standard Lambretta speedo housing that utilises LCD display technology to imitate the clock face ,this being totally programmable to suit the rider/scooter.There are high contrast back lit instruments serving similar purposes on the market right now..Perhaps someone can see the potential in this?
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby solostax » Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:09 pm

Following on about SIP device not being suitable to display analogue MPH and and using the dial as RPM resulting in 50 percent redundancy.would this work?
IF 140KPH (FULL SCALE DEFLECTION) = 86.992MPH
RUN ANALOGUE METER IN KPH BUT RECALIBRATE DIAL MARKINGS IN CORRESPONDING MPH.SO THAT FULLSCALE DEFLECTION = 86.992 (ROUNDED UP TO 90MPH)
AS FOR RPM INDICATION USING ANALOGUE METER :
MODIFY INTERNAL CIRCUITRY TO DOUBLE THE PULSE COUNT WHICH WILL NOW INDICATE ( ON ABOVE RECALIBRATED DIAL MASK) A MAX READING OF 9K RPM
Just a thought!!
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby Fast n Furious » Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:29 pm

SIP's are ok at displaying the Digital speed and Analogue revs (or the other way around if using a Mk2)
But you need super youthful anti-vibration proof eyesight to see anything else.
They are a compromised design based on something a lot more primitive.
I've said this before........ I think a redesigned headset top to accommodate a quality "off the shelf" electronic dash/ computer with digits that can be read by miserable cantankerous old bastards like me is the way to go. Some of these tops already exist. Room for improvement here, me thinks?
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby nickw » Tue Nov 14, 2017 7:43 pm

Fast n Furious wrote:A speedo should work for the MOT.

I didn't think the speedo was needed or checked for an MOT. My scooter has had several tests without a working speedo and the examiner knows it doesn't work and never says anything about it.
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Re: SIP speedometers

Postby missing lynx » Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:15 am

A speedo should be fitted for an MOT but it is not tested as part of the test but the millage is recorded so if it doesn't change questions may be asked
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