Fwd: For all you forced induction guys

[ydrogs at gmail.com (Gordy Stedman)]

Here is there original post :)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dan Bubb <jdbubb@verizon.net>
Date: Jul 11, 2005 9:45 AM
Subject: For all you forced induction guys.
To: Scirocco List <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>

About a year ago I bought this little audio amplifier kit, a piezo crystal
and a set of headphones to construct a DIY audio knock detector that I read
about on www.autospeed.com <http://www.autospeed.com>.

Basically you glue the piezo crystal (converts vibration to a voltage output
or converts a voltage input to vibration) to a clip that you can clip onto
your engine block.

Well, I finally got off my dead ass and built the kit. The circuitry itself
was nothing, the board is ~1.5" x 1" with 8 components. What took all the
time was mounting all the bits in a box.

Finally tested it this weekend.

It really works. Mostly you just hear a lot of things clattering around in
there.
But, pinging/knock is a clearly detectable hard ticking sound.
So, as you're hauling ass down the highway despite lots of wind noise, lots
of road noise, lots of engine and exhaust noise, you can still clearly hear
the
engine pinging.

Interestingly, after you shut off the engine from idle, you can also hear
the ball bearing turbo spooling down for 20 seconds or so!

Anyway, for about $50 and a few hours of assembly time this rates right up
there
with a WB-O2 as a tuning tool to have for forced induction engines.

Dan







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     Jim Ruffi   to Dan, Scirocco
 More options Jul 11 You'll be sorry you asked...see below:

Yeah, I sometimes ask myself the same question. I could open a Radio
Shack.....well, it would be one that only stocks a hundred or so items,
selling 100-10,000 of each!

I built 5000 of a special "pickup" for a cool typing pressure system that
was to protect office workers from repetative stress injury by monitoring
typing force. I built some cool prototype "brains" for above for the
customer and kept one for myself. The project never got off the ground and
the guy gave the sensors back to me before he moved....I couldn't do
anything with them, so I dumped 'em.

Ever build 5000 of anything.....by hand? Takes a long time. I had the
cases injection molded and had the cords made in Taiwan, but I did the final
assembly myself. Think "lower back pain."
I used to "watch" movies by putting the movie on and just listening while I
worked. It gets boring.

I have 555 timers, 7408 voltage regulators, mono and electrolytic
capacitors, 4148 and 4001 diodes, 2222 transistors, other IC's, PEEL chips,
IC sockets (hundreds) some hardware, the gobs of wire I've mentioned before,
about 500 stuffed, unsoldered circuit boards for a defunct auto circuit
design (one that "resets" american car obd codes by killing power
temporarily after engine shutoff (after a short delay to allow the injection
stepper motor to reset, blah, blah, blah). Many 4-40 machine screws and
washers, 4-40 aluminum board spacers.
Mostly through-hole mount stuff....not surface mount.

EPROM burner and UV eraser.....

I have many groovy little plastic potting boxes, which would be perfect for
this project....
AMP mate-n-lock connectors (I think mostly 9 pin) - several hundred and
thousands of terminals.
Hundreds of Radio Shack DPDT automotive type rocker switches.
Hundreds of inexpensive 1/4" musical instrument type jacks.

Argh. Hamfest anyone? Wish I could get some of my money back.
Julie?



-- 
Gordy
MK1 x 3