Help!--replacing speedometer/odometer

[david brady]

Dorn,



I might add that one could use a "binary search" to

find the correct value and that if there are 9 switches

(labled sw1 thru sw9), then ONLY 9 trials are required.

A trial and error approach is feasible.



Jo-Ski,



From the documentation posted earlier it appears that

sw9 is the high order bit. Start by setting this bit to

"ON".



One of two outcomes can present themselves:



1) if the speedometer reads high: then set sw9 to "OFF"

and set sw8 to (ON) (that is, divide by 2), or

 

2) if the speedometer reads low: then leave sw9 "ON"

and set sw8 to "ON".



At this point one of two outcomes can present themselves:



1) if the speedometer reads high: then set sw8 to "OFF"

and set sw7 to (ON) (that is, divide by 2), or

 

2) if the speedometer reads low: then leave sw8 "ON"

and set sw7 to "ON".



Continue this process until you get to sw1, at which point

you're done and the speedometer is dialed in.



Caveat, since the information is Binary Coded by Teleflex, you

may throw a switch and see no outcome change. This simply

means that some combinations are not used. Don't worry

about this, just progress to the next switch as outlined in the

algorithm above.

 

Basically you're doing a binary search. We've all done this

many times when we play "what number am I thinking of

between 0 and 100". The guesser starts at 50 (devide by

two), the answer is low or high. If low, the guesser says 75.

The answer is low, so the guesser says 88, etc until the answer

is arrived at. This is a binary search. Have Fun!



David Brady

'02 LXi, NC



On 9/1/2010 6:10 AM, Dorn Hetzel wrote:

 

If there are 9 switches each with 2 positions, then the
total number of combinations is 2^9, or 512.

Some or all of the switches are probably used to
represent a binary number in the range 0 to 511.  (or a
smaller max if some of the switches are used for other
things)

Are the switches all in one block?  Do they have any
markings or numbering?  While it's certainly not trivial,
it actually might be possible to arrive at correct
settings

by a slightly improved "trial, measure error, calculate
new trial setting, repeat" method.

Regards,

Dorn Hetzel

77FC35

Hogansville, GA

On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 2:35 AM,
Jo-Ski <"josl@nas.com">
wrote:

 

Stephen Birtles wrote:

 

>I am
the offending dealer and I did not say
that it was trail by error

>I stated that there was NO
documentation I stated this when I was
asked if I had any wanderldoge nos
Gauges for sale and I stated this whne
the customer >phoned I also Stated
how I received the Gauges

>About 299 Gauges in a rather Large
Garbage bag. They were the contained in
a file cabinet which I purchased at the
Bluebird Auction. The file cabinet also
did >not have any documentation in
it. If you are not happy with the sale
simply return the speedometer Money
Cheerfully refunded

>But Wait I have not Received payment
for the speedometer yet

>So just return the speedometer

Jo-ski writes:

 

First, our main
concern: PLEASE, PLEASE, DOES ANYONE OUT
THERE HAVE THE 9-DIP-SWITCH SETTINGS FOR
CALIBRATING A TELEFLEX
SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER FOR AN '83 FC 35' RB
BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE?

 

Now to respond to
Stephen: Please, we are not trying to set
off a firestorm or tarnish any reputations
here, but we feel we need to set the
record straight and perhaps bring
something positive out of this situation.

 

With all due respect,
Stephen, while we thank you for coming
forward, we did not mention you or
your dealership by name to this forum
about this matter.

 

And, yes, when we
ordered the gauge, you explained that
there was no documentation, but both of us
distinctly remember you saying that
setting it up was by
"trial-and-error." Stew thought, by that,
you meant connecting the 4 wires up. You
said nothing about there being 9 dip
switches to set for the calibration. So,
no, at that point, we did not know about
those 9 dip switches, and of course, you
yourself must understand that setting
those switches to the "magic combination"
for a given coach could be one out of
thousands of possible combinations and
permutations with that many switches (for
heaven's sake, "trial-and-error" could
conceivably take up the rest of our
lifetimes).

 

And, no, you actually
did not explain about how you
purchased the gauges until Stew called you
a second time--right in the middle of a
+6-hour session with the mechanic, trying
to get the gauge to work properly (as I
mentioned, for example, it would read 70
mph when the coach was actually doing 20
mph, as monitored by GPS). You were at the
dentist, and suggested they go out to the
Teleflex Website, where they would "find
all the information," which they did not
find. They finally called Teleflex tech
support, and the tech support guy
explained that they no longer make this
gauge, but he remembered it, and could fax
out a 4-or-5-page handout that at least
explained something about it--e.g., the
existence of the 9 switches. That
entailed hunting for a nearby Kinko's or
mailbox-type place where they could
receive the fax--again, right in the
middle of this +6-hour session with the
mechanic around and around the block in
"trial-and-error" mode. . .

 

OK, Stephen,
here's one positive outcome of this
situation: to do right by any future
customers, you could, at the very least,
call Teleflex yourself, secure a master
copy/fax of that 4-or-5 page handout from
Teleflex, and include a photocopy of it
with any of those other 298 gauges you
sell in the future. That would be a
service to your customers, along with
explaining this 9-dip-switch situation up
front to them, don't you think?

 

Unfortunately, the
handout still does not give the magic
combination of the 9 dip switches for a
given coach. Hence, we are hoping, please,
that someone out there will respond to our
initial plea above. Barring that, Stew is
still willing to go the extra mile by
going through what sounds like
an elaborate kabuki of crawling under the
coach, counting the number of notches on
something for odometer-related purposes,
getting tire sizes, and supplying a whole
host of other measurements and
specifications to Teleflex,--and maybe,
maybe--Teleflex will be able to provide
the settings.

 

If that doesn't work,
we will return the gauge. If it does work,
we will gladly share this hard-won
information with other Blue Birders,
including Stephen (something that might
boost the sale of the other 298 gauges?)
because we sincerely wish Stephen all the
best with his business.

 

There. . .another
possible positive outcome to the
situation. . .don't you think?

 

Respectfully,

 

Jo-ski and Stew

"The Bird Abides"

'83 FC 35' RB

Blaine, WA