Hyphen
19-04-2014, 01:47 AM
This guide is to help determine the current odometer reading on third gen digital clusters. This will be particularly useful for those who have replacement clusters to go into their cars, or have acquired a wreck and not know that actual reading and want to find out.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/1_zps8e6320bc.jpg
Currently this guide only applies to clusters from Series 2 TJ/KJ and later Magnas and Veradas with the green digital displays. I have included some tentative info within the required sections for KH and Series 1 KJ blackout clusters (as the rest all have mechanical odometers as far as I am aware), but I have no way of testing this and cannot confirm nor deny its validity (PS: if somebody could help me out here with this, that would be great). Of course it goes without saying that all work carried out by you, regardless of what is contained in this guide, is done so wholly at your own risk.
YOU WILL NEED
Your cluster.
12V DC source with easy access to the positive and negative terminals. I used the 3.5mm jack connection for my 1 amp AC adapter for obvious reasons. A car battery should also work.
Small electrical connectors. I found three 1/8" (3.2 mm) female spade connectors to be best, as they accept the small pins of the cluster vertically without being loose, and they can bridge two neighbouring pins together horizontally if needed (which will come in handy as we will see later). They do not need to be crimped onto wire, especially if you use crocodile clips, nor do they need to be insulated like mine are, it is just what I had on hand.
Connecting wire as needed. I used and strongly suggest testing wires with croc clips as they make life so easy. Again, I only needed three of them.
A ridiculously photogenic puppy for your ridiculously unphotogenic girlfriend, who just woke up and is feeling quite ill, to hide behind.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/2_zps973fe80f.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/3_zps4a2d1136.jpg
DIFFICULTY — This is a very easy process, but basic knowledge of DC circuits is required. This guide has been written so that even the most novice of people can follow it, so please forgive me if it is a little long winded or tangents off slightly at times.
ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME — Less than 5 minutes, unless you like taking your time or are overly cautious.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1 — Locate and place connectors over the required pins
The pins need to be powered as follows. To be safe, do not have the connectors wired to power yet, just place them over the pins. (Henceforth I will simply refer to my method of using female spade connectors instead of just "connectors" in general.) To be sure, keep the power source unplugged until specified.
B12 Accessories — POSITIVE
B13 Ignition — POSITIVE
B19 Ground — NEGATIVE
B20 Ground — NEGATIVE
A15 Mode button — SWITCHED NEGATIVE
Elaborating on the above list, pins B12 and B13 need to be fed +12V from the power source, and the two ground pins (B19 and B20) need to be wired to the negative connection of the source. If you are using female spade connectors, use one connector across B12/B13 (+12V) and one for B19/B20 (ground). The connections can be a bit tight, especially when bridging two pins with one spade, so be careful to not bend the pins.
This leaves our "Mode switch", that button on the dash that controls the computer display. This display was in the center of the dash pre TJ2/KJ2, but has been moved to the cluster display post TJ2/KJ2. Therefore I can only assume this wire is not needed for KH and KJ1 clusters. Regardless, for the newer clusters, place a blade over pin A15, and make sure it only has contact on this pin; we do not want to also activate any other circuitry — you know, just in case. The "switching" will be explained further in Step 3.
The following diagram will help with finding the pin locations.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/5_zps7e0652ec.png
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/7_zps511fdb15.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/6_zps90acee68.jpg
Step 2 — Connect spades/connectors to power source and power up the cluster
As per the wiring diagram above, connect pins B12 and B13 to the positive terminal of the power source, and pins B19 and B20 to the negative side. Plug the power source into mains power, but keep it switched off so you can make sure the polarity is correct before switching on the mains power.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/4_zps2a7f4b60.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/8_zps0f1c1713.jpg
Your cluster should light up now in all its glory (just love that light up sequence of the blackout clusters) with the annoying "Flashing 5", which I am sure you all know is actually S for Sedan. Do not worry if your cluster's needles wave around a little. Just reiterating, this procedure also works with Magna digital clusters as the pinouts on the connectors are the same, hence why all KJ2-KW blackout clusters are plug-and-play in TJ2-TW Magnas.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/9_zpsa211f170.jpg
Step 3 — Access the odometer by utilising the "Mode switch"
As I am sure you are all well aware by now, the car's trip computer needs "resetting" every time the battery is removed. Obviously this is the case here, too. I am also sure you know that the way to do this is to short-press the Mode button on the dash to switch between options (eg: sedan "5/S" or wagon "|_,,_|/W" and engine size — 3.5 or 3.0 litres) and long-press to lock in your selections. What happens electrically behind the scenes is that the Mode button is constantly connected to the positive terminal of the source (eg: the ignition wire), then once it is pressed (and the circuit is closed or, in other words, the switch allows current to pass through it) it grounds out the signal, connecting the circuit to the negative terminal of the source (eg: negative terminal of battery) and allows a current to flow. The car's trip computer notices this current and interprets it as a button press, and, depending on how long the current runs for (ie: short- or long-press), the computer does different things with it (as mentioned just now).
The easiest way to mimic this button pressing is to simply use one end of the wire coming from pin A15 (the pin the cluster uses for the Mode button — my green wire) and just tap it on the negative terminal of the power source, or some contact point on the negative line. Tap and remove quickly (less than 2 seconds) for the short-press, hold it down longer (more than 2 seconds) for a long-press. The first picture below shows what happens when you short-press after initially powering up the cluster (picture above with the 5/S), and the second picture below that indicates what you see after a long-press, from either S or W modes.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/10_zpsa60f5209.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/11_zps09426b45.jpg
As we are not using the cluster for actual driving, it does not matter what settings you put into it (they will be lost once the connections are removed anyway). So, once it is powered up (Step 2) simply long-press our "Mode button" twice. Make sure you hold the switch down long enough (more than 2 seconds each time) for the cluster to beep and accept your options.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/1_zps8e6320bc.jpg
There you have it. Now the cluster will run through its usual power on cycle, and finish up on that all important odometer reading.
REFERENCES
Thanks to magna_vrx_turbo for inspiring me with his writeup and diagrams for a KH cluster, from which I also stole the idea of using the AC adapter (almost forgot I had one). The post can be found here:
magna_vrx_turbo's post on his KH cluster (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76313&p=1444387&viewfull=1#post1444387)
The Gregory's manual for Third Gen Magnas and Veradas (TE to KW) and the Rellim wiring diagrams contained within.
Gregory's Automotive Publications. (2011). Service and repair manual no. 272. Padstow, NSW: Haynes Manuals, Inc.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/1_zps8e6320bc.jpg
Currently this guide only applies to clusters from Series 2 TJ/KJ and later Magnas and Veradas with the green digital displays. I have included some tentative info within the required sections for KH and Series 1 KJ blackout clusters (as the rest all have mechanical odometers as far as I am aware), but I have no way of testing this and cannot confirm nor deny its validity (PS: if somebody could help me out here with this, that would be great). Of course it goes without saying that all work carried out by you, regardless of what is contained in this guide, is done so wholly at your own risk.
YOU WILL NEED
Your cluster.
12V DC source with easy access to the positive and negative terminals. I used the 3.5mm jack connection for my 1 amp AC adapter for obvious reasons. A car battery should also work.
Small electrical connectors. I found three 1/8" (3.2 mm) female spade connectors to be best, as they accept the small pins of the cluster vertically without being loose, and they can bridge two neighbouring pins together horizontally if needed (which will come in handy as we will see later). They do not need to be crimped onto wire, especially if you use crocodile clips, nor do they need to be insulated like mine are, it is just what I had on hand.
Connecting wire as needed. I used and strongly suggest testing wires with croc clips as they make life so easy. Again, I only needed three of them.
A ridiculously photogenic puppy for your ridiculously unphotogenic girlfriend, who just woke up and is feeling quite ill, to hide behind.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/2_zps973fe80f.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/3_zps4a2d1136.jpg
DIFFICULTY — This is a very easy process, but basic knowledge of DC circuits is required. This guide has been written so that even the most novice of people can follow it, so please forgive me if it is a little long winded or tangents off slightly at times.
ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME — Less than 5 minutes, unless you like taking your time or are overly cautious.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1 — Locate and place connectors over the required pins
The pins need to be powered as follows. To be safe, do not have the connectors wired to power yet, just place them over the pins. (Henceforth I will simply refer to my method of using female spade connectors instead of just "connectors" in general.) To be sure, keep the power source unplugged until specified.
B12 Accessories — POSITIVE
B13 Ignition — POSITIVE
B19 Ground — NEGATIVE
B20 Ground — NEGATIVE
A15 Mode button — SWITCHED NEGATIVE
Elaborating on the above list, pins B12 and B13 need to be fed +12V from the power source, and the two ground pins (B19 and B20) need to be wired to the negative connection of the source. If you are using female spade connectors, use one connector across B12/B13 (+12V) and one for B19/B20 (ground). The connections can be a bit tight, especially when bridging two pins with one spade, so be careful to not bend the pins.
This leaves our "Mode switch", that button on the dash that controls the computer display. This display was in the center of the dash pre TJ2/KJ2, but has been moved to the cluster display post TJ2/KJ2. Therefore I can only assume this wire is not needed for KH and KJ1 clusters. Regardless, for the newer clusters, place a blade over pin A15, and make sure it only has contact on this pin; we do not want to also activate any other circuitry — you know, just in case. The "switching" will be explained further in Step 3.
The following diagram will help with finding the pin locations.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/5_zps7e0652ec.png
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/7_zps511fdb15.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/6_zps90acee68.jpg
Step 2 — Connect spades/connectors to power source and power up the cluster
As per the wiring diagram above, connect pins B12 and B13 to the positive terminal of the power source, and pins B19 and B20 to the negative side. Plug the power source into mains power, but keep it switched off so you can make sure the polarity is correct before switching on the mains power.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/4_zps2a7f4b60.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/8_zps0f1c1713.jpg
Your cluster should light up now in all its glory (just love that light up sequence of the blackout clusters) with the annoying "Flashing 5", which I am sure you all know is actually S for Sedan. Do not worry if your cluster's needles wave around a little. Just reiterating, this procedure also works with Magna digital clusters as the pinouts on the connectors are the same, hence why all KJ2-KW blackout clusters are plug-and-play in TJ2-TW Magnas.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/9_zpsa211f170.jpg
Step 3 — Access the odometer by utilising the "Mode switch"
As I am sure you are all well aware by now, the car's trip computer needs "resetting" every time the battery is removed. Obviously this is the case here, too. I am also sure you know that the way to do this is to short-press the Mode button on the dash to switch between options (eg: sedan "5/S" or wagon "|_,,_|/W" and engine size — 3.5 or 3.0 litres) and long-press to lock in your selections. What happens electrically behind the scenes is that the Mode button is constantly connected to the positive terminal of the source (eg: the ignition wire), then once it is pressed (and the circuit is closed or, in other words, the switch allows current to pass through it) it grounds out the signal, connecting the circuit to the negative terminal of the source (eg: negative terminal of battery) and allows a current to flow. The car's trip computer notices this current and interprets it as a button press, and, depending on how long the current runs for (ie: short- or long-press), the computer does different things with it (as mentioned just now).
The easiest way to mimic this button pressing is to simply use one end of the wire coming from pin A15 (the pin the cluster uses for the Mode button — my green wire) and just tap it on the negative terminal of the power source, or some contact point on the negative line. Tap and remove quickly (less than 2 seconds) for the short-press, hold it down longer (more than 2 seconds) for a long-press. The first picture below shows what happens when you short-press after initially powering up the cluster (picture above with the 5/S), and the second picture below that indicates what you see after a long-press, from either S or W modes.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/10_zpsa60f5209.jpg
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/11_zps09426b45.jpg
As we are not using the cluster for actual driving, it does not matter what settings you put into it (they will be lost once the connections are removed anyway). So, once it is powered up (Step 2) simply long-press our "Mode button" twice. Make sure you hold the switch down long enough (more than 2 seconds each time) for the cluster to beep and accept your options.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s367/TehHyphen/AMC/Cluster/1_zps8e6320bc.jpg
There you have it. Now the cluster will run through its usual power on cycle, and finish up on that all important odometer reading.
REFERENCES
Thanks to magna_vrx_turbo for inspiring me with his writeup and diagrams for a KH cluster, from which I also stole the idea of using the AC adapter (almost forgot I had one). The post can be found here:
magna_vrx_turbo's post on his KH cluster (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76313&p=1444387&viewfull=1#post1444387)
The Gregory's manual for Third Gen Magnas and Veradas (TE to KW) and the Rellim wiring diagrams contained within.
Gregory's Automotive Publications. (2011). Service and repair manual no. 272. Padstow, NSW: Haynes Manuals, Inc.