Counter for miles at last fill up
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:31 pm
In the absence of a trip meter the main part of this cheap 'adjustable potentiometer' could serve to improve upon the function of the low fuel fuel warning light. The numbers are small and can only be discerned by close inspection, but the counter's base is 22mm in diameter and it weighs only 5gms, so it is neat and unobtrusive.
Only the part to the left side of the attached picture is required and e.g. this could be employed to record the last three digits of the odometer when the tank was last filled, or to predict the mileage when fuel would next be getting low.
The small oblong outer window displays a segment of a dial carrying numbers 0 to 9 to represent hundreds. When the knob is turned clockwise to advance the inner scale of 'tens' beyond the next '0' mark, a simple internal mechanism increments the 'hundreds' in the window. When the inner scale of 'tens' is turned anticlockwise past the previous '0', the 'hundreds' are decremented, and the lever just locks both scales by friction.
When using double sided foam tape to make it removable, the included plastic washer could first be glued onto the back of the meter to present a larger surface. Otherwise, under the edge of the counter's base there is a small locating pin of soft plastic which can be cut off to allow it to be glued to a flat surface. A dab of red or black paint might be added to help to show up the pointing groove formed between the dials.
Only the part to the left side of the attached picture is required and e.g. this could be employed to record the last three digits of the odometer when the tank was last filled, or to predict the mileage when fuel would next be getting low.
The small oblong outer window displays a segment of a dial carrying numbers 0 to 9 to represent hundreds. When the knob is turned clockwise to advance the inner scale of 'tens' beyond the next '0' mark, a simple internal mechanism increments the 'hundreds' in the window. When the inner scale of 'tens' is turned anticlockwise past the previous '0', the 'hundreds' are decremented, and the lever just locks both scales by friction.
When using double sided foam tape to make it removable, the included plastic washer could first be glued onto the back of the meter to present a larger surface. Otherwise, under the edge of the counter's base there is a small locating pin of soft plastic which can be cut off to allow it to be glued to a flat surface. A dab of red or black paint might be added to help to show up the pointing groove formed between the dials.