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FAQ
Here you will find answers to the most
frequently asked questions.
General questions
Voicebox questions
4th season electronics
Other topics of interest
General Questions
Q - Could I get your catalog ?
A - We do not have any catalog or
information package available for sale. We want to help people achieve their
dream project car, not to make money by selling promotional literature. Instead,
information is published on-line.
Q - Do you have electronics in stock ?
A - All items are built on order and there
is no inventory. Standard lead time is 4 to 6 weeks.
Q - I have noticed that a lot of these cars
have large multicolored buttons on the overhead consoles. Do you sell any of
those, or know what company I can order them from. Any assistance would be
greatly appreciated.
A - We do not usually supply switches and
pushbuttons but we do help people locating these from time to time. We would be
glad to assist you if there is any specific model you have in mind.
Q - I was told that you could calibrate the
tachometer to display properly for a V6 engine, is this right ?
A - The tachometer can be set to either an
8-cylinder, 6-cylinder or even a 4-cylinder engine simply by moving a switch or
a jumper wire.
Q - Is it possible to have the electronics
converted to fit another type of car ?
A - Most of our electronic circuits will
work in any other model of GM or Chrysler vehicle, without major modification.
Ford models will require a different fuel level meter circuit.
Q - Just wondering if your digital speedos
work with any cars other than trans ams ?
A - Our digital speedometer works on any
vehicle with a positive 12V power system. Circuit is compatible with most speed
sensors; should there be none already on your car, then an aftermarket speed
sensor can be fitted on your existing speedometer cable.
Q - How would you rate the accuracy of your
electronics ?
A - Our instruments operate as intended,
and at the risk of sounding pretentious, I would not hesitate to say that they
are as accurate, when not more, than the stock instruments we are replacing. Of
course there are some dummy displays, but all necessary and practical
instruments are fully operational.
Q - How much will it cost to convert my car ?
A - We can't really put a price on a
project like this, since most customers keep adding extra features. The basic
electronics can cost around US$1000, plus the dashboard itself, the front bumper
and a paint job. Some will budget $5000, some more.
Voicebox Questions
Q - How does the Voicebox "work" ?
Does it connect to the car stereo as sort of a VU meter or is it random ?
A - The voicebox connects in parallel with
one of the front speakers through a high impedance isolation network and reacts
as a VU-meter.
Q - Could you tell me more about the voicebox
construction ?
A - The voicebox is a compact, self
contained assembly where two or three boards are stacked to each other.
Installation is simplified to a minimum, with all connections being grouped on a
terminal block.
Q - Does the K463 Voicebox include the
lettering over the LEDs or does the end user have to find them, and if so, where
can they be obtained from and at what cost ?
A - Lettering is not included. Electronics
sets were originally designed to be incorporated into a custom dashboard by a
distributor before being shipped to the end user. Over the time, and by popular
demand, the targeted market opened to do-it-yourself people who would get
involved into their project and who would enjoy designing their own templates
and graphic overlays.
Q - Does the K463 Voicebox work
"standalone" or does it require the power board ?
A - The K463 voicebox is completely
independent from the power board or any other board.
Q - Is there a provision in your boards to
take minor signals from the dash ?
A - The updated voicebox has three extra
tone inputs that can be triggered by signals such as the check engine light.
Q - Can the voicebox be operated from other
sound signals ?
A - All voicebox models can be hooked up
to any audio source, including a PC, as long as you can supply a 12Vdc power
source to the board. The audio input is electrically insulated and offers a high
impedance.
4th season electronics
Q - On the "power" board, are there
buttons for power, auto, normal, and pursuit or are those LED's ?
A - LEDs, just like in the show.
Q - The odometer is four digits and only
measures up to 9999, is that correct ?
A - Yes. More like a trip odometer; resets
at 999.9 miles.
Q - Were you able to use super or ultra bright
LED's throughout the new displays ?
A - The new displays for the 4th season
dash use Hewlett-Packard or compatible LEDs to achieve the same look than the
original car. These are not available in ultra bright version.
Q - Can the speedometer be in km/h instead of
MPH ?
A - Yes, the speedometer can be tuned for
km/h instead of MPH.
Q - Why stacked boards ?
A - New sets with stacked driver boards
are easier to install, having half as many cable connections and no longer any
hanging boards.
Q - On the first season electronics the RPM
digital display has 4 digits, on the 4th season it has three. Why is this ?
A - The 4th season tachometer has 3
digits, while our 2-TV version has 4. The missing digit is the least significant
one and is locked to zero on the 2-TV version.
Q - I understand the compass display is not a
functional compass, but why don't you call it a dummy display ?
A - The compass display is used to
indicate car direction (forward or reverse gear) and turn signals.
Other topics of interest
Q - Have you had any requests for the blue MPH
display beside the speedometer ?
A - The blue MPH display beside the
speedometer hasn't been requested very often. If we are talking about the same
thing, this was a vacuum fluorescent type display which requires high voltage
drivers.
An alternative way to get the MPH display
was described in a booklet I published long time ago. The idea was to get a
negative print on film of the word or legend you want to light, to add a color
filter, and then to place a light underneath.
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