Jupiter Electronics - custom electronic instruments for your spacecraft

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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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©2008 Jupiter Electronics. All rights reserved. Some sections updated May 16, 2008