Dakota digital VHX problem

[rasmus westlin]

Hey,

I have Dakota digital vhx system in my -70 challenger. I have tried to contact Dakota tech support but cant get an answer. So i try to Ask here and see if someone here can help me.

When i hold down the switch 1 and turn the ignition on, the setup menu is showing and i can fix all the different settings. But when i gonna do the speed calibration the car need to be running.

When i hold in switch 1 and turn the car on, it dosnt show the setup menu. It only says in the LCD screen ”set up speed cali”

Why does it only show the setup menu on ignition but not when i start the car? I have checked the wiring and i cant see any wrong there. I have followed the instructions and read it 100 times.

Maybe someone here knows why it dont work?

Thanks!

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Have you checked DakotaDigitalTV on YouTube?

How to Calibrate Speed on Dakota Digital Instruments Video

 

[rasmus westlin]

Have you checked DakotaDigitalTV on YouTube?

How to Calibrate Speed on Dakota Digital Instruments Video

Yes. I know how to calibrate, the problem is i cant do it because the setup is not showing up in the LCD screen after i start the car.

 

[Bret Schneider]

Doesn't sound like this is your issue, but unless you're getting the speed input via a CAN bus using a BIM module, make sure you haven't inadvertently selected BIM as the speed input. Auto cal won't be available

"Auto Cal (AUTO CAL) This option will be greyed out if SPEED -> INPUT -> BIM is selected. "
Not sure if Tim is still the tech guy for Dakota Digital, but he helped me a couple of years ago with a problem I was having. Really knowledgeable and quick to respond. Here's the contact info I have for him from our email exchange.

TJ Jorgenson
Tech Support
(605) 349-7062 DIRECT
My office hours: 8:30-5CST M-F
Business Hours: 8-5CST M-F

Dakota Digital, Inc.
4510 W. 61st St. North
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
Phone: 1-605-332-6513
Fax: 1-605-339-4106
Email: TimJ@dakotadigital.com
www.dakotadigital.com

 

[rasmus westlin]

Doesn't sound like this is your issue, but unless you're getting the speed input via a CAN bus using a BIM module, make sure you haven't inadvertently selected BIM as the speed input. Auto cal won't be available

"Auto Cal (AUTO CAL) This option will be greyed out if SPEED -> INPUT -> BIM is selected. "
Not sure if Tim is still the tech guy for Dakota Digital, but he helped me a couple of years ago with a problem I was having. Really knowledgeable and quick to respond. Here's the contact info I have for him from our email exchange.

TJ Jorgenson
Tech Support
(605) 349-7062 DIRECT
My office hours: 8:30-5CST M-F
Business Hours: 8-5CST M-F

Dakota Digital, Inc.
4510 W. 61st St. North
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
Phone: 1-605-332-6513
Fax: 1-605-339-4106
Email: TimJ@dakotadigital.com
www.dakotadigital.com

I gonna try and email him, i just think its strange that i can get into the setup mode when i hold the switch 1 and turn ignition on. But not when i start the car. Then it only says ”please set speed cali”.

 

[Bret Schneider]

Maybe it wants you to put the car in neutral and push it for a mile without starting it...

 

[rasmus westlin]

Maybe it wants you to put the car in neutral and push it for a mile without starting it...

maybe

 

[rasmus westlin]

Still have not fix this problem, any ideas what can be wrong?

 

[Bret Schneider]

So just for the sake of making sure I understand the manual advised sequence of steps vs the sequence you're trying...

The manual says

"Press and hold SW1, then turn the key on and start the engine. Once the engine is running, release SW1. “SEt SPEED” should be displayed. Press and hold the switch until “SPEED SENDER” is displayed to go into the speed setup menus, release SW1. Now you can press and release the switch to scroll through the sub-menus, “sender” “auto” “adjust” “Service” “output” “DONE”. When you get to the desired sub-menu, press and hold the switch to select it."


Your steps

"When i hold down the switch 1 and turn the ignition on, the setup menu is showing and i can fix all the different settings. But when i gonna do the speed calibration the car need to be running.
When i hold in switch 1 and turn the car on, it doesn't show the setup menu. It only says in the LCD screen ”set up speed cali”"

So as I understand it, before turning the key, you need to hold SW 1 down. Then start the car while continuing to hold the switch down. With the engine running release the switch and "Set Speed" or some variation of that should be displayed. Sounds like your getting to that point. Per the instructions the next step is to press and hold the switch and "Speed Sensor" should be displayed. Then release the switch and you should be at the sub menus and can navigate through those.

Looks like the only wiring for Switch 1 is a push button to ground which sounds like you've wired correctly since you can get to the "set up speed cal" menu

I have the RTX version of the gauge and really like it. Although I've had a couple instances where I had problems programming something, swore I was doing everything right only to find I was accidently skipping over a single "press and release" step or something like that. Maybe you're doing something similar? Maybe the steps I've highlighted in red are either being skipped or done out of sequence? Short of that it sounds like it would be a firmware problem with the control unit. These aren't user updateable so would have to back to the manufacturer.

 

[rasmus westlin]

So just for the sake of making sure I understand the manual advised sequence of steps vs the sequence you're trying...

The manual says

"Press and hold SW1, then turn the key on and start the engine. Once the engine is running, release SW1. “SEt SPEED” should be displayed. Press and hold the switch until “SPEED SENDER” is displayed to go into the speed setup menus, release SW1. Now you can press and release the switch to scroll through the sub-menus, “sender” “auto” “adjust” “Service” “output” “DONE”. When you get to the desired sub-menu, press and hold the switch to select it."


Your steps

"When i hold down the switch 1 and turn the ignition on, the setup menu is showing and i can fix all the different settings. But when i gonna do the speed calibration the car need to be running.
When i hold in switch 1 and turn the car on, it doesn't show the setup menu. It only says in the LCD screen ”set up speed cali”"

So as I understand it, before turning the key, you need to hold SW 1 down. Then start the car while continuing to hold the switch down. With the engine running release the switch and "Set Speed" or some variation of that should be displayed. Sounds like your getting to that point. Per the instructions the next step is to press and hold the switch and "Speed Sensor" should be displayed. Then release the switch and you should be at the sub menus and can navigate through those.

Looks like the only wiring for Switch 1 is a push button to ground which sounds like you've wired correctly since you can get to the "set up speed cal" menu

I have the RTX version of the gauge and really like it. Although I've had a couple instances where I had problems programming something, swore I was doing everything right only to find I was accidently skipping over a single "press and release" step or something like that. Maybe you're doing something similar? Maybe the steps I've highlighted in red are either being skipped or done out of sequence? Short of that it sounds like it would be a firmware problem with the control unit. These aren't user updateable so would have to back to the manufacturer.

Thanks for a good answear, i got a new controllbox and still same problem. Maybe my switch button is the problem? I have checked the wiring over and over and cant see anything wrong there.

When i hold down switch 1 and start the car the LCD blanks out and then it just says ”please set speed cali” it should show ”SET SPEED” in the menu, but it dont.

One from Dakota digital said this :

”If you do not see SETUP after starting, then that means the constant power may have dropped during start.
That could mean a weak battery or an unusual amount of current drain during start, possibly from a questionable starter.”

My battery is brand new and starter and everything on my car is new after the Restoration. So i dont think that is the problem..

 

[Bret Schneider]

"When i hold down switch 1 and start the car the LCD blanks out..."

That's a pretty big clue. Like the Dakota Digital suggestion says, constant power could be dropping down when you crank the engine. The other thing could be an insufficient
ground. The instruction manual calls out a 18 AWG ground or larger to the control box which is a pretty stout ground for electronic accessories. Of course that ground would only be as good as the grounding all the way to the battery.

I would suggest performing a voltage drop test at both the power and ground connections to the controller. It sure sounds like either the power side voltage is dropping too low during cranking or the ground side is being overwhelmed. The test needs to be conducted while cranking the engine. I'll bet you find your problem on one side or the other. If you're not familiar with this testing just google it. Look for someone that explains it in simple terms. Just takes a little time and a decent voltmeter. Nothing overly fancy.

 

[rasmus westlin]

"When i hold down switch 1 and start the car the LCD blanks out..."

That's a pretty big clue. Like the Dakota Digital suggestion says, constant power could be dropping down when you crank the engine. The other thing could be an insufficient
ground. The instruction manual calls out a 18 AWG ground or larger to the control box which is a pretty stout ground for electronic accessories. Of course that ground would only be as good as the grounding all the way to the battery.

I would suggest performing a voltage drop test at both the power and ground connections to the controller. It sure sounds like either the power side voltage is dropping too low during cranking or the ground side is being overwhelmed. The test needs to be conducted while cranking the engine. I'll bet you find your problem on one side or the other. If you're not familiar with this testing just google it. Look for someone that explains it in simple terms. Just takes a little time and a decent voltmeter. Nothing overly fancy.

Yes i got the same answer from dakota digital now. I gonna check that and see if it works. Thanks for taking your time and try to help!