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whiskey_juliet · 03-25-2012, 03:08 AM

I own a '95 Honda Civic VX, 193,XXX mi. Right now stock I am averaging 40+ city. Ive been doing a good amount of research on how to bump the mpg's up and after some recent driving I have decided to build a TPS gauge to give real time readouts on throttle positioning.

Why do I want to do this?
I find myself checking my throttle position often. What I mean is letting off the throttle and then back on to find out where I stand. I don't like doing this. I have read a post or two of other people suggesting this but I never found anything completed. And gauges that are offered that can read this off the TPS are too costly in my opinion.

What do I think I will gain?
IDK? But I feel like it would challenge me to always be at my lowest possible open throttle.

How am I going to do it?
My friend and I who share a passion for R&D have come up with this as a rough starting point. 25 LED's arranged in a straight line. A measuring device on the TB (Ive heard that you can get a readout from the TPS by splicing into one of the wires. With some circuitry it can be routed to the LEDS and be read in a progressive manner based on voltage). Luckily we also have a Nerdy friend who loves messing with that type of circuitry.

Anyway, the idea is to be able to read the throttle position accurately under 25%, moderately from 25% - 50%, and then Roughly from 50% - 100%. The reason for the different readout zones is because I feel that a digital gauge would be too expensive yet the most accurate. An LED strip could be just as accurate if you wanted to use 100 LED's but we dont want that because we are trying to keep costs down, not to mention a strip of LED's that big could be an eye sore on the dash.

We havent yet decided on those readout zones nor the actual number of LED's to be used. Mostly we havent decided on anything yet since we are still brewing the idea and whether or not it will be effective and cost effective.

So that is why I am here. I am looking for input from you, the ecomodder.
Please be gentle, this is my first eco car and I really want to help add to our success.

03-25-2012, 03:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
whiskey_juliet EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Montana Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	TPS Gauge for better economy? I own a '95 Honda Civic VX, 193,XXX mi. Right now stock I am averaging 40+ city. Ive been doing a good amount of research on how to bump the mpg's up and after some recent driving I have decided to build a TPS gauge to give real time readouts on throttle positioning. Why do I want to do this? I find myself checking my throttle position often. What I mean is letting off the throttle and then back on to find out where I stand. I don't like doing this. I have read a post or two of other people suggesting this but I never found anything completed. And gauges that are offered that can read this off the TPS are too costly in my opinion. What do I think I will gain? IDK? But I feel like it would challenge me to always be at my lowest possible open throttle. How am I going to do it? My friend and I who share a passion for R&D have come up with this as a rough starting point. 25 LED's arranged in a straight line. A measuring device on the TB (Ive heard that you can get a readout from the TPS by splicing into one of the wires. With some circuitry it can be routed to the LEDS and be read in a progressive manner based on voltage). Luckily we also have a Nerdy friend who loves messing with that type of circuitry. Anyway, the idea is to be able to read the throttle position accurately under 25%, moderately from 25% - 50%, and then Roughly from 50% - 100%. The reason for the different readout zones is because I feel that a digital gauge would be too expensive yet the most accurate. An LED strip could be just as accurate if you wanted to use 100 LED's but we dont want that because we are trying to keep costs down, not to mention a strip of LED's that big could be an eye sore on the dash. We havent yet decided on those readout zones nor the actual number of LED's to be used. Mostly we havent decided on anything yet since we are still brewing the idea and whether or not it will be effective and cost effective. So that is why I am here. I am looking for input from you, the ecomodder. Please be gentle, this is my first eco car and I really want to help add to our success.