Installing an Acewell speedo/computer on an airhead --

If it's not something that has to come apart, I solder and heat-shrink.... it makes for a small diameter joint. I found it useful in doing the harness-to-Acewell connections after I cut off the big headlight molded plug on the Slash 6....

Wow! was really happy to find this thread! I have a 1981 BMW R100RS that I've converted to a Cafe Racer.

I recently ordered the ACEWELL speedo because the big old plastic ones are horrendous and the originalspeedo was inaccurate. Your post got me 95% of the way through the installation, but I couldn't get my mind around having to install the charge light separately, so I roped in a mate of mine who is a car electronics propeller head and he provided me with a simple way to use the LED in the ACEWELL speedo rather than the work around you have suggested.

We simply wired in a relay to replicate what the bulb would have done and it works perfectly. If you need a diagram and pictures, I'm happy to supply them.

I'd be interested to see what you did. I was thinking bout doing this as well, but just decided to wire in a bulb and resistor figuring it'd be less cluttered.

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We simply wired in a relay to replicate what the bulb would have done and it works perfectly. If you need a diagram and pictures, I'm happy to supply them.[/QUOTE]


I would love to see how you did it as I am getting ready to do my R65. Any ideas are appreciated!

Thanks

I would love to see how you did it as I am getting ready to do my R65. Any ideas are appreciated!

Thanks[/QUOTE]

OK guys, Happy to oblige, I'll take some pics tonight and provide an update diagram.

.. also still need to get my head around uploading pics...

Anyone know how to set the odometer on the acewell 2853 or are you stuck starting from 0? Also, what have people done about the fuel gauge constantly flashing?

In the setup menu (press MODE and RESET buttons to go into the setting mode) go to ODO and enter your mileage; you can select km or miles. Go to the fuel resistance setting where it displays 100r and the fuel tank symbol; you can select the resistance (100, 250, 510, etc.) or select OFF and the fuel meter bar will disappear.

I didn't seem to have these two settings...I have clock, shift warning, SPC setting, tire circumference, and km/mph. Looks exactly like this:

OK guys, Happy to oblige, I'll take some pics tonight and provide an update diagram.

.. also still need to get my head around uploading pics...[/QUOTE]

..Right so here goes...

First thing you need to remember is that I know just enough to be dangerous.

I've put some pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/111229151870608974763/CafeBeemer?authuser=0&feat=directlink

First two pics are just to show before and after and so you can see the whole bike.

some other details:

I removed all the connectors supplied with the unit and ran as much of the wiring into the headlight unit as I could.

So I wired the indicator wires directly to the + on the front indicators: Orange and White
I ran the purple(Neutral) and Gray(Oil pressure) wires back to the part of the harness that used to run into the old clock assembly.

I picked up the ground (black), Clock power(Brown) and Switch Key(Red) from the back of the ignition in the headlight unit.

I don't have a fuel gauge, so the Blue was tied back.

all other wires, with the exception of the light blue (charge) were wired as per the instructions.

Now for the relay:

We poached a standard relay from a car...

It should have 4 contacts; 2 brass and 2 copper.

On the + side of the relay, simply run a wire from the + on the ignition (red) to the brass and the copper terminals. You will have found the blue wire from the harness that comes from the regulator; this needs to go to the - brass terminal. The light blue(charge) wire from the ACEWELL needs to go to the remaining - copper terminal.

You'll see that I have used a cable tie to hold the relay in place under the frame.

I hope this helps.

You will have to get someone who has the 2853 to help you. I tried to look up some information, but all I found was that the 2853 has been replaced by the 2856 and 2859. I have the 4454 so I am of no help.

I am rebuilding an R100 with a /5 wiring harness into a café racer which I have installed an Acewell 2853 speedometer. I am having problems getting the neutral and oil pressure lights to come on. These two circuits on the bike are just common grounds with a switch. If I’ve read the Acewell schematics correctly, both the neutral (purple) and oil pressure (gray) lights are common (-) leads as well so it should be a direct connection.
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I’ve tested both switches on the bike and they're good. I have continuity to the headlight bucket for both circuits on the bike as well. With power to the Acewell, I’ve taken the neutral lead (purple) and attached it to a good ground and it still didn’t light up. Same with the oil pressure lead.
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I was hoping someone from the collective might be able to give me some more advice as to what to look for.

My other idiot lights work; even the charging light. I’m stumped.

Blane, do you have two power (+) connections to the Ace? One that should be always ON (Ace brown), and one that is SWITCHED (Ace red)?
Check those connections. Do you have a stand alone ground (Ace black)? Check that! Ace purple is neutral and gray is oil; it does seem like if you were to ground those directly that the indicator lights would work.

Yes. The clock lead (brown) is hooked to the unswitch power and the power lead to the Acewell (red) is hooked to the swiched power. The black lead is good but I'll check it again. I've tried to connect both neutral and oil leads directly to a good ground but I still get nothing.

Is there a way to internally inspect/test the individual LED indicators?

This goes back to the first posting... however, with a Slash 5 wiring diagram it may be different, and I don't have a schematic in front of me.... the fact that the original Slash 6 wires are brown/green, and brown/black, tells me that they are a special grounding circuit (brown) rather than the just-plain-brown ground. The BMW color coding is sort of logical once you understand the colors and what they mean.....

I don't know about the /5 wiring, either. So, Blane, double check all your connections, especially the power and ground. Do you have a good schematic for the /5 ?

The wiring is not all that different with the execption of the neutral wiring. I have both wiring diagrams for a /5 and a /6 since I'm using a /6 headlight bucket and a /5 wiring harness. The neutral wiring on the /5 harness is blue/brown is the starter switch is brown/black. Everything else seems to follow the same color code.<o></o>
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Both schematics show that the oil and neutral switches are common (-) leads where the indicator lights are powered by a switched green/black wire. I will give it another check when I get home this evening. As far as I can tell, there isn't an easy way to break into the Acwell to check the LED indicators.

Try to check the continuity with a multimeter for each of the indicator circuits in the Acewell. Would this tell you if you had a burnt indicator bulb? Seems like you could connect multimeter (+) lead to Ace red, and meter (-) lead to purple (neutral) or gray (oil) and have continuity if the bulb and/or circuit is good.

Well I did one better. It seems the bezel will screw off and you can push the guts out to get a better look. I had continuity for both the oil and neutral wires (purple & gray) all the way to the solder on the circuit board. That told me that at least those two grounds were good to the speedometer so no broken wires. Next I plugged the Acewell in, turned it on, and I got 0 voltage between the positive and negative terminals for either the oil or neutral LED's. I got no continuity between the Ace red power wire and the positive terminals of either LED. But I did get continuity from the black ground to the ground terminals of each wire. That leads me to believe either the LED's are bad or a defect in the circuit board since there's no power going to either bulb. More likely a defective board.

In any event I'm going to try and return it to Dime City Cycles were I got it and exchange it for another one.

Bummer. I'm so close yet so far away.

Yes, sounds you are thinking and looking at the circuits correctly. Based on you description, it sounds like a defect in the ACE.