Add Hours to Hour Meter

N

NBD925

Member
Im weird. I want to add hours to my Hour Meter.

I would like to add hours to a newly purchased hour meter. I could do the math mentally but I would like it permanently displayed and recorded. I could also just wrap the wire around my trucks spark plug and wait awhile until it counts uo to the correct number. So its not like I cant get to the end goal but I would really like to figure this out. A small system to get this hour meter to count up in the comfort of my home.

The meter is a KTM brand Inductance Hour Meter. Receiving its pulse signal to start counting from a wire wrapped around a spark plug lead. Form reading online, someone had the idea to take a Square Wave Signal Generator and hook it to the meter and get it to count that way. I purchased the Square Wave Signal Generator but I am struggling to get it to work. This is the device I purchased. (TOOGOO Square Wave Signal Generator NE555 Pulse module)

Here is the original internet article inspiration for the project. https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/684623-adding-hours-hour-meter.html

Can anyone help me with this project. Im stuck and need help from the experts on how to get this to work.

My connections:
12v Power from Battery to VCC
12v Ground from Battery to Gnd
Signal wire from Tach to Out

I have the Jumper set for what I think is about 25 hz

It was my hope that this would pulse at about 3000 PPM replicating the spark plug impulse from a motor.

This board is not exact but really close to what I have and this link shows the overall function.

https://support.envistiamall.com/kb...requency-square-wave-signal-generator-module/
 
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Could be my confusion.

So you want to sim the motor running at 3000 rpm with a pulse generator and count
the time the pulse generator is on in hours ? Maybe a hand drawn block diagram ....
 
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I want to simulate the engine running with the Pulse generator inorder to get the Hour Meter to start counting. The hour meter would count up from 0.0 hours to example 115.8 hours so it will match the old hour meter I have that is now broken.

I could just hook it to a running spark plug and wait. But would like to hook it up in the comfort of my own home and carefully watch it to hit the correct hours.

Thought it would be a cool project
 
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The frequency of the pulses do not affect the time.
The pulses are detected to start the internal clock.

It needs a high voltage pulse for inductive coupling.
If you have an old CFT light bulb, you might try wrapping the wire around that, as one poster said that worked for him.
The more wires you wrap, the greater the signal.
 
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I think thats where Im going wrong. I need larger voltage to kick on the internal timer in the Hour Meter.

Is it a CFT or CFL bulb Im looking for??? I have not herd of a CFT bulb?

I just wrap the wire around the bulb and that may have enough voltage through inductance? Those CFT or CFL bulbs put out enough volts?
 
Last edited:
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I see now the post your referring to. It is a CFL bulb. Im trying it now but its not working. I have the wire wrapped around the bulb but nothing seems to be counting up on the meter.


 
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NBD925 said:
I see now the post your referring to. It is a CFL bulb. Im trying it now but its not working. I have the wire wrapped around the bulb but nothing seems to be counting up on the meter.


View attachment 147941View attachment 147942
Click to expand...
That "fluorescent" tube appears to be an LED replacement tube with the large metal cylinder in the end by your coil of wire. Try a different "real" Fluorescent tube.
 
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I am about to go buy that CFL bulb but is there any reason why a real CFL tube (T5 bulb Florescent) would not work???

I have wrapped it around my T5 bulb and the meter turns on and shows a running icon but only for a short time, then the symbol turns off. If you leave the hour meter hooked around the bulb, it does not count up. It only counts up if the Running Icon is flashing.

I was able to keep the Running Icon flashing and counting if I flicked the light switch on and off repeatedly. I got proof of concept after 6 minutes of doing this and got the Hour Meter to roll over 1 tenth of an hour. (6 minutes)

Screen Now reads 0.01 on my Hour Meter. A triumph I celebrated but dont want to flick the light switch for days.

What am I doing wrong here or is that specific CFL bulb going to fix the problem?

If the CFL bulb does not fix the issue I may try to add in my Square Wave device with the CFL bulb to see if that will mimmic the light switch turning on and off.
 
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NBD925 said:
I am about to go buy that CFL bulb but is there any reason why a real CFL tube (T5 bulb Florescent) would not work???
Click to expand...
The round CFL bulb uses an electronic ballast which likely puts out some RF energy that may trigger the timer.
If the T5 bulb fixture uses a magnetic ballast, then it doesn't generate any RF.
 
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So the new bulb was the same result. It kicks the Hour Meter into run mode for just a little bit as you wind the wire around the light and then kicks out. If you move the wires around some it seems to kick back on.

Here is my latest setup. Adding the Square Wave device does nothing. And Adding the Square Wave by itself, no Florescent Light gets nothing.

 
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You can't wrap it that way. You need to wrap it neatly around the glass tube, don't wrap around multiple sections of tube, just nice and neatly around the glass tube.
 
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ZipZapOuch said:
You can't wrap it that way. You need to wrap it neatly around the glass tube, don't wrap around multiple sections of tube, just nice and neatly around the glass tube.
Click to expand...
And, are you supplying the 12v power to the meter somehow or are you hoping the lamp will power it?
 
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I wrapped it around a single tube also but did not snap that picture.

I also tried the wire wraps vertically on the light to check if the field was stronger in that orientation.

The Hour Meter is internally powered with its own battery. Its always on. When it works, there is a small icon that spins in the left bottom corner of the screen.
 
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Try wrapping some wire/foil around the meter and connect to earth ground (AC socket safety ground if that's available) to provide a capacitive ground reference.

If that still doesn't work, then it looks like it's back to the 555 pulse generator.
Have you tried connecting the output of the 555 directly to the meter wire conductor (may have to strip a bit of the wire insulation)?
If so, also wrap some wire or foil around the meter and connect that to the 555 power supply ground.

Finally you may have to use an old auto ignition coil, driven by the 555 and a transistor to generate a spark.
 
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NBD925 said:
I have the Jumper set for what I think is about 25 hz
Click to expand...
Try with the sig gen configured for its maximum frequency (~200kHz it seems from ads). That is closer to the frequency of current oscillations occurring in a spark plug lead each time the spark plug fires. It is those oscillations which I think the hour meter's wrap-around wire is designed to detect for the trigger.
 
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