270 degree sweep panel meter source

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mopar
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270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by mopar »

Any suggestions as to where I might locate 270 degree sweep panel meters? So far I have only encountered 90 degree sweep meters of various sizes. I am considering building a custom dash for an old pickup, so I'd be creating my own guage plates and interfaces, but would prefer 1.5 or 2 inch diameter units.
Enzo
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Re: 270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by Enzo »

I am certainly no expert, but in general electronics, I don't recall seeing such things in the last few decades. I think you will be better off looking in the automotive world. <p>The really long sweep of those is useful when there is a really wide range of readings expected, just so in automotive. These days a digital readout is more common. I think wrap around meters might have been more common before WW2.<p>Good luck.
rshayes
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Re: 270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by rshayes »

I hope your pickup has a large dashboard. Most of the 270 degree meters that I have seen were 3-1/2 inch meters. These were relatively rare. They were ocaisionally used in military equipment, and sometimes in industrial control panels. Some aircraft instruments, such as a radio altimeter, used them.<p>These may show up in military surplus. I would look at Fair Radio Sales (Lima, OH) or C & H Sales (Pasadena, CA). The basic movement will probably be about 1 milliamp full scale. Plan on making a new scale and using shunts or multipliers.
dyarker
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Re: 270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by dyarker »

How about a 270° arc of smd LEDs? Cover with frosted gray glass or plexiglass with cromed plastic or pot metal bezel.
Dale Y
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Dave Dixon
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Re: 270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by Dave Dixon »

Here is a place that has 250 degree meter movements....
web page for Hoyt
Good luck,
Dave
Dean Huster
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Re: 270 degree sweep panel meter source

Post by Dean Huster »

Meters with sweeps of 270° or therebouts were used a lot in electrical generation plants and typically were the size of your car's speedometer. I've a feeling that generating plants have gone pretty much digital by now. Besides, those were specially-made meters for measuring things that shouldn't be found in an automobile and likely couldn't be converted. These days, I like the idea that was mentioned of SMT LEDs. For a tach, you can change the LED color when you get into the caution zone and the redline zone ... or you could get really fancy and use dual-color SMT LEDs (they make those?) and have the entire strip change color as you exceed certain RPM limits ... and if that isn't fancy enough, you drive the LEDs with a PWM modulated rectangular wave generator so that the strip begins a green and slowly changes color through yellow into red as the RPMs increase with the color change beginning at a set limit. A bit exotic, eh?<p>Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

R.I.P.
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