Temperature gauge.

[Benthosboy]

Howdo chaps.

OH is desperate for an outside temp gauge for her car. Trouble is, I can't find one anywhere . I've tried a couple of cheap, nasty things from fleabay, the kind that stick on the dash and plug into the lighter socket, but they were less use than the proverbial chocolate fire-guard, and lasted about as long .

What I'm after is a 52mm diameter job that fits in a pod and fastens on the dash, permanently wired and back-lit, preferably digital. If any of you good chaps can help, my thanks are assured.

Martyn.

 

[julianf]

For about a pound, inc postage, you can get a LCD temp thing, with about a meter of probe.

We have a few of them on our CH system. Sadly, when the batteries expire, its almost cheaper to buy an entire new unit!

here you go (looked through my old email) -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-L...-C-/360752345213?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

auction is finished, but there will be identical others.

 

[rtbcomp]

Here you go, and she can pay for it!

http://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/en/product/857457

 

[MattF]

I'm gonna have to ask, just out of curiosity. Why would someone want/need an outside temp gauge?

 

[julianf]

I dont have one on our current car, but i did on the last.

I found it very useful, as our fuel is more prone to freezing than standard diesel. But i realise this is a minority application!

(id fit another if it ever reaches the top of the list of jobs to do!)


Aldi or Lidl have a 'weather station' in one of their special buys. Its £40 or somthing, which is more than i need it, but, if i saw it reduced to £15 or so, id have that too. Of course, i could go outside with my IR thermometer, but, for £15 (not £40!) id stay indoors.

(i keep a close eye on temps during the winter, because of the fuel - i wasnt interested prior to that!)

 

[MattF]

Are you running on Biodiesel then Julian?

 

[julianf]

Are you running on Biodiesel then Julian?

100%. I go to the petrol station, maybe, a couple of times a year - flippin' £6 it cost me to fill up the chain saw can last time!

 

[normspanners]

I'm gonna have to ask, just out of curiosity. Why would someone want/need an outside temp gauge?

so as to know when, these little critters might be out?? and getting in the way ---!!
-

 

[AndyStobbs]

Thermometer springs to mind. Not the answer to the question you asked mind.

 

[SmartWerks]

I'm gonna have to ask, just out of curiosity. Why would someone want/need an outside temp gauge?

Black ice starts to form at 2 degrees Celsius, a lot of cars and trucks warns you when the temp drops that low as sat in a nice warm cab you could be unaware of changing circumstances. Simple and logical really.

SmartWerks

 

[sparkysy]

I got a small i/o thermometer from maplins it has about 2m of lead on it to the outside probe, just enough to thread through the dash! Runs on 2AAA so common enough had it about a year and not changed the batteries so far!

 

[hotrodder]

VDO do a kit albeit with an analogue 52mm gauge rather than digital, http://www.etbinstruments.com/VDO_Range.htm#VDO_Outside_Air_Temp. How accurate they are i have no idea but FWIW the digital one in the VDO cluster on my daily driver is far more complicated than just a sensor and display... it's connected to various other things including the vehicle speed sensor. Not so much for wind chill as the sensor is tucked away in the front bumper behind the numberplate but more for things like heat soak in that it 'knows' if temp rises are likely to be the result of radiant heat from other sources when the car is stationary and so only ignores temp changes under certain circumstances

 

[chevy2]

Black ice starts to form at 2 degrees Celsius, a lot of cars and trucks warns you when the temp drops that low as sat in a nice warm cab you could be unaware of changing circumstances. Simple and logical really.

SmartWerks

My company gave me a new 64 plate Transit a few weeks ago and that gives a frost alert on the dash at 4deg C.

 

[zx9]

My company gave me a new 64 plate Transit a few weeks ago and that gives a frost alert on the dash at 4deg C.

My fifteen year old Audi has a 'snow flake' next to the outside temperature at 4 deg. C or less.

 

[chevy2]

My fifteen year old Audi has a 'snow flake' next to the outside temperature at 4 deg. C or less.

We had a '2000 Astra that showed the snowflake at 3deg C,
Maybe Audi were more cautious back then?

 

[normspanners]

Maybe Audi were more cautious back then?

No they just had better aircon.

 

[ibrooks]

My last Sierra had two snowflakes on the dash - a yellow one when it was getting towards freezing and a red one when it was below freezing.

Do Jaycar do a kit of some sort? Might not be a 52mm diameter gauge but would probably be a hell of a lot cheaper.

Iain

 

[ajlelectronics]

Searching for "Outside air temperature gauge" gives lots of hits. Some around £30.