Upgraded Faria Tach and Multi Gauge

[Newtrawlerowner]

The Mainship 400 I just bought needed the 1 new tech and both new multi-gauges. I thought I could get these repaired by Ft Lauderdale Speedometer, but when they saw what I had they said new units were needed. Luckily they had replacements on the shelf. The other tach had recently been replaced and it had only 6.2 hours. I decided to try and reset the hours and bought a signal generator from Amazon. I connected the tachs up and 26 days later (What else is there to do?) had both tachs reading the same 650 hours that showed on the original.

I read several posts about doing this and while many said just make a record in the log book (I did) I wanted to try and get both tachs reading the same. The unit I bought from Amazon was only $8.99

DZS Elec 1-Pack PWM Rectangular Wave Signal Generator 1-150kHz PWM Pulse Frequency Meter 0-100% Duty Ratio Adjustable LCD Display Square Wave Signal Generator


Easy to connect and set up. You will need to solder on 4 wires. 2 for power and ground to the battery and 2 for the signal and ground. All connections are clearly marked on the circuit board of the generator. Once connected and adjusted (this unit is adjustable using push buttons) set the Frequency to 1.70 KHZ and Duty Cycle to 068% the tach read 3000 RPM. The tach does need to read something other than 0 for the hour meter to change.


I used a 12 volt car battery and a trickle charger to run the signal generator and tachs
Every 6 minutes the 10th of an hour digit changed. Again this was easy to do.

 

[Alan Mainship]

If you don’t mind, how much was the tach and each multi gauge?

 

[Newtrawlerowner]

If you don’t mind, how much was the tach and each multi gauge?

The 3 gauges were $725.71.
I can't find the receipt so I don't recall the individual prices, but they were about $230 each plus tax. I do remember trying to buy the same tachometer on-line and not being able to find the same item as I had but they had it on the shelf. Hope this helps.

 

[Alan Mainship]

Thanks very much, I have been hitting port flybridge tach with flip flop for 6 months of cruising to keep unstuck! Thank you for solution!

 

[rgano]

Since I rarely run less than planning speed, the tach on this boat needs to be on the money to ensure I am just where I want to be RPM-wise. The Faria tach was just never going to cut the mustard; so I went digital. Actually the spot-on tach is part of a Flowscan meter (also with totalizer) I installed; something you need when running around using 8-10 GPH.

 

[Newtrawlerowner]

Flo Scan

Since I rarely run less than planning speed, the tach on this boat needs to be on the money to ensure I am just where I want to be RPM-wise. The Faria tach was just never going to cut the mustard; so I went digital. Actually the spot-on tach is part of a Flowscan meter (also with totalizer) I installed; something you need when running around using 8-10 GPH.

I'm looking for a way to measure fuel consumption. Flo Scan is out of business. Some companies sell NOS (New Old Stock) parts. But nobody sells a complete set up. And suggestions?

 

[rgano]

I got my complete Flowscan setup from a fellow who had bought it for an identical boat but never installed it - lucky me. Before that, I had installed sight a sight gauge in the crossover line between my two fuel tanks. I pumped all the fuel to one side (both tanks started less than half full) and then filled the empty tank five gallons at a time marking the sight gauge at each five gallons. Measuring fuel usage after that was fairly easy. I do prefer the FS, though.