S2000 Cluster Time

[Blurred Talon]

A couple weeks back I unwrapped my dash harness of all the electrical tape on it, thinking back I'm sort of regretting it but at the same time it's allowing me to repair somethings. When it comes time to put it back into the dash I'm gonna wrap it with some braided sleeving from Cableorganizer.com.
First is where I had the Pro Sport gauges wired up, they were tapped into my hazard and rear defogger switches, this was a really half ass way of wiring gauges imo. I've now got the fuse boxes to run my gauges and other stuff so I cut the Pro Sport harness out, cut the wire, stripped it, put some heat shrink over, twisted the wires together, soldered them and then shrunk the heat shrink with my heat gun.

Both plugs all cleaned up.

I also took the time to start wiring the S2000 cluster connectors into the DSM dash harness. I'll be doing away with the OEM connectors so I can clean things up, all unneeded wires will be terminated to prevent any problems and also make it easier if I want to go back to the DSM cluster. All the connections are soldered and heat shrunk, so far I've done all the various warning lights (CEL, E-brake, Oil Light, Battery Light, turn signals, etc). Anything connected to power or ground will be done next week, this also includes some warning lights like the SRS and ABS which need power or ground signals to be turned off. I've also depinned some unneeded wires that serve no function outside of the S2000 chassis, just to clean things up.
Since the Talon doesn't have a trunk open light and the S2000 does, I'm going to be adding a pin in the hatch so I will have one.

You can see my helper is hard at work

I'm thinking about depinning the Cruise control and Fog Light plugs from the harness since I have neither of them anymore then I can just slap in the block off plates and be done with it.

 

[yepes281]

badass! ive been wanting to see a s2k cluster in a dsm for the longest time. I want one

 

[unisonicz]

I would like to see the end result. Sounds interesting.

 

[2GEEZEY]

nice! i wanna see the final product! does it fit right in?

 

[Blurred Talon]

It fits but I will have to make some mounts and do some fiberglass work to get it to look right.

 

[2GEEZEY]

have any pics of it?

 

[Misterbeechy]

cant wait to see it bro.. goodluck.. it would be great mod.. also u should think about a "Engine Push Start" make your car the next 2011 2g Eclipse

 

[2GEEZEY]

I really want to see pics if you got them

 

[rock1t]

still don't understand the fascination of the digital cluster. i have had a few, and they #### up.... just saying.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Looks great, its something different from our dsms, looking for pics keep us posted.

 

[Blurred Talon]

have any pics of it?

This is just a test picture, I've got lots more work to do still.

cant wait to see it bro.. goodluck.. it would be great mod.. also u should think about a "Engine Push Start" make your car the next 2011 2g Eclipse

There's really not much of a point because you still still have the steering wheel lock.
Maybe in a couple years when she's really and truly a toy I will do some sort of RF Smart Key system like Toyota/Lexus.
Basically the key fob stays in your pocket all the time and you just walk up, doors on lock, press the 'Engine Start' button and drive away.
EDIT: I've actually found an aftermarket solution so this might happen sooner rather then later.

still don't understand the fascination of the digital cluster. i have had a few, and they #### up.... just saying.

I like em, all the gauges in my car are AEM digital so it will all match.
I've never seen issues with S2000 clusters ####ing up.

 

[davidalindsey]

You think you are going to make a instructional write up?
I have been wanting to do this for some time now.

 

[2GEEZEY]

this should be interesting....have no idea how your going to hook it up , and yes please make a write up. this is sick!

 

[Blurred Talon]

I will do a write up, I've almost got the wiring side of things figured out but before I post ANYTHING, I want to have it all up and running in my car. Unfortunately that won't be until next spring since the car is now stored for winter. I will do some testing with it in my car at the end of this month or early November.

 

[Project2G]

nice project.. haha I too have a helper pug

 

[InfiniteGSX]

I don't see how there is going to be any issues with this working like some are thinking. Its an OBD2B Gauge Cluster going into an OBD2B Car. How its going to be hooked up is he'll just wire the S2K Plugs into the DSM Harness, using a wire diagram of both. There should only be a couple additional wires on the 2g for the Oil PSI and Boost PSI Gauge's. Only real difference is physical size and shape and different physical shape of the plugs. All the wires should be the same.

I wish I could come across a S2K Cluster to do the same thing.

 

[boostNmetal]

Cool project! I've got to say though, look up a picture of a "western union" type wire splice. The first pic you have posted shows the wires wrapped around the insulation. Strip back more insulation so you only have copper on copper. Props on using heatshrink though!

 

[johnovision27]

Lets paint a picture here.... S2000 cluster with EvoIX steering wheel? Ummmm... hells yeah!

 

[flyineagletsi]

From what I have gathered on this topic, wiring in the s2k cluster isn't as straight forward as you might think. IIRC the two clusters use different voltages and different signals for some of the the gauges. This has been done by one person that I know of and attempted by another that I can remember. If someone actually did a detailed writeup from start to finish I would Highly consider the swap, but so far the few that have done it successfully have been a little reluctant to share info. I can't really say I blame them since it looks like a total PITA to do your self, much less guide an idiot like myself through the process. Keep up the good work. I look forward to your updates.

 

[ramsack]

Jesus, who taught you to solder

 

[Blurred Talon]

nice project.. haha I too have a helper pug

hahaha, they are more hindrance then help.
'What's that? It not me! You need to pay attention to me!!!'

I don't see how there is going to be any issues with this working like some are thinking. Its an OBD2B Gauge Cluster going into an OBD2B Car. How its going to be hooked up is he'll just wire the S2K Plugs into the DSM Harness, using a wire diagram of both. There should only be a couple additional wires on the 2g for the Oil PSI and Boost PSI Gauge's. Only real difference is physical size and shape and different physical shape of the plugs. All the wires should be the same.

I wish I could come across a S2K Cluster to do the same thing.

Yea, it's really simple to do, just matching the right wires together. The extra wires will just be capped off so they don't cause any problems, I'll be removing the DSM plugs completely from the harness so I can make it clean.
Mounts and a bezel shouldn't be too hard either.

If you want an S2000 cluster search Honda-Tech, K20a.org, S2Ki.com, etc and you'll find one.

Cool project! I've got to say though, look up a picture of a "western union" type wire splice. The first pic you have posted shows the wires wrapped around the insulation. Strip back more insulation so you only have copper on copper. Props on using heatshrink though!

Jesus, who taught you to solder

Would you guys believe I was having an off day?
I had the wrong tip in the soldering iron like an idiot, what I usually do is heat the wire then touch the solder to the wire so it 'sucks' it in.

I'll check out that other technique though, thanks.

Lets paint a picture here.... S2000 cluster with EvoIX steering wheel? Ummmm... hells yeah!

Hells no, . The Evo steering wheel is WAY over priced plus why add a heavy air bag steering wheel to my car when I have no air bag system left (not that I would wire in the EVO air bag anyways). I plan to get a quick disconnect wheel set up from NRG.

From what I have gathered on this topic, wiring in the s2k cluster isn't as straight forward as you might think. IIRC the two clusters use different voltages and different signals for some of the the gauges. This has been done by one person that I know of and attempted by another that I can remember. If someone actually did a detailed writeup from start to finish I would Highly consider the swap, but so far the few that have done it successfully have been a little reluctant to share info. I can't really say I blame them since it looks like a total PITA to do your self, much less guide an idiot like myself through the process. Keep up the good work. I look forward to your updates.

Ah but it is as straight forward as I think. This is S2000 cluster swap number 5 for me. I had one in my old 93 Integra GS-R and after that some friends wanted one so I did them. Those cars were 95 Civic, 96 Civic and 00 Civic Si, not to mention lots of other guys have done this in there Hondas too.
There's a couple guys over on the DSM Link forums that did it in their cars so I picked their brains.

The voltages are the same, both clusters operate off of 12V (14.5V with the vehicle running). The major issue is the signals for various cluster functions, I'll list the converters and what they do:
Speedohealer V4 - This is used to change the signal coming from the DSM speed sensor and going into the S2000 cluster, with this you will have a working speedo.
Modifry Engine Coolant Temp Module - This thing is very cool. It's a programmable chip that tells the cluster how many bars to light up at a certain milliamp. So by using a data logger (or ECM Link or aftermarket scan tool or aftermarket water temp gauge) and a multimeter you can program the chip and have your temp gauge reading perfectly!
12V to 5V regulator - The ECT module runs on 5V, DSMs have no steady 5V lines in the car so you need a regulator. I bought one on eBay from a guy in the UK.
Autometer Tach Converter (p/n 9117) - This is used to convert the DSM tach signal to one that the S2000 cluster can use.

That's it! Other then that it's a simple matter of matching wires with the same functions and connecting them together. The other issue lies in the DSM cluster pin outs, I've got one but there was at least 1 wrong wire that I've corrected (Black/white is a power and sometimes a ground line in these cars, WTF!). Once I have a chance to test all the basic functions of the car I will share the diagram.
When all is said and done I'll make a how to for everyone but like I said my car is parked till the spring/summer so you're gonna have to wait to then to see it all finished.

However, here are 2 videos of previous cluster swaps I've done. The first is my old 93 Integra and the second is my buddy's 96 Civic.
YouTube - S2000 Cluster Swap
YouTube - Xplict EK's S2000 Cluster Swap

Enjoy!

 

[ramsack]

Haha I was referring to how you twisted the wires together more than the soldering.

 

[Blurred Talon]

A buddy of mine who does stereos thought me that. It's western union splice but I didn't remove enough of the wire cover.

 

[ramsack]

I wouldn't want him anywhere near wiring of mine. I guess that is the product of learning from so-called schools anymore. The splice you are referring to does not touch the insulators, and was made for solid conductor wire, and not for something that is going to be soldered. You're best off stripping like 1/4" off, tinning both ends, and then heating them together, straight.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Everyone has their own way of wiring. I prefer this as I feel it won't pull apart (even though I'm soldering).

All the power connections are done now, minus the constant 12V for dash memory, not sure where to patch that into.

I'll try and get the grounds and couple other connections done before I go to the car this Tuesday. That way I plug the dash harness in and test everything.