Digital Gear Indicator for the XS650

Sorry, Pete, guess I should've shown where this thing sets.

Did some more carving on the little lever.
The switch's bat handle will fit into its 5mm slot.
ShiftShieldMod8.jpg

Testing with multi-million dollar measurement equipment.
ShiftShieldMod9.jpg


The switch makes electrical contact when the shift shaft rotates +/- 10°.
The shift shaft actually rotates about +/- 11°, so we'll see how this works...
 
Been experiencing a severe shortage of "round tuits" out here.
Must've been a run on those things.

Trimmed down a sealed 2-pin connector block for this thing. It's still too big for my liking.
ShiftShieldMod10.jpg

Mounted this contraption to the bike, and began the arduous task of getting it aligned/centered, and testing for function.
ShiftShieldMod11.jpg


What a nightmare. Oversimplified description:

In one test, I over-adjusted the thing in the wrong direction and damaged the switch. Replaced the switch, and it didn't work on the UpShift. The switch failed from soldering heat. Replaced that with a third switch, it survived the soldering, but was now functioning at different lever angles. Inconsistencies with these import switches. Had to file open the notch slot quite a ways to get the switch to trigger near the end of rotation travel.

ShiftShieldMod12.jpg


I don't like it. Too touchy and fiddly. It needs a better switch design, with adjustable endpoints, that'll all fit into that tiny area.

But, it's installed. Left cover installed. Everything clears. Wiring strung up to the headlamp bucket. Need another "round tuit" to get the module wired-up in there...
 
It's really hidden with the left cover installed. Shoved my smartphone camera up in there and took several 'blind' shots, trying to get a decent pic of the thing.

You can just see it hanging below the shiftguard.
ShiftShieldMod14.jpg
 
This is the first time I have read this thread, Awesome work there 2M. Is that switch a toggle switch? If so wouldn't a slide switch work better.
On my Power drive trolling motor it uses a slide switch to switch from left to right.
That particular switch is much to large for this application but the idea is the same.
Leo
 
.....or what about a roller limit switch (one designed for severe service wouldn't be so fragile). With a roller limit switch, all you'd need is a sort of cam on the shifter-shaft to bump the switch....

limit_switch_lever_1024x1024_f0383b90-ae2f-4f38-b207-1a183b3b2fce_1024x1024.jpg
 
Well, I do have some microswitches. Many older than the bike.
A small sampling:
Microswitch01.jpg


The SL-2 microswitches at the bottom of the pic are pretty small.

But, digging deeper, found some "Ultra miniature" microswitches.
At the bottom, marked "D2F".
Microswitch02.jpg


The small, but larger, SL-2 switches are second from bottom.

I have some mini slide switches, third from bottom.
Unfortunately, they're only 2-position, no center-off.
And they're open on the ends, not sealed.

The mini toggle switch I'm using is at the top...
 
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Just a trivia FYI. The inner workings of a microswitch:
Microswitch03.jpg


Very similar to relay leaf or reed contacts.
The little pushbutton moves a lever/finger, which applies a tiny force to the center leaf, by way of the tiny 'C'-shaped spring, forcing it to over center to one contact, or the other.
Microswitch04.jpg
 
The "Ultra miniature" D2's are available in a sealed version, the Omron D2H.
Studying the downloaded specs, looking at cycle life, vibration tolerance, cycle frequency, current ratings, ...etc.

Googling "Ultra miniature micro switch" gets boatloads of info...
 
Great info there! The point is that those roller limit switches won't be as critical to position as the toggle, I think.

Pete
 
Took some meticulous measurements of my XS1B's shifter motions, and cooked-up some pictograms to show the various shift regions of the XS650 shifter. I believe these will be the same for all models.

Assuming that the shift mechanisms are in good shape, and the internal shifter claw is centered.

The maximum shift lever rotation is +/- 11 degrees.
The internal shifter claw to shiftdrum pin clearances give a +/- 2 degree "free travel" zone from center.
ShiftBase.jpg


Not shown: At the 6.5 degree point, there's an approximately 2 degree "false neutral" zone, where the shift mechanisms are between gear dogs engagement and disengagement.
 
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When the transmission is in "Neutral", there's a large " Free Travel" zone in the center of the shift lever travel.
ShiftN.jpg

We don't want the shift sensors to detect anything within that free travel zone.
 
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When the transmission is in 1st gear, there's a large free travel zone at the lower part of the shift lever travel.
Shift1.jpg

The digital gear indicator will ignore travel down there, since it already knows it's in 1st gear.

But, we don't want sensors to trigger during entry into neutral.
 
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When the transmission is in 2nd gear, things get a little more complicated.
Shift2.jpg

Again, we don't want the sensors to trigger anywhere within the +/- 6.5 degree zone.
 
With 5th gear, there's a free travel zone in the upward direction.
(That elusive 6th gear).
Shift5.jpg

But, the digital gear indicator has been modified to ignore any upward lever movements, since it already knows that it's in 5th gear.
 
During shift changes, in the 6.5 degree to 11 degree zone, the gear dogs are sliding into engagement, and a possible 'limp' shift may kick the shifter mechanisms out of engagement, into a false neutral, or back into the original gear.

With that in mind, I'd prefer to have the shifter sensors function only in the last 1-2 degrees of travel, where we're pretty sure that the trans has indeed entered into the selected gear.
 
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