AussiXS

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Hi guys,

I don't know if this will be possible but the M Unit done by Motogadget is so damn expensive and so small, it looks like something that could be created DIY. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this or think its possible?

https://revivalcycles.com/products/motogadget-m-unit-controller

All the wiring in one place!
DSC_3208_large.jpg
 
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I took a quick look but seems they spend lots of time saying how great it is but I still don't really understand what it does other than apparently somehow doing away with fuses. Still need wires going to the lights, horn. starter. alternator and so on, so what is it really? Maybe just a combination of a terminal strip and automatic circuit breakers with LEDs to let you know what circuits are currently powered?
 
They cram a buncha magic smoke and witchcraft in that little box - different turn signal strobes, timed signals, rear brake light strobe programmable, alarm system, kill/start switch integration & of course the digital fuse block. One of the biggest perks is wire management. The m-button gets burried in your handlebars, takes all switch inputs, digitizes the signal and permits a single wire run back to the m-unit itself, simplifies life greatly.

If you're just looking for an LED fuseblock I'm sure it could be done. The time spent figuring it out, buying material and making it... meh, I'd just spend the money on a prebuilt / waterproof / completed unit from them. I've got one going into my current XS build now.
 
Whats the point? You only need one fuse for a early 650, and 4 fuses for a late 650. My 67 fairlane only has 4 fuses.
Hyde, you have been dubbed mr fancy pants runing that.
 
Toeach their own. Didn't come out of my wallet. Sometimes i i wish fred would harp on overspending on frivolous things like this instead of hardtails, no front brakes.
 
I've said this before and I'll say it again.......................one of the best things about an XS650 is its simplicity! That electronic gadget
at a cost of $299 USD, is just a big waste of money. It adds nothing to a bike except complexity. It has a 15 page manual which is a joke for a simple bike like an XS650. I have 4 fuses on my bike, which is simple and does all that is required.
The phrase "A fool and his money are soon parted" comes to mind.

Edit:
I thought the $299 was the total price for everything. Now I see the actual price is
$671 USD, or about $902 CAD. Wow..................super expensive!!
 
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Toeach their own. Didn't come out of my wallet. Sometimes i i wish fred would harp on overspending on frivolous things like this instead of hardtails, no front brakes.
Hi angus,
admittedly $671 is way more than I'd spend on a frivolous electrical gadget.
Is it frivolous to spend a grand or more on a paint job?
I did spend $67 on a Stebel-Nautilus 139 dB air horn though. And that's value for money.
Mind you, a springer fork, a 23" no brake front wheel and a propriatory hardtail will cost you about $2K
although that ain't frivolous spending neither, it's more like suicidal squandering.
 
For someone who understands bike wiring and components, this thing just adds cost, complexity, and more wiring. Ex: Simply run a wire from the horn button to the horn, that's all it needs.

For someone who has difficulty with the perceived complexity of traditional wiring, I can see where the m-unit creates a level of organization. Button/switch inputs simply wire to one labeled side, the other labeled side simply wires out to each individual component. The 'rats nest' stays inside the box.

Myself, I've been watching to see if someone will come out with a next generation control system. Similar to model train digital control, and the X-10 network. Those are mature and established technologies, yet offer an even simpler solution to wiring complexity.

Power and ground goes to all components. A decoder at each gadget 'listens' to signals on the power wire, and will turn the device on or off. No more rats nest.

Imagine the thick multiwire harness that currently goes into the headlight bucket being replaced with just power and ground. Opens up doors to simpler/cleaner 'in frame' wiring. With a good frame ground, you'd just need the one power wire going to various devices. The 'command' signals travel in that power wire. How simple is that?

For more excruciating pain, google "model train DCC" and "X10 network"...
 
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I have one and I love it. But to each his own. I got it as a present.
It's nice having only 3 wires in my headlight bucket though.
I say the same thing about people who spend $300 on a charging unit just to eliminate the battery or having 4 bikes in different stages of repair instead of just finishing one.
Of course people think I'm weird because I don't have a credit card or 4......
 
For someone who understands bike wiring and components, this thing just adds cost, complexity, and more wiring. Ex: Simply run a wire from the horn button to the horn, that's all it needs.

For someone who has difficulty with the perceived complexity of traditional wiring, I can see where the m-unit creates a level of organization. Button/switch inputs simply wire to one labeled side, the other labeled side simply wires out to each individual component. The 'rats nest' stays inside the box.

Myself, I've been watching to see if someone will come out with a next generation control system. Similar to model train digital control, and the X-10 network. Those are mature and established technologies, yet offer an even simpler solution to wiring complexity.

Power and ground goes to all components. A decoder at each gadget 'listens' to signals on the power wire, and will turn the device on or off. No more rats nest.

Imagine the thick multiwire harness that currently goes into the headlight bucket being replaced with just power and ground. Opens up doors to simpler/cleaner 'in frame' wiring. With a good frame ground, you'd just need the one power wire going to various devices. The 'command' signals travel in that power wire. How simple is that?

For more excruciating pain, google "model train DCC" and "X10 network"...

Hi Steve,

That's exactly what the M-unit is about, simplifying, and eliminating the rat's nest, and there is an element to it that is similar to the "decoder" thing you are talking about, the M-button which hooks up to the M-unit:

https://cognitomoto.com/products/motogadget-m-button

Funny you should talk about model railroading, as that is my other hobby. I have been using DCC for a long time now and it actually is much simpler than the old block control system- now that was a rat's nest of wiring! See an example of the old type block control (note, not mine!):

8280.jpg


DCC is much simpler in that it is combining power and data and sending both out to the rails at the same time, and in each model locomotive, there is a decoder that will only filter the data at the frequency it is tuned into, so you can have several locomotives on the same length of track that can move at different speeds or directions. With this version, you literally have just two wires to the track, positive and negative. The only other wires you have are to light the buildings and operate switches.

With the old block system, you had to isolate sections of a length of tracks into "blocks", in order to run more than one locomotive on that same length (because all locomotives received an equal amount of electricity), each block had its own throttle control, and when one locomotive passed from one block into another block, you had to toggle your throttle to that new block to continue operating the locomotive, hence the king of all rat's nest you see above.

Believe it or not, now DCC is now on its way out, and the new technology is bluetooth. You are now operating your trains from your smartphone, and the rails are not even powered (which is a huge gamechanger because you now no longer have to keep the rails clean, free of interference, or otherwise shorting out). Each locomotive has a small battery and a radio receiver.

Below is a picture of part of my small layout in the basement:

leftside.jpg
 
My M-button. All the components on my controls are hooked to this, hidden in the bars and that 1 wire goes back to the M-unit telling it when I turn in a light or signal or horn. Pretty simple.

IMG_1561.JPG
 
it looks like something that could be created DIY. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this or think its possible?
This is way outside my comfort zone, but based on 2M's response regarding similarities between a trainTCC and the M unit, you might look into the Ardurino community. I don't know if using an Ardurino is feasible, but there are a lot of people making very cool electronics projects. You might find something suitable there.
 
The concept seems really cool and I definitely appreciate the simple wiring. Simplifying the harness is a goal whenever I'm changing anything on the bike.

At the time I wasn't willing to pay for it since I was taking care of all the safety stuff and some more important mods at the time, but I could see myself buying one in the future once the bike gets closer to where I want it.
 
Well my project XS650 had the typical falling apart fuse box. Those little clips for some reason just like to crumble when they get old. With a little help from this site I was able to rebuild it to like new condition with new clips for an out of pocket cost of $2.60 plus sales tax! Being the cheap SOB I am I would have a problem spending three times the purchase price of the bike on this component!

Guess I just need to research it a little more, as it seems I would still need wires running to each light and horn and what not.

Think I spend my time cleaning up the shop and pulling the carbs off the XS650 to fix the fuel leak. That's what you get for putting a set of carbs on a rebuilt engine that have been sitting out in the barn for 2 years! Bike actually did start and run yesterday after engine sat apart of something like 5 or 6 years. Even was charging at about 14.25 volts!
 
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