Scottiedog

Never buy a car from eBay , I have said it many many times, although on occasions I do have trouble listening my own advice (see XJS post).  So, here we are again, another Crazy eBay purchase for $2600.00.  You don’t get much car for $2600 in the US but this one so far seems like a pretty good deal.  A few small issues but nothing too horrendous, seller for the best part was pretty honest about the car.

However, it does need a few things….

Some interior work.
Seals on the doors.
Radio/Cassette/Antenna.
Oil pan seal.

A couple of friends suggested I should keep some sort of diary of the work that I have done to the car, so I will just make a few posts on the site.

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An amazing example of how far car technology has come, just 30 years ago you would see similar performance figures from Ferrari and Lamborghini, but now its packaged in a VW.  Practical too and in my mind, a much better all rounder compared to the Civic Si and Mazdaspeed 3.  However, she wasn’t without her faults, complete AC failure, carbon buildup requiring a full top end rebuild and general little niggles here and there, all in just 30,000 miles.  Initially my wives car it slowly progressed to being my daily driver, however just 2000 miles in one year made us make the tough decision to sell her.

2006 VW GTi
38,000 Miles
4 Liter 4 Cylinder Turbo Charged Engine
200BHP, 0-60MPH 6.8s (standard)
Everything Electric & Full Leather

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I have had a few emails from users following the guide to getting RSLogix500 and then struggling with the installation. The biggest complaint is the error message that it will not run on Windows Vista. I tried it myself, on Windows Vista and on Windows 7 RC and found that you need to run the installation program in compatibility mode.

By right clicking the install program and then selecting ‘Properties’, then clicking the ‘Compatibility’ tab you will see the ‘Compatibility mode’.

Check the ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:’ box and select ‘Windows 2000′. You will now be able to run the installation application.

Once installed, repeat the steps for the RSLogix500 application by right clicking the shortcut on your desktop/start bar.

Instrumentation

Testing the new I/O module from IO Bridge,  just trying some of there embedded code.

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Nice looking boat anchor, my mechanics words, not mine.  This was an eBay deal, or so I thought, my idea of perfect was not the sellers.  Driving home from LA after collecting the car was an experience, the lights and gauges on the dash kept blowing the fuse so it was impossible to know how fast or slow you were going.  Add to that the fuel gauge was not working, in a V12 that is a serious problem.  Was pretty much downhill from there….

Spent most its time in the garage.  After the transmission started to shift erratically I decided enough was enough and just donated the thing.  It appeared back on eBay from the charity, without the list of problems in the description that I had attached to the car, tut tut.  Lesson I should learn, never buy a car on eBay….

1988 XJS Coupe
88,000 Miles
5.2 Liter V12 Engine
295 BHP, 0-60 MPH 6.5s
Electric Everything

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The class I am enrolled in at college offers some basic Allen Bradley PLC programming, interested in gaining further knowledge I looked around for some low cost alternatives for training.  The problem for myself, and most students in this field, is the cost of the RSLogix500 software, at $500 its priced way out of my budget.  Add the cables, then the PLC….far too expensive.

However, there is some good news, although Rockwell are not shouting it from the rooftops, the software is actually free for formal and informal training.  You just need to know where to look on there website and jump through a few hoops, but its all legal.

First of all, you need to register for free at Rockwells support section…
http://www.rockwellautomation.com/support/

Once registered you need search for two seperate part numbers…
9324RL0050ENE - RSLogix500 Software
9355WAB100ENE - RSLinx Software
http://support.rockwellautomation.com/WebUpdates/product_list.asp

So once downloaded and installed you have saved yourself a full $500, but there has to be a catch, right?  Well, there is, the software on the site is designed only to communicate to the 1761-L10BXB PLC.  The good news is that this PLC is very low in price, around $100 or less, and has enough inputs (6) and outputs (4) for some basic training applications.  I have also heard that this software will actually work on all 10 point (number of I/O) 1761 PLC’s although I cannot confirm this myself.

Additionally you will also need the cable, again, expensive at around $30 - $50 however its possible to make your own.  A standard 9 pin D connector for your RS232 port and a 8 pin mini DIN for the PLC end, all parts should be in your RadioShack store and cost around $5.  The pin-out is below….

Instrumentation allen bradley, free, plc, rslogix500

The standard RBK radio in my 2003 Ram has very few features, on a long drive the single CD player is a pain and the Mopar CD changer option is both expensive and a hassle to install.  One option is to replace the complete head unit, the only problem I had with that is the 1.5 DIN format so I would loose that factory install look.  I decided to use my iPod and the Grom interface kit to solve this small dilemma which allows me to keep my current head unit.  This install guide will work with all Dodge Ram 2002 - 2005 and Ram 2500/3500 2003-2005.

The Grom adapter comes complete with everything you need including the CD changer interface cable for the Chrysler line of radios.  On to the install…

You have to remove the complete center panel.  There is only one 7mm hex screw holding the panel to the dash board. Pull the dash gently from the bottom right hand corner, there is eight clips, so take this slowly.  Work your way around the dash.

Once free, remove the connectors and place the dash in a safe place. The stereo is held by another four 7mm hex screws, once removed the stereo will pull out.

Connect the iPod adapter to the CD changer connector. Placing the iPod interface is a little tricky, I am not sure for other Ram’s such as the 2500 and 3500, however I found below my head unit there is just enough room to fit the unit.  Once the radio is pushed back and screwed in it holds the adapter in place, its a tight fit but solves the issue of the unit rattling under the dash.

I decided the best location for the iPod would be directly under the heater controls, the small shelf has a rubber mat and is large enough for the iPod. Remove this unit with the four screws holding it on the reverse side of the panel.

Once removed unhook the rubber mat.  Drill on the bottom corner of the unit, you need a pretty large hole for the mini DIN connector, I ended up using a uni-bit.  Feed the connector through and connect to the iPod interface.

Test the unit, if everything works with the iPod connected, reassemble everything in the reverse order.

Cars 2003, custom, dodge, install, ipod, ram

Charleton Fruit Farm is a small, local coffee shop based just outside my old home town in Montrose Scotland.  There original site was getting a little dated so I offered another fresh look.  Keeping the whole site user friendly, the new design has helped promote there new childrens play park.  To view the site, click here.

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