Hi guys, I need a cheap speedo to get me through the SVA test. I've heard you can use a bicycle speedo for under a tenner and wondered if I could get any suggestions. Also, is it possible to use a wireless one to save running wires round?

Cheers
Chas

I do know that the halfords ones have been used successfully and are under 20 quid. Take the instructions with you to the SVA just in case u need to fine tune

i thought the display needs to be illumated to pass

tommy

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Originally posted by tomgregory2000
i thought the display needs to be illumated to pass

tommy

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I dont think a wireless one will work on a car as there will too much stuff between the sender and the unit - on a bike there is just air

I would have thought wired where better.
- Ive had wired ones working on abuot 20ft of cable (extended by soldering in additional lenght) on a boat. But the wireless ones tend to be fairly line-of-sight.

You can get backlit ones, if thats a requiment?

Daniel

You also need a non-resetable odometer that is not able to be "clocked".
I think a bike one can be reset.

Hi, I am also interested in a locost speedo.

Any examples of SVA-OK bicycle speedo's?

I mean, given the above requirements it must be hard to find a bicycle speedo to match.

My car passed SVA at Nottingham in 2005 with a wired push bike speedometer.

I used a Sigma BC1200 - mainly because it reads upto and beyond my cars theoretical top speed. I had to add a small light, wired to the cars battery, that lit when I switched on the side/head lights.

Other than that and a little resetting during the test it passed fine. Do remember to take the instructions with you - my tester photocopied the bit about max' speed reading. The BC1200 can read upto 183mph (300kmh) although my car runs out of puff around 120'ish.

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I used a Sigma BC1200 - mainly because it reads upto and beyond my cars theoretical top speed. I had to add a small light, wired to the cars battery, that lit when I switched on the side/head lights.

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I used a cheap halfods speedo, picked up for a couple of quid at jumble sale

There is 2 white LEDs to illuminate the display, wired to car side lamps, and a little hood to prevent glare, covered with the finest quality black insulation tape.

The magnet is fitted to a aluminium disc pressed into one of the holes in the halfshaft, core plug style. The sensor is on a bracket insdie the brake drum.
Rescued attachment speedo.JPG

I built my own light that hangs over the speedo.

There was no problem with the resettable odometer or the power supply to the speedo itself.

,,, forgot to say bout wireless speedometers. In my expereince (of 1 speedo!) and what I read about them is that the transmitter must be very close to the the head unit, less than 1 m, if you want to work reliably.

I canmnot see how you can mount the tw=wo to be less than 1 m apart; plus there may be interference from igntion.

definitely go for a wired unit, more locost.