# Any Isabellenhütte IVT-S Ninjas on here?



## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

I am converting an old 70s Chevy truck to electric so it has no CAN Bus architecture nor do I want to introduce any beyond what it takes to drive the electric motor type of thing.

I plan on using the Isabellenhütte IVT-S current sensor and would like to know if any of you have done so with what I would call standard analog or even digital gauges that we can mount in the dash of the car. I see on the Menu of the program in it's tutorial that there is an option for J1939 which seems to be some sort of interface standard no?

I am just looking to display the basics, Volts, Amps, Watts, and maybe some other stuffs as I dive deeper into what this brilliant German hunk of metal can do.

any help and links especially to some compatible plug and pray gauges is greatly appreciated


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

well of course since I am learning about this GizmoTron I am going to force everyone to suffer with me, ha ha, so here is a list of ...

*SHOP: * Please email me if you are interested in a Group Buy Discount **
muszyngr at YAHOO dot com

EVCreate IVT current and voltage sensor in Netherlands​
EVWest CAN Bus Shunt IVT-S 1000A for Digital Instrumentation by ISA Scale Isabellenhutte in San Marcos, California​​
*RESOURCES:*

Isabellenhütte Heusler great primer on the Open Inverter Wiki to wet your appetite​​Isabellenhuette USA product page​​*TUTORIAL:* (YouTube Videos)​​Chapter 1: Getting Started: Parts and Wiring​Chapter 2: Setting Up Busmaster​Chapter 3: Configuring Result Messages​​​Configuring the IVT-S with a CAN-Due or Damien Maguire VCU Board: Part 1 - Wiring YouTube video series by an Open Inverter Org forum member​​Configuring the IVT-S with a CAN-Due or Damien Maguire VCU Board: Part 2 - Configuration YouTube video series by an Open Inverter Org forum member​​*Manual* - see PDF attached to one of the posts below​​


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

this is just an excerpt from the manual on how to decipher the Fahrvergnügen part numbers


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

So I contacted *Isabellenhutte USA* technical support and got a kind reply from Randy who basically pointed me at *AEM EV* line of products, so I checked them out and first I didn't know they had a dedicated line of EV products but maybe I am just too dumb to find a simple gauge or set of gauges on there cause it seems like they are trying to sell you a $1,000 digital console


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

bro, what is it that you are actually looking for? well sometihng like this *HiLetgo Digital Multimeter AC 80-260V 100A PZEM-061 LCD Display Digital Current Voltage Power Energy Multimeter Ammeter Voltmeter with Current Transformer CT* but on steroids meaning something that can handle 360 volts and 1,000 amps

hoping to find something plug and play off the shelf that I don't have to geek out on a breadboard to roll my own


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

what I ordered/bought on eBay - ONE Isabellenhutte thingie like this one


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

... and what I got - The Struggle is Real ! ha ha


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

this is a wonderful opportunity to practice our Isabellenhutte part number decoding

*IVT-S-1K-U0-I-CAN1-12/24*

so let's breakdown that bad boy

*IVT-S*-1K-U0-I-CAN1-12/24 - ok that's just the product group and I think they all are *IVT-S*

IVT-S-*1K*-U0-I-CAN1-12/24 - moving along *1K* means 1,000 amps so far so good

IVT-S-1K-*U0*-I-CAN1-12/24 - ah this is where things fall apart for us, *U0* means there are zero voltage ports across the top, those three white plugs are missing

IVT-S-1K-U0-*I*-CAN1-12/24 I have no idea what this means somethign to do with the material they are made out of and they all are *I*

IVT-S-1K-U0-I-*CAN1*-12/24 this means there is *only one white port on the bottom for CAN Bus*, I actually prefer a single port rather than two (*CAN2*) because we don't need to terminate the second one with a hockey resistor

IVT-S-1K-U0-I-CAN1-*12/24 *and this is just what input power these things can run on and I think they all are *12 volt 24 volt* combo units, please correct me if I am wrong


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## oudevolvo (Mar 10, 2015)

I = galvanic isolation
CAN1 also implies it is terminated
12/24 is indeed allowing both input voltages


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

oudevolvo said:


> I = galvanic isolation
> CAN1 also implies it is terminated
> 12/24 is indeed allowing both input voltages


Perfect, thank you, do you have any Isabellenhutteing experience you would like to share?


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so here are the four things you need just to talk to this thing

1. *CAN USB Adapter (PCAN-USB) with Isolation (GC-CAN-USB-ISO)* - *$275*










2. Grid Connect GC-CAN-TERM-GC CAN Terminator










3. Chanzon 12V 2.5A 30W AC DC Power Supply Adapter










4. Anmbest 2PCS DB9 Solderless RS232 D-SUB Serial to 9-pin Port Terminal Male Adapter


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

well, according to the OpenInvert.org Wiki "_You can talk to CAN bus devices relatively cheaply using_ [something called] _an Arduino Uno_."

You will need the following:

An Arduino Uno R3 board
An MCP2515-based Arduino CAN shield
Two 120 ohm resistors

so we went out and got us an Arduino Uno board thingie, $15 bones on AMAZON






























this thing is tiny (that or I have huge hands)


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

alright, now what?

*Configure your Arduino IDE*
Download and install the Arduino IDE on your computer

What's an *IDE*, well it stands for *Integrated Development Environment*, essentially a text editor like Notepad on steroids and a compiler a special program that turns human readable code into ones and zeros so that machines understand it.


Connect your Arduino board with a USB cable
_Tools -> Port_ make sure your Arduino board is selected
_File -> Examples -> 01.Basics -> Blink
Sketch -> Upload_
Hopefully you have a blinking light on your Arduino board. This means your IDE is working.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

OK, we got the little Arduino brain board, we installed the software for it, we also got an Isabellenhütte IVT-S current sensor shunt thingie, but how do we get them to talk to each other?


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and sometimes I just like to remind myself why we are doing this

I mean check out this little outfit called *VeeThree* and their *CAN Bus displays* page










Aren't these gauges sexy? We can get our electric motor RPM using CAN Bus how cool would that be?










The 3″ CAN bus display features a round color PCAP touch LCD. The R3 is designed as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) product, *and is not available direct to end users.*

Or a multi function one like this










The C3 CAN bus display, formerly the CANvu 355/Veecan 320, is a second generation compact color display from Veethree. It is designed as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) product, *and is not available direct to end users.*


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

wait, EV West may have just what we need










*TBS Expert Pro Battery Monitor - For Lithium Packs up to 350V*

The Expert Pro Battery Monitor selectively displays voltage, charge and discharge current, consumed amp hours, remaining battery capacity and the time remaining of your battery bank.

*$269








*

Ah man so close, but it only goes up to 350 volts, but check out their YouTube *TBS Expert Pro Battery Monitor Quick Setup Guide | EV Show* video to get an idea what we're trying to achieve, as it is very similar.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

You may not edit more than 10 different post(s) within 7 days
well aint that special!


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so I am getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I am so excited to find these blank bezels for my truck, gives me endless possibilities

first here is what the stock OEM bezel looks like with all its round holes










and here are the blanks










with these I am not restricted to round gauges, which means I can use the rectangular *Nextion* displays, awesome!


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

alright our Duplo style learning continues...


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so we got our next puzzle piece in terms of the hardware needed to connect to and talk to our current sensor, this being the CAN Bus shield (pronounced CAN Bus "adapter") this adapter is actually a tranceiver, say what?

(*TRANS*mitter re*CEIVER*) An electronic device or circuit that transmits and receives analog or digital signals, either wired or wireless.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

alright time for an Arduino CAN Bus shield analogy in pictures:

so think of the Arduino as your 3/8th ratchet, yes it is a tool by itself 










but it really gets the job done when you add the attachments 










so this set










is like this combo










you get the idea


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so yeah you stack the shields on top of the Arduino microcontroller board, like so


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

OK so logically the Arduino Uno is a brain that needs the CAN Bus shield (aka tranceiver) to talk to our ITV-S shunt aka current sensor










but physically the shield rides piggy back on the Arduino Uno board like so (I am beating this horse to death because on the Wiki it is difficult to see the Arduino board under the shield)


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and we are learning any time we get some new hardware we have to follow that up by getting some new software

*Configure your CAN bus shield*

so after you connect your CAN shield board to the Arduino and plug the USB cable back in...

Download the CAN library ZIP file from here *https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/CAN_BUS_Shield*

Launch the Arduino IDE Software we installed last time and inside of it do this:

_Sketch -> Include Library -> Add .ZIP Library..._ & choose the ZIP file you just downloaded​​_File -> Examples -> CAN-BUS Shield ->_ receive_check​​_Tools -> Serial Monitor_ change the baud rate to 115200​​_Sketch -> Upload_​
Hopefully you will see the following on the Serial Monitor:

Enter setting mode success​set rate success!!​Enter Normal Mode Success!!​CAN BUS Shield init ok!​
If you see:

Enter setting mode fail​CAN BUS Shield init fail​
Init CAN BUS Shield again
try changing SPI_CS_PIN from 9 to 10





































so I think this means it was successful, it is a bit different from the expected messages as written up on the *Open Inverter org Wiki* but I think software just changes a little bit over time so we may be ok


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## MesquiteTim (Sep 30, 2021)

The Zero Emissions Fuel Gauge driver is not an option for you? EV West sells it. I prefer it over others because pack voltage isn't present in the dash.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

MesquiteTim said:


> The Zero Emissions Fuel Gauge driver is not an option for you? EV West sells it. I prefer it over others because pack voltage isn't present in the dash.


Thank you so much, would you happen to have a direct link to it, I am on their site but having difficulties trying to find it.


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## MesquiteTim (Sep 30, 2021)

Sorry, it's ZEVA. Zeva fuel gauge


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

MesquiteTim said:


> Sorry, it's ZEVA. Zeva fuel gauge


Ah yes, I see it and it does look very interesting, the one problem/issue I see with it straight away is that "The device is slipped over either your +ve or -ve battery cable" [*ve* is pronounced "ive" as in positi*ve* and negati*ve*] I believe Damien Maguire started out with such a solution and then moved away from it, I will try to find his video with the snippet where he comments on it.

"Optionally, a fourth wire goes to the input of your vehicle's tachometer" and this one has me scratching my head as I doubt it ties in to the motors resolver to show revolutions, and is repurposed to display instantaneous current on the vehicle’s tachometer. So we loose our Tach and gear heads like me need the tach to tach, ha ha.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

Alright, now what? well now we need to do three things:

Power up our current sensor ie turn it ON 
Actually connect to it, make the communication connection from the Arduino/Shield to the shunt
Put the shunt to work, actually give it something to do (in electronic speak: put a load on it)


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## oudevolvo (Mar 10, 2015)

gregski said:


> Perfect, thank you, do you have any Isabellenhutteing experience you would like to share?


Well, I’m a reseller and they can be used as a current and voltage (if U3) source for the CHAdeMO controller I am developing.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

oudevolvo said:


> Well, I’m a reseller and they can be used as a current and voltage (if U3) source for the CHAdeMO controller I am developing.


totally rad, I was just going to put a link to your site in this thread, having watched Damien's latest video, would you be open to putting together a group buy with some sort of a discount for us knuckleheads here in the US, maybe you could ship it to me and I could ship it to others, what ever to save some duckets, I am not looking to make any money off of this just aid in the process, please let us know how many we would have to buy and for how much, and I am thinking the 1000A model to match Damien's


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

now you all may have heard of the infamous Electronics Workbench, well I present to you the Electronics Floor, that's right we are starting at the very bottom, and if you join us now we will be literally starting on the ground [ahem] floor


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

this forum, is literally killing me softly:

"Your following files do not have an allowed extension.
IMG_5428.JPG"

that's the same extension I have been posting all my pics with up to this point, now all of a sudden it's not allowed?


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

anyway moving on, I bought a proper AC Adapter to give us 12 volts at 2.5 amps per the IVT-S spec tutorials, this will make a perfect supply for "bench testing" I prefer not to wire up flimzy electronics directly to a car battery as that is the equivalent of drinking from a fire house


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so although this AC adapter came with 3 really nice plug adapters, unfortunately we have to go Medieval on it to make it work


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

at the time of this writing the pins for those DuraClik white connectors are unavailable and on Backorders so we try to make do with what we can get our hands on - unfortunately these are not a direct fit, so I decided to unpin them and just use them without the white plug, this allowed me to reorder the color wires so that red goes to red etc, and black is ground

the official Kit: Part No. 157486










the alternative AMAZON kit:


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and it's not OSHA approved but it will do for Bench Testing

so there we have it, unfortunately it is very uneventful, no LED turns on, no sound, no motion, but we just trust that it is on, we will verify later once we connect the communication wires next


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and here I'm trying to get the coms right (that's how the cool kids say communication) ha ha

so I like to color and name associate things to help me more better remember stuff, so Yel*Low *wire is for CAN Low and White is for CAN High, it really doesn't matter which colors we use, but hey, in case I need to troubleshoot something later, I may have a shot at remembering that

The CAN Bus signal needs to be terminated at both ends, fortunately for us both the CAN Bus Shield and this particular shunt have built in terminators already.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and here's all four wires, red and black for power and yellow and white for communication all wired up and ready to go


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

Alright now as far as putting the current sensor to work, we are going to use a simple car turn signal light bulb and a car battery to create the world's simplerest circuit

The current sensor needs to sit on the negative black "ground" wire and it's directional (ie has polarity) so it matters which side you connect to the battery, you'll know if you did it wrong if you end up reading negative values, if so just reverse which side you connected the battery on to the current sensor (I think if you are using the current sensor with a battery charger than it would make sense to have it read negative, I think)


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

pics of all the wires connected at the same time, power, communication, and load


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

*Talk to your device over CAN*

Now connect and power up your CAN bus device.

When there is CAN bus traffic, you should see it appear on the serial monitor and the INT light should flash on your CAN bus shield.

If nothing happens, check your CAN bus speed matches the device you are connected to. For some Isabellenhütte IVT-S, you have to change the code from CAN_500KBPS to CAN_1000KBPS to get it to work - even though the IVT-S is communicating at 500Kbps.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so this is the actual code from that CAN-BUS Shield Example (for those of you following at home without an Arduino) though you could just install the software and play with it, you could even use a website that allows for hardware simulation 

// demo: CAN-BUS Shield, receive data with check mode
// send data coming to fast, such as less than 10ms, you can use this way
// loovee, 2014-6-13
#include <SPI.h>

#define CAN_2515
// #define CAN_2518FD

// Set SPI CS Pin according to your hardware

#if defined(SEEED_WIO_TERMINAL) && defined(CAN_2518FD)
// For Wio Terminal w/ MCP2518FD RPi Hat：
// Channel 0 SPI_CS Pin: BCM 8
// Channel 1 SPI_CS Pin: BCM 7
// Interupt Pin: BCM25
const int SPI_CS_PIN = BCM8;
const int CAN_INT_PIN = BCM25;
#else

// For Arduino MCP2515 Hat:
// the cs pin of the version after v1.1 is default to D9
// v0.9b and v1.0 is default D10
const int SPI_CS_PIN = 9;
const int CAN_INT_PIN = 2;
#endif


#ifdef CAN_2518FD
#include "mcp2518fd_can.h"
mcp2518fd CAN(SPI_CS_PIN); // Set CS pin
#endif

#ifdef CAN_2515
#include "mcp2515_can.h"
mcp2515_can CAN(SPI_CS_PIN); // Set CS pin
#endif 

void setup() {
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.begin(115200);

while (CAN_OK != CAN.begin(*CAN_500KBPS*)) { // init can bus : baudrate = 500k
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.println("CAN init fail, retry...");
delay(100);
}
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.println("CAN init ok!");
}


void loop() {
unsigned char len = 0;
unsigned char buf[8];

if (CAN_MSGAVAIL == CAN.checkReceive()) { // check if data coming
CAN.readMsgBuf(&len, buf); // read data, len: data length, buf: data buf

unsigned long canId = CAN.getCanId();

SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.println("-----------------------------");
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.print("Get data from ID: 0x");
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.println(canId, HEX);

for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) { // print the data
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.print(buf_, HEX);
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.print("\t");
}
SERIAL_PORT_MONITOR.println();
}
}

/***
END FILE
***/_


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

alright time to level set a little bit and recap, ok at this point we have all the hardware we need to make all the necessary connections, and we have some basic sample code that allows us to receive what I call the "raw data" from the current sensor, however I don't know about you but I can't read that, it's all garbliegook to me, and according to the *Open Inverter Wiki*:

_"The tricky part is that the current measurement comes from the the IVT-S as a buffer of four byte values in big endian order. We have to re-assemble these bytes to get the numerical current value (in mA). Once that's done, we get nice, readable numerical values on the serial console."_

well I don't speak big endian, or regular endian for that matter, ha ha so that's what I will be working on next is turning that 11 byte "data" into human readable "information" hopefully using this code

// IVT-S meter using CAN bus shield
// electric_dart 2020

#include <SPI.h>
#include "mcp_can.h"

// the cs pin of the version after v1.1 is default to D9
// v0.9b and v1.0 is default D10
const int SPI_CS_PIN = 10;

MCP_CAN CAN(SPI_CS_PIN); // Set CS pin

unsigned char len = 0;
unsigned char buf[8];

void setup() {
// Set your Serial Monitor to 115200 baud
Serial.begin(115200);

// Initialise the CAN bus
while (CAN_OK != CAN.begin(CAN_1000KBPS)) { // init can bus
Serial.println("Failed to initialise CAN bus. Retrying...");
delay(100);
}
Serial.println("CAN bus initialised.");

/*
set receive mask
*/
CAN.init_Mask(0, 0, 0x7ff); // there are 2 masks in mcp2515, you need to set both of them
CAN.init_Mask(1, 0, 0x7ff); // 0x7ff is '11111111111' in binary, so we are checking 11 of the CAN message ID bits

/*
set receive filter
*/
CAN.init_Filt(0, 0, 0x521); // there are 6 filters in mcp2515
CAN.init_Filt(1, 0, 0x521); // 0x521 is the CAN message ID for IVT-S Current value
CAN.init_Filt(2, 0, 0x521); 
CAN.init_Filt(3, 0, 0x521); 
CAN.init_Filt(4, 0, 0x521); 
CAN.init_Filt(5, 0, 0x521); 

}

void loop() {
if (CAN_MSGAVAIL == CAN.checkReceive()) { // check if data coming
CAN.readMsgBuf(&len, buf); // read data, len: data length, buf: data buf
unsigned long canId = CAN.getCanId();

if (canId == 0x521) {
Serial.print("Data received from IVT_Msg_Result_I");
Serial.print("\t");

// Convert individual big endian byte values to actual reading
long reading = (buf[2] << 24) | (buf[3] << 16) | (buf[4] << 8) | (buf[5]);
Serial.println(reading);
}
}
// Refresh every 250ms
delay(250);
}


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

Well folks I did it, we now have meaningful current (as in amps not as in now, ha ha) information coming in

and oh boy this was not as easy as cut and pasting the code from the *Wiki* into the Arduino Sketch screen by any means, three things I had to do and the first one took forever to figure out

Find and download an older version of the *MCP_CAN_lib-master* library from GitHub
Change the connection speed from 1000 Kbps to 500 kbps
Change the default CAN Bus Shield pin from 10 to 9


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

here is an example of the error I was getting:

*No matching function for call to “MCP_CAN::Begin(int)*

and here is how it looked to me, ha ha yup Wingdings!


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

and if you don't like money, you can get your *ISAscale 1000A High Precision CAN Shunt* as they call it, from *EVTV Motor Verks* in Cape Girardeau, Missouri for only [ahem] $395.00

it does look a bit different too, that's why I'm sharing


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## oudevolvo (Mar 10, 2015)

That is an earlier generation IVT.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

oudevolvo said:


> That is an earlier generation IVT.


ah thank you, I appreciate that, looks kinda fugly to me [sorry guys I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, lol]


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

** Please email me if you are interested in a Group Buy Discount * (still going on as of November 2, 2021) *
muszyngr at YAHOO dot com

I am working with Lars from *EVcreate* who is willing to work with us, these retail for *$277* and we can get them for *$248 *and FREE shipping

here is what the model will look like this one is NOT exactly like Damien's this one is already internally terminated (pronounced: it only has one CAN Bus connector on the bottom)










*please note I am making zero dollars on this, the plan is for him to ship a batch to me (since these will be coming from Europe) and then I will ship them individually for FREE to you in the States*


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

Well shoot, now I have to get this!!! lol


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

on a semi serious note, the deeper I dive into this endeavor the more I want to just install these analog gauges and be done with it, ha ha, I mean it is a 1971 GMC (think no seat warmers!)












*VOLTS*​









*AMPS*​


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## MesquiteTim (Sep 30, 2021)

Good choice but be careful, you will have pack voltage at the meter. Another member had a meter failure and fried his controller. I think it was the Lotus build. I suggest using the Zeva fuel gauge or another Hall effect sender to keep pack voltage out of the cab.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

MesquiteTim said:


> Good choice but be careful, you will have pack voltage at the meter. Another member had a meter failure and fried his controller. I think it was the Lotus build. I suggest using the Zeva fuel gauge or another Hall effect sender to keep pack voltage out of the cab.


Yikes, I'll pass, back to the drawing board...


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

in my companion thread *1971 GMCe Lexus GS450H BMW 530e Tesla Model S powered Electruck* I set out to build *Damien Maguire's* --- *Lexus GS450H VCU* which comes with these virtual gauges pre programmed. The VCU has a WiFi card on it and can send these gauges wirelessly to any WiFi enabled device, be it your iPhone, iPad, Laptop, or what ever. Video link to Damien introducing the *ISA Shunt*


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

WHAT? So why are you torturing us and yourself with this???

Well, for two reasons:


Understandability and Troubleshooting - I am not one of those guys who just wants to plug a wire in blindly from point A to point B not knowing what it does
I don't like those gauges. I mean I appreciate the immense effort however there is no Speedometer, there is no kWh estimate, and I don't care about MG1 RPM
so here are two prototypes, please let me know what you think

*Option A* - this would be on a standard WiFi 7' or 8" tablet of some sorts_ (note I would get rid of the blue bar across the top when running on the tablet) _shown with the GMC logo but I could loose that for more real estate












*Option B* - this is on a widescreen / stretched screen display of some sorts since my dash has a very narrow section above the steering column


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

this is what a stock gauge cluster looks like for my truck and below it is a blank bezel I plan to butcher to make my digital gauge shine













haven't decided yet if I want to go with the carbon fiber look or just a plain painted bezel


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so I thought I would give you an update on what's the hold up, I went on eBay and low bid a few Android tablets just to see how big or small they really are and if I could even drive a KitKat (_you can't make this stuff up people_) Android OS, well here's the story of the first one, an *Asus K01A Memo Pad 7*, I got for $15 bucks



















you can always count on the Feds...


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

^^ If it was my truck, I'd stay with the stock gauges and put gauge steppers from an '00 Silverado in behind them to run the needles that are not Arduino friendly. Remark them, as needed.

Digital gauges in an old truck somehow seem perverted.

Your project, my $0.02


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

remy_martian said:


> ^^ If it was my truck, I'd stay with the stock gauges and put gauge steppers from an '00 Silverado in behind them to run the needles that are not Arduino friendly. Remark them, as needed.
> 
> Digital gauges in an old truck somehow seem perverted.
> 
> Your project, my $0.02


that's hilarious, what I luv about you Remy is that you have no filter, lol hmmm reminds me of someone I know


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Was looking at the datasheet.

Rather than do the CAN, you could just put that Russian meter across the shunt (depending on its sensitivity, you may need an op amp) and measure it ANALOG 😂

Isolation is the issue here if you do it that way...


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

remy_martian said:


> Was looking at the datasheet.
> 
> Rather than do the CAN, you could just put that Russian meter across the shunt (depending on its sensitivity, you may need an op amp) and measure it ANALOG 😂
> 
> Isolation is the issue here if you do it that way...


Love it, maybe mount the Russian Ammeter right next to the shunt in the Frunk with a live webcam pointed right at it, and then feed that to a 30" tablet mounted to the center console where the stereo used to be, Tesla style.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

...forgot to mention. You lose your "fuel guage" (battery SoC) computation if you do that.

One question: doesn't your inverter already report the current it's delivering?


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Start a youtube channel with the video feed, pay for the project


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

remy_martian said:


> ...forgot to mention. You lose your "fuel guage" (battery SoC) computation if you do that.
> 
> One question: doesn't your inverter already report the current it's delivering?


Technically Volts yes, current no, assuming you mean actual Inverter, the VCU aka controller does so using this shunt, that's what it's for.

below is a screen shot of what the Inverter reports, this was just the PCB connected via a USB to my PC hence the empty blank values, if I re ran this whilst all hooked up I believe it shows the Voltage there


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

remy_martian said:


> Start a youtube channel with the video feed, pay for the project


instead of FansOnly call it AmpsOnly

ok, we really have to stop!


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

you cannot make this stuff up, I am convinced since being "MISSENT" my new used ASUS tablet has now joined AC/DC on their World Tour

Tracking details
USPS tracking 

Nov 13, 2021
7:46am

ARRIVE USPS FACILITY
SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

Nov 13, 2021
7:29am

ARRIVED AT USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

Nov 13, 2021
7:11am

DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 13, 2021
6:53am

DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 13, 2021
6:23am

ARRIVED AT USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

Nov 13, 2021
5:27am

DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 13, 2021
4:56am

DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 13, 2021
2:49am

PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 8, 2021
1:00pm

*MISSENT*
SACRAMENTO, CA 95825

Nov 8, 2021
3:53am

ARRIVAL AT UNIT
SACRAMENTO, CA 95825

Nov 7, 2021
9:26am

PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
SACRAMENTO CA DISTRIBUTION CENT, 95799

Nov 5, 2021
5:52pm

PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBU, 14606

Nov 5, 2021
2:49pm

PICKED UP
ROCHESTER, NY 14606

Nov 5, 2021
11:18am

SHIPPING LBL CREATED USPS AWAITS ITEM
ROCHESTER, NY 14606

Nov 5, 2021
4:19am


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Sounds like the box fell off the sorting conveyors at SAC a few times.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so the ASUS MeMo Pad 7 decided to show up, so I threw my prototype gauge design on there for looksies

still in the early stages of development

*Oh snap I just realized it defaulted to some crapy font, great!*


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

well it works on my ASUS Nexus 7 which I also bought so who knows what's going on


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

What app are you using and how are you planning to send telemetry to the tablet?

Looks like it switched to another crappy font 😂


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

remy_martian said:


> What app are you using and how are you planning to send telemetry to the tablet?


Arduino Uno with Wifi and a CAN Bus Shield => WiFi => ASUS Nexus 7 running Chrome in hopefully KIOSK mode



remy_martian said:


> Looks like it switched to another crappy font 😂


hey, watch it now, that took seconds to steal off the InterWebs


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

apparently there are 3 ways to initialize the good ol' Isabellenhütte, ISA for short, when it comes to EV Converting using the Open Inverter (pronounced: open source) EVBMW (pronounced: Damien Maguire's) VCU, Vehicle Control Unit

so why not try them all...

*Lessons Learned:* Buy the name brand Arduino products and not the Chinese knockoffs, especially if you are a newb, a beginner, the money you save is not worth the headaches of chasing down drivers written in Chinese

hence the name brand $40 dollar Arduino Uno purchase below (yes I put it on the wife's credit card)


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

since getting this ISA current sensor Initialized is proving to be a bear I am cross pollinating this thread with the one on Open Inverter in hopes someone will see it and set me straight

*Can't Initialize Isabellenhütte ISA Sensor*


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

I like your use of the capacitance effect as a noise filter on those uninsulated splices...crank it up by getting as close to that mounting plate as you can

You need a ground connection between the VCU's supply and Izzy's, btw.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so finally got it working thanks to this video


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so my gauges are working now, here I only have the current connected to show the amps


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## alibro53 (Oct 16, 2021)

As usual with these threads you're not getting many replies but thank you for sharing anyway. 
I've been down the rabbit hole of Arduino too with the same issues. You're doing well.


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

here's a peak at one of these ISA current sensors installed in one of Damien Maguire's builds


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

so it's been a while since I updated but I recently went out and bought one of these for $170 bucks on AMAZON

*MICROCHIP APGDT002 CAN BUS ANALYZER TOOL, CAN 2.0B, ISO11898-2*










and successfully hooked it up the the ISA current shunt since it does speak CAN Bus


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## gregski (Sep 6, 2011)

got to play with yet another CAN Bus analyzer tool, this one by Chuangxin Technology called CANalyzer-II or a clone of one, nice unit, has two CAN channels


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## 7yatna (7 mo ago)

Hi gregski,

I really admire your build and i have been keeping an eye on your very fun comments and build progress. 

I gotta give it you, i was gonna design my own Battery Pack, but copper prices hit and had to change my plan. 

i ended up going BMW PHEV route and guess what ? i bough the other three packs on ebay featured on your thread. HAHA

as well ended up with Simp BMS, Bought one and made a double bms with my own custom configuration i will show a picture late of my Frankenstein board. 

any way now am buttoning up and was looking for IVT Current sensors for while and i think i want one. 


and then this reply caught my attention, HOW many did you get ?? you said tyou wanted to buy one and then got a bundle ?? 

if the bundle you bough are the 1K sensors with no Voltage tap as you decoded the part number then this will work for me i dont need the voltage tap i can buy one off your hands. 

but seriously what the deal with all of those ? 

again i love watching your experiments and thats how it should be, FUN, all in no holding back. 

i will make a thread for my little beetle but unfortunately im not a big fan of taking pictures and documenting, i just work and make things function. 

Let me know about those sensors i might buy one. 

i did actually engineer very cheap analog sensors for my 3 bmss and working great but i need one big one precision for the whole car. 

as well im making the screen of simp bms to act like a fuel gauge so i can help you with your idea too. 

best regards, 
Karim, 




gregski said:


> ... and what I got - The Struggle is Real ! ha ha
> 
> View attachment 124132
> View attachment 124133
> ...


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## alibro53 (Oct 16, 2021)

I just read through most of this thread again, lots of useful info here so thanks. 
Just a couple of things 
In one post you couldn't post a jpg photo. It probably needed the jpg in lower case instead of upper. 
When playing with CAN, the wires need to be twisted. 
You did well getting the canalyst 2 going. It took me ages to figure out but it seems to work well. 
Keep up the good work.


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## wjbitner (Apr 5, 2010)

gregski said:


> got to play with yet another CAN Bus analyzer tool, this one by Chuangxin Technology called CANalyzer-II or a clone of one, nice unit, has two CAN channels
> 
> View attachment 128054
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting this and 'dragging us along' for the the ride. It helped to see all the gear and where you found useful information to get things running..
Bill


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## christopherspicer1968 (3 mo ago)

Little necro post but did you get it up and running? Did the STOP, STORE,RUN commands drive you nuts? Bugged the hell out of me setting one up for an AEM dash.


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

double necro post
highly recommend using a little thing called realdash for your instrumentation, the big advantage being you can make the gauges look just like the original gauges in style, but get all the configuration of digital gauges


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

Managed to get one of these supposedly a little used off eBay for $250, this one doesn't have can passthrough but that's fine.

I'm assuming I can use the three voltage outputs at the top to read contactor and precharge relay voltage, paired with my vcu200


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