Screen Options

OneGauge Standard LCD Screens

  • The most popular option for our customers is what we call OneGauge LCD screens. These touchscreens come in a variety of sizes, but our most popular are our 7″ and 10″ screens (click here for screen and housing dimensions). Our LCD’s come pre-programmed with a huge variety of designs (currently nearly 50 variations, see TheOneGauge.com/Themes for photos or the video below) and the user can change between them at will and set one as a default/home screen. Screen designs can be customized by the user or OneGauge and easily updated through an SD card port on the back of the screen, and some screens have the ability for basic adjustment using the screen itself to select which gauges are displayed. Various mounting options, from vehicle specific to universal mounts, are available for purchase with custom options possible as well. OneGauge LCDs are wired to the hub and power on/off with the main hub power and nearly instant boot time for single screen setups. Screens include menus to change your setup and adjust any settings needed.
  • What if you want to mount a OneGauge screen in your existing instrument cluster? Check out this link for instructions: https://www.theonegauge.com/2024/02/01/building-your-own-instrument-cluster/
  • OneGauge uses Nextion brand LCD touchscreens as our standard touchscreen LCD option. A standard OneGauge LCD Screen requires very little setup and offer many options to customize your OneGauge setup. For information on these settings and the various screens and menus available, see the LCD Screen Setup section. When you purchase your LCD screen from OneGauge it comes pre-programmed and ready to use.

 

Phone/Tablet Options

  • OneGauge includes a free Bluetooth connection to Android devices and connects to either the Torque Pro or RealDash app. This is an affordable, easy, and customizable way to view your gauges. We often recommend phone/tablet setups for customers or on a budget or who don’t want to modify their factory dash. Both apps are easily customizable so you can select what gauges you want to see, resize and design them, and adjust the layout of the dash. Datalogging is also included in both apps, and many other features are also possible such as camera and map overlays. A phone/tablet connection can be used at any time, including when an LCD or Pidash screen is also being used. By request OneGauge can add hardware to connect to a 2nd Android device as well. Android head units, which install in place of a factory stereo, are also often a great way to view your gauges.
  • OneGauge recommends users start with Torque Pro due to the simplicity and ease of setup. RealDash is much more complex but offers more ability to customize the look of the dash. RealDash is required for customers who want to use on screen buttons/relays. Realdash offers a Bluetooth (wireless) option as well as a wired USB cable option for connections; if you plan to use Bluetooth please let us know so we can turn on the correct configuration. See instructions below for an overview of setting up your Bluetooth device.
  • Currently Apple devices are not supported due to the cost of adding the hardware required to communicate with Apple/iPhone products and the slow communication that results. It is usually less expensive to purchase an Android device, and the overall result is better!

 

PiDash (Widescreens and Round Displays)

  • Video Description: https://youtu.be/oSZFuUQdZ3I?si=6Gyt6ukEzbZ9Gq0C
  • We are lucky to be able to partner with PiDash to provide widescreen an extra-large screen setups. PiDash allows us to use any HDMI screen to view your gauges. PiDash uses a plug-and-play connection to the OneGauge hub to communicate and receive sensor data, then the TunerStudio application on the PiDash acts as the gauge dashboard. The gauges can be customized and edited to make a totally custom dash, plus PiDash acts a small computer with WiFi connections, backup camera inputs, Apple Car Play options, and more!

  • What are the primary downsides/drawbacks to PiDash screens?
    Cost, boot time, and the requirement to shutdown the dash before powering it off. Cost and boot time are addressed below. An automatic shutdown battery can be added to PiDash setups to allow the computer to shut itself down when power is cut to the dash; if purchased this upgrade can be installed by OneGauge but the customer will need to purchase their own set of 18650 batteries (https://a.co/d/0LHcRZd).

  • How customizable are the PiDash screens?
    PiDash screens can be easily customized. You can plug a mouse and keyboard into the PiDash and edit the screen on the screen itself- you can resize gauges, change layouts, define min/max for gauges, set warning/critical thresholds, and much more. The only limitation is that there are not many designs available for “bar” style gauges- PiDash works best with round style gauge faces or digital/numeric readings. Warning lights and indicators can be custom programmed as well. For custom images, it is recommended to use an illustration/design software to create images or download existing images and copy them to the PiDash for use on the dash design.
    One of the primary benefits of PiDash is that the designs are generally easier to customize than any other screen option we offer, so this is a great product for someone who likes to adjust their designs often!

  • What is the boot or shutdown time of a PiDash?
    Because PiDash uses an actual computer to drive/control HDMI screen(s), the unit takes about 20 seconds to boot- this time can vary, but based on our experience this is a good estimate. There are workarounds for this, such as using a door open switch or remote key fob to trigger the dash boot before the vehicle starts. The dash must also be shut down before cutting power to it, so we place a touch-enabled button on the screen itself to allow the customer to shut the dash down when a trip is over and the vehicle is going to be powered off. There are hardware additions available that can be added that automatically keep the PiDash powered when vehicle power is removed and shut the computer down safely.

  • Is there a lag or delay with this type of screen?
    PiDash displays are just as fast as our standard displays and have industry standard response times.

  • Why are PiDash units more expensive than other screen options?
    PiDash products are built in conjunction with PiDashs.com. The PiDash requires not only the screen, but a raspberry pi computer to drive the screen(s), a customized operating system programmed for faster booting and quick launch of the gauge software, a license fee for the gauge software, as well as additional setup time, labor, and testing time required for each PiDash unit. If you’re looking to save money on your PiDash setup and are relatively familiar/capable with computers, we recommend either building a PiDash setup yourself (components are listed in the PiDash manual found on TheOneGauge.com/FAQs) or purchasing a PiDash kit from PiDashs.com and doing the OneGauge portion of the setup yourself (also covered in the PiDash manual).

  • Do I need the OneGauge hub if I plan to use a PiDash?
    Yes – the PiDash by itself is only meant to directly connect to the Megasquirt platform of ECUs. If you are not using a Megasquirt ECU, the OneGauge acts as a “translator” to take in data from sensors, OBD-II, or other ECU’s and translate that data for use on the PiDash system. Without the OneGauge hub you’ll have no way to connect your sensors or ECU to the PiDash and get any gauges working.