Never worry about how much gas is in the tank ever again.
Get it first, enjoy the ride
iGaugeBLE
For all of you driving a pre ‘62 VW beetle like me, I salute you! But why should you drive without a safe and reliable fuel gauge? Well now you can have one that is accurate, easy to install and requires absolutely NO modifications to your car. I made this for my wife and I because we always had some anxiety about how much gas we had left in the tank. Once I installed this Bluetooth “gauge” in our car we had a lot more fun cruising because we didn’t have to worry anymore. My main goal here is to hopefully share that less stressful feeling with anyone else out there who loves driving their classic VW’s…….. Introducing iGaugeBLE.
How an idea for my own car became something I think every Vintage VW owner can use.
The beauty of the iGaugeBLE VW fuel gauge is that you can install it and leave it so you can show it off or you can remove it quickly if you want that stock look at the car shows and then plug it back in for the cruise home. I have developed a complete turnkey solution for Type 1 Beetles from years 1958 to 1961 using the attached gas cap version shown in the video. Talking to people at shows and events, I have heard many complaints about the reliability and accuracy in cars that did come with fuel gauges so I worked out the ability to include 1962 to 1977 beetles(No super beetles) using the sensor only version mounted in the stock gauge sender tank location on top of the tank. It is also possible to mount a sensor only version in any type 2 from 1962 to 1977, type 3 from years 1962 to 1972 and I am also looking into fitments for early Porsche 911, 912, 930 and 914’s.
As of now, I have developed the app on the iOS platform only but will be porting the app over to Android devices ASAP.
It all begins with an idea. I was thinking about my latest restoration, a 1960 Semaphore beetle and I wanted a reliable way to check my fuel level since my wife and I would be driving the car a lot on the weekends. I did some research and found nothing fit the bill so I decided to go for it and really dug into the world of microprocessors, coding and manufacturing. In short I spent three years learning how to design metal stamped parts, springs, design my own PCBoards, learn Arduino and iOS coding and master 3d drawing and printing. What you see now is the result of my hours, weeks and years of work. From idea to fruition.
iGaugeBLE
I have designed the sensor such that when the app reads empty, there is actually about a gallon of fuel left in the tank. The metal gas cap mounted to the sensor is black zinc coated so it will look and perform great for years.
The iGaugeBLE can run on 6 Volt and 12 Volt systems with no modifications necessary. All that is needed to install is to provide power via a key on fuse and ground.
Inside this little box are the brains of the system and is a key part of what allows the level to be displayed on your own smart phone. In keeping with not wanting to alter your car, there is no mounting of the processor box required as there is a strong magnet in the box that will allow you to place it where you like in the trunk.
This is the first gauge you see when you launch the app. The status light will turn from red to green when it automatically connects to the BLE Processor which only takes about two seconds so you have to look fast. Then in about another three seconds you will see the needle move to show the amount of fuel in your tank.
Also included is a speedometer that is selectable between MPH and KPH on the fly by simply touching the screen on the desired display type, MPH or KPH.
Because of the nature of the Bluetooth LE spec and my code, it is still totally fine to stream your favorite music from your smart phone to your BT speaker or BT enabled stereo at the same time you’re running the iGaugeBLE app. Also, there are currently four different gauge face designs that are selected by swiping your finger left or right on the the gauge face.
Thanks for looking and please subscribe below if you would like to receive email updates about iGaugeBLE(Patent Pending).