FAQ's

Home >> FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the responses to commonly asked questions

Question:
Why is their no support phone number?
Answer:
We do all of our support via email for a couple of reasons. We are often providing support to several customers at once and having the email records of the application helps us give the best support without starting all over with each inquiry. Also, the owner's hearing is not ideal, making phone support difficult.
Question:
How quickly do you ship?
Answer:
We strive to ship the same day if orders come in before about ten AM, and usually later as well, but worst-case we ship the next day. Saturday is a shipping day for us.
Question:
How long has TechnoVersions been around?
Answer:
We started shipping products in 2007.
Question:
What if my product fails?
Answer:
We have a liberal warranty policy, our goal is to make and keep every customer happy. We have replaced failed units that are years old at no cost, and also replaced/repaired units that have been damaged by user-abuse at no cost. We have never charged for a repair. Not to say that some occasion might come up that this doesn’t apply to, but that’s our history.
Question:
When I remove power, does the MeterMatch lose its calibration data?
Answer:
No, it's stored in non-volatile memory in the MeterMatch, no power required.
Question:
Will MeterMatch work with the old vibrator-style voltage regulators?
Answer:
Yes. It will also work with electronic replacement regulators, except it is not compatible with those from the company Real Time Engineering. You can also power a gauge with the regulator in MeterMatch. See below for details.
Question:
Will MeterMatch work with late-model CAN-bus gauges?
Answer:
No.
Question:
How do I mount the MeterMatch?
Answer:
Most customers wire-tie it to the harness, but some have used Velcro-tape to attach it to a surface. To allow future internal access, it’s necessary to put a small hole in the Velcro prior to installation for the enclosure screw.
Question:
What size wire should I use?
Answer:
The slots in the enclosure are sized for #18 AWG, but other sizes of wire can be used.
Question:
Do I need to calibrate the points in order?
Answer:
No, they can be calibrated in any order - you just need to make sure that you have two or more calibrated points for the MeterMatch to do math with. The closer that these points are to the gauge end-points, the best accuracy you will have.
Question:
Do I need to calibrate more than two points?
Answer:
No, two is enough for most applications. More than this is normally only used if the sensor or tank size is non-linear.
Question:
What voltage should I see at the sender input to the MeterMatch?
Answer:
The sender terminal voltage should always be between zero and five volts. By measuring this voltage, you can predict what resistance the MeterMatch is seeing at the time. This can be helpful to find sender or wiring problems. For more details, see MeterMatch Sender Input Voltage.
Question:
The alarm output blinks, can I make it a steady output?
Answer:
Yes, blinking is turned on and off with a power-up sequence shown in the instruction manual.
Question:
Will the alarm output drive a relay?
Answer:
Yes, for details, see how to drive a relay with the alarm output.
Question:
Can the alarm output provide 5 vdc?
Answer:
Yes, the alarm output can provide an electronically regulated 5v, up to about 500mA. It requires soldering a jumper on the MeterMatch. See how to configure MeterMatch for power output.
Question:
Can the 5v output be used to power a gauge?
Answer:
Yes, it can power one typical early gauge in place of the instrument voltage regulator in the vehicle. Normally the vehicles instrument voltage regulator drives more than one gauge (e.g. fuel and temperature), so the power signal must be isolated to just one gauge. For details, see how to isolate gauge terminals.
Question:
Cal points are labeled high, low, mid-high and mid-low, how do I know where to calibrate?
Answer:
The names are there just to help you remember which points you have calibrated. This is handy if you decide to go back to re-calibrate a point, or reset it. There are default values for high and low when it comes from the factory. In practice, you can use any calibration points in any order and MeterMatch will still work fine.
Question:
How do I know if my tach is voltage-driven or current-driven?
Answer:
Typically, a current-driven tach will have a loop of wire on the back where it senses the current. Also, a current-driven tach is normally connected to the plus side of the coil, while a voltage-driven tach is connected to the minus terminal of the coil.
Question:
Can I use TachMatch with a positive-ground vehicle?
Answer:
Yes, you would connect power and ground in the reverse direction - and of course be careful to not touch the circuit board to anything during installation.
Question:
What's a pull-up resistor, and why might I need one?
Answer:
Often, ECUs have "open-collector" outputs. This can be viewed as a switch, with one end connected to ground. If the other side of the switch isn’t connected to anything, it stays at ground potential all the time – on or off. A pull-up resistor connects the other end of the switch to 5 or 12 volts so that when the signal is off, the output will be the 5 or 12 volts, and if the signal is on, it will be ground (0 volts).
Question:
What size pull-up resistor is necessary?
Answer:
TachMatch has a pull-up resistor built into the ECU input. But otherwise, one should use a value that is about 1 KOhm or more. Usually 10 KOhms is a good value. If the value gets too small, it could damage the ECU.
Question:
My tach reads a couple hundred RPM away from your 4,000 RPM test signal, and the potentiometer adjustment doesn’t help. Why not?
Answer:
The potentiometer adjustment is only active for vintage tachs. Standard tachometers operate accurately with the precise, computer-generated multiple of the trigger signal that TachMatch generates. However, you can calibrate standard tachometer output to correct for inaccurate tachometers with the engine-cylinder and tach-cylinder buttons - see the instruction manual for details.
Question:
Can TachMatch be used in other applications?
Answer:
Yes. It can generate frequency ratios from the input trigger signal. Anywhere from 1:8 to 8:1. Clever customers have used it to correct signal frequencies in other applications.
Question:
My tach doesn’t trigger from the TachMatch, why not?
Answer:
TachMatch generates a 12v signal. Some tachs rely on the big inductive “kick” from the coil. For this purpose we designed the V-Boost module. This is usually necessary for VDO tachs used in various makes and models, Jeep tachometers, and many of the Datsun Z-car tachometers.
Question:
If my tach has a different number of cylinders than the engine, and I need the V-boost to make the tach work, do I also need a standard TachMatch?
Answer:
Yes.
Question:
What size wire should I use?
Answer:
The slots in the enclosure are sized for #18 AWG, but other sizes of wire can be used.
Question:
Is the TachMatch compatible with Pertronix ignition systems?
Answer:
Yes, it is compatible with Pertronix installations except for the Ignitor III models.
Question:
Does the TachMatch work with the old Sun gauges that originally used an interface box?
Answer:
The Sun 760, which used a round “puck” style interface, is not compatible with TachMatch. If you have one of those, contact Accutach.com for an interface for this application. Other early Sun tachometers, like the 765, using the “box” style interface are compatible with TachMatch.
Question:
How do I know if my "vintage tach" works?
Answer:
There are a couple ways to see if one of the old vintage tachs (like the old Suns and Stewart Warners with an inteface box) are alive. One way is to put your DMM in resistance mode, then touch the red lead to the tach (+) and the black lead to the tach (-). The needle should then move some. With Fluke meters, they normally go to 2-4,000 RPM. Another is to put a 1.5v battery in series with a 10kohm resistor and connect that to the tach. Again, it should move the needle. Don't do this without the resistor though, could damage your tach. The best way to test it is with a TechnoVersions Model TT-01 Tachometer Tester.
Question:
There are a couple of loose resistors in my package - what are those for?
Answer:
Once in a while, when trouble-shooting an installation, it is necessary to add some resistance, for example a pull-up resistor or some series resistance on the input. Very seldom used, but we include them anyway in most shipments, just in case. Generally they are 5kohm resistors.
<
Question:
Does the TachMatch work with the Ford TFI distributor used in many of the Ford 5.0 EFI motors?
Answer:
Yes, but there needs to be a resistor between the coil and the TachMatch. 22 kOhms works well. If this is your application, let us know when you order, and we will include the appropriate resistor.
Question:
Am I guaranteed that the TachMatch will work?
Answer:
It’s likely that it will work, but it doesn’t work in all applications. You may have noticed that there are dozens of tachometer adapters, filters, amplifiers, etc on the market. The reason is that it’s a complex problem – many variables on both the triggering side and on the tachometer side of the interface. There is no solution that always works. However, to give you an idea of your odds that a TachMatch will work, we have about 2-3 returns per 100 TachMatch units shipped out. So your odds are pretty good, about 97%, that it will solve your problem, but not 100%. If it doesn’t work, it can be returned for refund.
Question:
How do I know if I need a TachMatch V-Boost module?
Answer:
Most tachometers don’t need a V-Boost module, they will work from a standard 12v square-wave-type signal as generated by a standard TachMatch or MSD unit. But some don’t work – we see it most often with VDO tachometers, and voltage-driven Datsun tachometers, but there are some others out there too. There really isn’t a good way to know that you need one until you have first tried with a 12v signal, and it doesn’t work. The V-Boost module doesn’t always make these problem tachometers work, but it’s rare that it doesn’t.
Question:
Do I need to keep the factory lower mount in place?
Answer:
Yes, with the standard diff mount, the original mount is still used. So the diff is isolated from the bottom with the factory mount, and held in place from the top with the snubber that comes with the new diff mount.
Question:
If I order the Energy Suspension top mount, do I keep the factory lower mount in place?
Answer:
No, it is removed in this case, with the Energy Suspension top mount controlling all the movement, up and down.
Question:
How many bumps do I grind from the snubber?
Answer:
You need to measure and cut for your car. However, we would love to hear how long it ended up in your installation. If we hear from enough folks, and the length is common, we may be able to cut them in advance at a future time.
Question:
When I select additional shipping for an international order, it still charges me the original shipping. How do I delete that?
Answer:
If you add the two up, it works out to be the correct shipping charge. We don’t make any money on shipping, just try to break even after PayPal takes their cut. Unfortunately, it’s pretty expensive.
Question:
How much more does it cost to ship two diff mounts from a single order?
Answer:
We can put two into the same box, and the shipping charge stays the same.
Question:
I think that your website charged us too much for shipping.
Answer:
When we ship, if there’s much variance between what we collected and what it actually costs, we refund that to the customer.
Question:
I am seeing interference between the parking brake and the top of the Diff Mount, why?
Answer:
We have had two or three people mention this through the years. We believe it to be restricted to the Series One 240Zs, but don’t have clear knowledge of what cars can have the problem. It has not been reported with any cars after the Series One cars.
Question:
The diff mount is too narrow or too wide – how come?
Answer:
There are variations from car to car. Sometimes we get a report that it is .05” too narrow, or the same dimension too wide. If that is the case for you, you can slightly bend the “wings” in or out for proper fit. Or, if too narrow, use a washer or spacer between the mount and the car’s hump.
Question:
What RPMs are available to test my tachometer?
Answer:
500 RPM, 1,000 RPM, 2,000 RPM, 3,000 RPM, 4,000 RPM, 5,000 RPM, 6,000 RPM, 7,000 RPM and 8,000 RPM.
Question:
Tachometers are available for engines with differing number of cylinders - can this test regardless?
Answer:
Yes, the tester can be configured for tachs designed for a one-cylinder engine up to and including eight-cylinder engines
Question:
I don't know how many cylinders my tach was designed for, what do I do?
Answer:
Connect your tachometer, then change the "Tach Cylinders" knob until the RPM matches the setting of the "RPM" knob. That gives you the answer.
Question:
How is the "V-Boost" output different than the "Norm" output?
Answer:
The "Norm" output signal is 12v. Similar to our TachMatch and MSD tachometer outputs. Most tachs work with this output, but some need the extra voltage from the inductive kick of the coil. The "V-Boost" output has an added high-voltage spike to drive this sort of tachometer.
Question:
How is the "I-Drive" output different than the "Norm" output?
Answer:
The I-Drive output is for tachometers that get their signal inductively from a loop of wire on the back. The Tachometer Tester provides this current source to make these tachometers work.
Question:
What is the "Vintage" output used for?
Answer:
This output is used to drive the older tachometers which would have originally had an interface box - such as some of the old Sun and Stewart Warner tachometers