More data, less clutter

The Banks iDash DataMonster and iDash SuperGauge gauges are primarily made for CAN-based vehicles. The CAN protocol is a method of communication between all electronic devices embedded in a vehicle. It connects the engine control unit to the transmission control module to the body control module and so on. There’s a lot of information that goes over CAN, and it was universally adopted by automobile manufacturers in 2008. By connecting to the onboard diagnostics port, or OBD-II port under the dashboard, the iDash displays these CAN messages in the form of incredibly useful and informative data, far beyond what other gauges are capable of. But for those who have cars and trucks older than 2008, the iDash is also the solution.

Random Subaru Stuff recently posted a video where they installed an iDash DataMonster in a pre-CAN 2006 Subaru Hawkeye WRX. Since the car was made before the CAN protocol, only a handful of pressures, temps, speeds, and voltages are broadcast by the car’s ECM. But with the help of Banks sensor modules and AirMouse mobile weather station, a whole world of information can be displayed and recorded. And as the video points out, the iDash is an incredible space saver as it can show up to 8 gauges at a time on a single page, making conventional single-parameter gauges look prehistoric. “I plan to add even more sensors,” explains the WRX’s owner. “The expandability is worth every penny.”