The point here is simple: if you already have a BanksBus 1 system, the iDash 1.8 gives you far more control and information in a much smaller package. It reads multiple engine parameters plus internal data from your Six-Gun, EconoMind, or SpeedBrake, and it lets you adjust tuner power levels or SpeedBrake settings right from the gauge. If you run both a tuner and a SpeedBrake, one iDash 1.8 can control both by auto-switching screens based on how you’re driving, or you can run multiple gauges and keep each function on its own display. The system also expands beyond basic monitoring with custom alerts, min/max tracking, trouble-code functions, calculated values like air density, and support for additional Banks sensor modules. Step up to the DataMonster version and it becomes a serious logger, recording up to 100 user-selectable parameters at up to 20 samples per second for as long as a month. That matters when you want real data instead of guesswork, whether you’re tuning, towing, diagnosing, or just keeping a closer eye on the truck.
Banks introduced the new iDash 1.8 for Banks Bus +1 devices, including the Six-Gun and Economind tuners as well as SpeedBrake. The gauge is presented as a compact replacement for earlier display hardware, but with broader functionality. It can read multiple engine parameters and internal data directly from a connected Banks tuner or SpeedBrake module. It also serves as the control interface for tuner power levels and for SpeedBrake mode and speed settings.
The iDash 1.8 is available in a standard form and in a more capable DataMonster version. The DataMonster adds data logging for up to 100 user-selectable parameters at rates of up to 20 samples per second. Using the included SD card, the system can store roughly a month of continuous logged data. The platform is also expandable: up to four iDash gauges can be placed on the same bus, allowing more information to be displayed at once.
Banks also described compatibility with new sensor modules, including a four-channel analog module, a four-channel thermocouple module, and the AirMouse ambient air-density module. Additional functions include custom high and low alerts for any engine parameter, minimum and maximum tracking for a user-selected list of values, dozens of calculated parameters such as air density, and the ability to read and clear vehicle trouble codes. The display itself is customizable, including button colors, layout colors, and even the dimming behavior at night.
The video then explains how the iDash 1.8 integrates with existing Banks equipment by replacing an older iDash 4.3 or 5.0 used with a Banks SpeedBrake, Six-Gun, or Economind system. In that upgrade scenario, the existing six-pin or eight-pin connection that linked the old bridge, OBD-II cable, and monitor assembly to the tuner harness is removed entirely, because that older assembly is not compatible with the new iDash 1.8.
The replacement process is straightforward. The new system includes a new OBD-II cable and the iDash 1.8 gauge. The OBD-II connector plugs into the vehicle's OBD-II port. The six-pin or eight-pin connector on the new cable, depending on application, plugs into the Six-Gun tuner harness. The four-pin connector then plugs into the back of the iDash 1.8. Once those three connections are made, the upgraded display is ready to operate.
For users installing an iDash 1.8 Banks Bus +1 kit for the first time with a Six-Gun or Economind tuner, the process begins by following the main installation manual for the tuner harness itself. After that harness is installed, the relevant connector is passed through the firewall to provide the iDash 1.8 connection point inside the cab.
From there, the supplied OBD-II cable is connected to the system. The installer identifies the correct six-pin or eight-pin connector for the application and plugs it into the existing connector for the Six-Gun or Economind tuner. The OBD-II end is plugged into the vehicle's OBD-II port, and the four-pin lead is connected to the back of the iDash 1.8. That completes the gauge installation for a new tuner-equipped setup.
The same basic approach applies when wiring the iDash 1.8 to control both a tuner and a SpeedBrake at the same time. In the demonstrated configuration, the Six-Gun system and the SpeedBrake system are tied together with a Y-cable. To add the iDash 1.8, the six-pin or eight-pin connector from the new OBD-II cable is plugged into that Y-cable, and the four-pin lead is routed to the back of the gauge.
Banks also showed how the display system can be expanded beyond a single gauge. By purchasing an iDash 1.8 expansion kit, the user receives another gauge and a Y-cable. On the back of the gauge is a six-pin connector; one end of the Y-cable plugs into that connector and the other end plugs into the existing gauge. Repeating that process with additional expansion kits allows the system to grow to three and then four gauges on the same bus.
Once the iDash 1.8 is wired into a Six-Gun or Economind tuner, it powers up with a default layout. To configure it for tuner control, the user enters the main menu with the top-right button, selects Gauge Layout, and scrolls to the tuner layout that appears when a tuner is detected. After selecting that layout, the screen changes to a tuner-specific display.
In that layout, the lower-left portion of the screen shows the current power level, while a bar graph on the right indicates the amount of power being added by the tuner in real time. Power level changes are made directly from the gauge by pressing the up button to increase the level or the down button to decrease it. The same layout and control method apply to both Six-Gun and Economind tuner systems.
To configure the iDash 1.8 for SpeedBrake control, the user again enters the menu, selects Gauge Layout, and chooses the SpeedBrake layout that appears when a SpeedBrake is connected. In this view, the lower-left corner shows the current SpeedBrake setting, and the right side displays braking percentage with a live bar graph showing how much braking force the system is applying.
Mode changes are handled from this screen with a long press of the up button. Holding the button cycles the SpeedBrake through Off, Manual, and Speed Auto modes. In Speed Auto mode, the up and down buttons adjust the target speed set point in 5 mph increments. The SpeedBrake then automatically varies braking effort to help maintain that selected speed whenever the vehicle is above or below the set point.
In Manual mode, the SpeedBrake applies braking based on the selected force level whenever the driver is off the brake pedal. The user can adjust that force from low to high with the up and down buttons. A long hold can also be used to switch modes directly from the layout screen. Banks also highlighted a Foot Brake setting, accessed through Menu, Banks Modules, and SpeedBrake. When Foot Brake is activated, an FB indicator appears on the display in Manual mode. In that configuration, the SpeedBrake activates only when the brake pedal is pressed; simply lifting off the throttle will not engage it. Banks explained that this behavior can help preserve fuel economy. This Foot Brake feature is available only in Manual mode.
With two iDash gauges installed, one can be dedicated to the tuner layout and the other to the SpeedBrake layout. That arrangement allows simultaneous control of both systems while driving. The tuner gauge can be used at any time to raise or lower tuner power level, while the second gauge can be used to adjust SpeedBrake force, switch between modes, or change the automatic speed set point.
Banks presented this as the most direct way to maintain full control over both modules at once. Instead of switching screens, the driver can leave one display focused on engine tuning and the other on braking control.
For users who have both a Six-Gun or Economind tuner and a SpeedBrake but want to operate them from only one iDash 1.8, Banks included an automatic switching feature. This is enabled by entering the menu, selecting Settings, and turning Tuner Auto Switch on. Once enabled, the gauge automatically changes between tuner and SpeedBrake layouts based on vehicle operation.
When the vehicle is moving, the speed is above zero, and the driver is off the throttle during deceleration, the display switches to the SpeedBrake screen. In that state, the user can adjust SpeedBrake settings or the speed set point. When the vehicle comes to a complete stop, or when it is moving with throttle applied, the display switches back to the tuner layout so the power level can be adjusted.
The live driving demonstration showed this behavior clearly. At a complete stop, the gauge remained on the tuner layout. While accelerating, it stayed on the tuner screen. As soon as the driver lifted off the throttle and coasted, the display switched to the SpeedBrake layout. In that mode, the operator could change SpeedBrake settings directly. Once the vehicle stopped again, the display returned to the tuner layout. Banks presented this as a practical way to control both the tuner and the SpeedBrake from a single iDash 1.8, while also freeing a second gauge position for another layout if the user has multiple displays installed.