SERVICE :: Service Tip #15

Parts & Power have been Warehouse Distributors for Isspro Instrumentation for over 20 years. Isspro, based in Portland Oregon, started their business as Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT or Pyrometer) experts and expanded into the manufacture of their own line of gauges. What attracted us to them was their extensive line of instrumentation. They not only covered all the engine instrumentation, pressure, vacuum and DC instrumentation, but they cross referenced nearly every other gauge manufacturer. So here was one source with which we could take care of virtually all of our customer’s needs.

About 10 years ago they came out with a line of gauges they called Enhanced Visibility (EV) gauges. One of the most prominent features was that the electric gauges had a 270’ sweep. As many of you may be aware, previous to this, electric gauges were limited to around 120’ sweep. Only mechanical gauges could offer 270’. The advantages to the greater sweep was the ability to see the precise reading of the gauge, and it was generally more accurate. Isspro had accomplished the 270’ sweep with an electric gauge. In addition, there were no ferrous metals (ie: it wouldn’t rust). The body was plastic. The lens was a concave lexan that wouldn’t scratch but also magnified the gauge. The bezel was chrome plated brass (not steel which is common in much of the competition). It was frontally sealed so the gauge would not leak if hit with big waves or sprayed with a hose. Above all it was sexy: white background with blue pointer and a lighting system that made you ooh and aah at night.

The only problem with the EV pressure and temperature gauges was they required a signal amplifier to accomplish the 270’ sweep. This was a deterrent to many customers.

Fast forward to last year and the launch of the EV2 series of gauges. This is a totally redesigned gauge. Made entirely in their factory in Portland, the EV2 retained all the features of the EV with some added benefits. The most significant was the elimination of the signal amplifier. Instead of using air core movement, which is the standard in the Industry (uses resistance to move the needle of the gauge), it uses “stepper” technology. This uses an electronic sender that sends a signal to a small microprocessor in the gauge. This has the added benefits of being much more accurate and is not affected by temperature.

It features an improved lighting system (hard to believe) utilizing LED technology that is rated for the life of the gauge (hundreds of thousands of hours). They have an alarm light built into their gauges that alerts you when the reading achieves a preset level (this is programmable by the user). Each gauge comes with a sender and harness, so it’s a complete package.

There are a lot of other slick features in the product line, such as dual sensors for one pyrometer, in case you want to monitor your exhaust gas temperature in 2 places in the exhaust. The tachs feature a “peak value recall” which allows you to see the peak RPM since the memory was last cleared. They have “Hall Effect” tachs that can be used on modern engine sensors such as crankshaft and camshaft position sensors.

Parts & Power are now stocking the EV2 gauges. Stop by and take a look at them. They are impressive. But a word of caution: they may make you want to change your existing panel gauges.

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