Displays, Icons, Shift Lights and Alarms

These features turn configured channels and conditions into information for the driver. First configure the channels that supply the values, then choose how the display and LEDs should present them. A status variable can provide one shared condition for several indications; see Math Channels, Status Variables and Commands.

The available pages, fields, LEDs and actions depend on the selected product and its connected expansions. The procedures below describe the common workflow. Use the controls offered by that product rather than copying the number of pages or LEDs from another device. For a complete configuration workflow, see A Complete PDM32 Configuration Example.

Configuring Display Pages

Display configuration is documented for PDM32 and PDM08 with a connected PDM display, the MX 1.2/1.3 Series, MX Strada 1.2/1.3 Series, MXm, MXq and SW4. Dedicated installations have their own templates: MXPS and MX2E provide vehicle-specific layouts and editable fields. See the MX Series display guide, MX Strada display guide, MXm/MXq display guide, SW4 display guide, MXPS display guide and MX2E display guide.

For PDM32 and PDM08, first select the connected display model in the configuration. Their manuals describe 5-, 6- and 10-inch displays; the chosen model determines which display layout you are editing. See the PDM32 display guide and PDM08 display guide.

A logger can also drive an external display. For example, ECULog provides GS Dash page configuration inside CAN Expansions, while the MX Series manual describes GS Dash and Formula Steering Wheel 3 as display expansions. Select the expansion before editing its pages; a logger without a built-in screen can still have a display to configure. See the ECULog external-display guide and MX Series external-display guide.

Selecting a Layout and Assigning Its Fields

  1. Open Display, or open the display expansion in CAN Expansions.

  2. Choose a layout from the templates available for that device. Add another page if the driver needs a separate view, such as a page for lap information and another for engine measurements.

  3. Select a field in the page preview. Its corresponding row in the field list identifies the value being edited.

  4. Find the required channel in the channel groups. Double-click it or drag it into the selected field, according to the editor offered by the product.

  5. Set the field’s label, unit and display precision where available. For a bar or gauge, also set its scale. Some layouts offer font size, colour, alignment and background options.

  6. Repeat for the other fields and pages. Save the configuration and transmit it to the device.

Choose a channel that contains the intended measurement. For example, GPS Speed and a wheel-speed channel are different sources even when they use the same unit. Changing a display field chooses what the driver sees; it does not replace the sensor or ECU configuration that supplies that channel.

Products do not share one fixed set of layouts. SW4 offers multiple pages with editable text appearance. MXPS uses its dedicated light/dark and analog/digital layouts. MX2E combines road/track themes and colours with editable lateral fields. The MX2E manual also explains that its layouts are transmitted together, so check the fields in each layout the driver may select, not just the one currently shown in the preview.

Earlier MXS/MXG, MXS Strada and MXL2 manuals also document configurable display pages. Their screenshots use older editors, including the name Overlay for the MXG display editor. Use those manuals for the product-specific background; the tab names and appearance may differ in the installed RaceStudio 3 version. See the earlier MXG display guide, earlier MXS Strada display guide and MXL2 display guide.

Configuring the Icons Manager

The Icons Manager is documented for PDM32, PDM08, the MX 1.2/1.3 Series, MX Strada 1.2/1.3 Series and SW4. It associates an image with a condition, for example a traction control indication or a turn signal. The chosen display layout must provide an area for icons. See the MX Series icons guide, MX Strada icons guide and SW4 icons guide, PDM32 icons guide and PDM08 icons guide.

  1. Open Icons Manager and select Add New Icon. The first icon may instead be added through the initial Select button.

  2. Choose an image. Predefined offers the supplied images, Coloring lets you choose a colour for the supported images, and Custom lets you import your own image.

  3. Select the channel or status variable that controls the indication. Define the condition under which the image should appear.

  4. If the icon offers several images or states, configure the conditions for those states as required. For a turn-signal indication, these might represent left, right, hazard and inactive states.

  5. Save the icon, then select a display layout that can show it. Review the configured icons before saving and transmitting the complete configuration.

For imported images, follow the format requested by the icon editor. For example, the MX Series guide specifies a 64-by-64-pixel BMP for its custom icons, while the PDM32 and PDM08 guides specify 64-by-64-pixel PNG images. Follow the requirements of the selected product and editor.

An icon and an alarm LED can use the same status variable. Define the condition once, then select that variable in both features. This keeps their behaviour consistent when the underlying condition is changed.

Vehicle warning symbols described in a dedicated dash manual do not necessarily belong to this editor. For example, MXPS and MXK10 manuals also describe the vehicle’s existing indicators. Follow the instructions for that product when configuring those indications.

Configuring Shift Lights and LED Bars

Shift-light configuration is documented for PDM32/PDM08 with a compatible PDM display, the MX 1.2/1.3 Series, MX Strada 1.2/1.3 Series, MXm, MXq, SW4, MXPS, MX2E and both MXK10 Gen4 and Gen5. Earlier MXS/MXG, MXS Strada and MXL2 manuals also describe it. The available operating modes depend on the product. See the MX Series shift-light guide, MXm/MXq shift-light guide, SW4 shift-light guide, MXPS shift-light guide, MX2E shift-light guide, MXK10 Gen4 shift-light guide and MXK10 Gen5 shift-light guide.

The PDM32 and PDM08 manuals describe shift lights and alarm LEDs on their 6- and 10-inch displays. Configure the LEDs available on the connected display; selecting a display layout does not add LEDs to a screen that does not have them. See the PDM32 LED guide and PDM08 LED guide.

An external Shift Light Module is configured as a CAN expansion on supported masters. ECULog and XLog are examples of loggers that can provide the driver’s LED indication through an expansion. Select that module’s settings rather than looking for LEDs on the logger itself. See the ECULog Shift Light Module guide and XLog expansion guide.

Using the Bar for Gear Changes

  1. Open Shift Lights and Alarms, or the shift-light expansion’s editor.

  2. Select Use as gear shift lights where a choice of operating modes is available, then open the shift-light settings.

  3. Set the RPM threshold and colour for each LED or LED group offered by the editor.

  4. Choose the sequence: an LED may remain on after its threshold is passed, or turn off when the next LED turns on.

  5. If the required shift points vary by gear and the product offers Gear dependent shift lights, enable it and configure the thresholds for each gear. Check that the configuration supplies a valid gear channel.

  6. Review the sequence for every configured gear. Import or export the settings if the editor offers those operations, then save and transmit.

Set the thresholds for the engine and the driver’s intended shift strategy. There is no RPM threshold suitable for every vehicle. The number of LEDs and the way they are grouped also depend on the hardware.

Using the Bar for Predictive Lap Information

The PDM32/PDM08, MX Series, MX Strada Series, MXm/MXq, SW4 and MXPS manuals describe a predictive-time mode. When selected, the bar indicates a time difference rather than an engine-speed threshold. Configure the time increment represented by an LED and the available colours, then check which reference lap the device uses. The PDM manuals require the optional GPS module for predictive-time indication.

For example, with an increment of 0.1 seconds, a difference of 0.3 seconds spans three increments. Improving and slower laps use different indications. This example explains the scale; it is not a recommended setting for every driver.

The integrated bar and an external Shift Light Module have separate settings. The MX2E manual explicitly notes that changing one does not automatically copy the configuration to the other. Configure and check both if both are installed.

Configuring Driver Alarms

Configurable alarms are documented for PDM32/PDM08 with their connected display, the MX 1.2/1.3 Series, MX Strada 1.2/1.3 Series, MXm, MXq and SW4, as well as the earlier MXS/MXG, MXS Strada and MXL2. MXPS documents a different arrangement: added status variables control its right RGB alarm LED, with colour priorities. Do not assume that a dedicated vehicle dash exposes all of its original warning lights as freely configurable alarms. See the MX Series alarm guide, MXm/MXq alarm guide, SW4 alarm guide and MXPS status and alarm guide. The PDM32 LED guide and PDM08 LED guide also describe messages, timed popups, displayed measures and alarm-ending conditions for the PDM installation.

An alarm brings together three decisions: when it starts, what it does and when it ends. Available actions may address the built-in display or LEDs, or a supported expansion. Earlier products may also offer a digital-output action in this editor; use the controls for the selected product and do not assume that an output has the current monitoring or protection features of a PDM.

Defining the Alarm Condition and Actions

  1. Open Shift Lights and Alarms and choose Add New Alarm.

  2. Give the alarm a name that identifies the condition for the person reviewing the configuration.

  3. Select a channel or a previously defined status variable. Set the comparison and threshold, and any timing offered by the condition editor.

  4. Add further conditions when needed. Choose whether all conditions must be true or whether any one is sufficient. For example, an engine-pressure alarm can combine a pressure condition with a condition indicating that the engine is running. Choose the actual values for the vehicle.

  5. Add the required action or actions. Depending on the product, this may turn on an LED, choose its colour and blinking pattern, display a message, or act on a connected expansion. Where messages are supported, configure their text and the appearance or duration offered by the editor.

  6. Set the alarm’s ending or reset behaviour, then save it. Review every action in the alarm summary before transmitting the configuration.

For reusable or more complex conditions, see Math Channels, Status Variables and Commands. For example, one status variable can drive a warning LED and an icon without entering the same temperature and RPM comparisons twice.

Choosing When the Alarm Ends

Where the editor offers an Until or ending-condition selection, choose the behaviour deliberately. The product manuals describe options such as:

  • Condition no longer met: the alarm clears when its triggering condition ceases to hold.

  • A button is pushed: the alarm remains until the configured button/reset event occurs.

  • The device is turned off: the indication remains for that powered session.

  • Data downloaded: the alarm remains until the documented download event.

Not every product offers every option. A momentary indication and an alarm that waits for acknowledgement serve different purposes; select the appropriate one for the driver. On products that support alarm-reset trigger commands, configure that reset in Commands. The MX Series manual documents reset commands for alarms whose ending condition is a button event.

Where Log values and a sampling frequency are offered, enable them if the alarm’s state is required in recorded data. SW4 documents this option for its alarms. Configure a status variable’s own recording separately if that variable is also needed in the data.

After transmission, use Live Measures to check the channel values and the status variables used by the alarm. Check the displayed message, LED or icon and the chosen reset action as part of the configuration review. The A Complete PDM32 Configuration Example brings these settings together with the measurement and output configuration.