Best place to install Defi Advance CR Control Unit
 

I've just ordered Defi Advance CR boost and water temp gauges along with the control unit for my 1993 RX-7. I plan on installing them in a pod on the center dash (replacing the center speaker).

Where is the best place to install the Advance CR Control Unit? I would like to put it somewhere on the driver's side because I plan on routing the lines/cables through the firewall and in the cabin through the wheel well. I was hoping there is space symmetrically opposite from the ECU, but I haven't pulled any panels yet to check.

Is there a "normal" place where people put the control unit?

After some consideration I plan on mounting the control unit in the glove box, and possibly mounting the remote control below the stereo.

Obviously I need +12v constant, +12v switched/accessory, illumination and ground sources. I plan to tap into the radio's wiring harness for all of these. Are there any pitfalls to using this as the power source?

Another thing I'm not sure of is whether the illumination wire in the radio harness uses PWM to control the brightness. It may be in the FSM, but I'm no electrical wizard so I couldn't figure it out.

Hey. Under the glove box or in the passenger kick panel is generally a good location for this kind of stuff.

For power source, there is an open fuse spot on the top right of the fuse box. You can tap into that with a spade connector.

Most people get dim control by tapping into the ash tray illumination. It usually doesn't work by tapping into the stock dimmer control b/c its a rheostat (IIRC).

Good luck.

That's about what I've done so far.

The Control Unit needs +12 v constant, +12 v ignition, and +12 v illumination sources (and ground). After examining the radio harness, I decided to go with power sources from the fuse box/junction box near the driver's left foot. The radio harness just seemed a bit to fragile for my taste, and the line I though was IGN turned out to be ACC so wouldn't work anyway. I used a spade connector in the open slot in the junction box for the +12 v ignition source. For the constant voltage, the car's previous owner had installed an alarm (which I subsequently removed) but left a +12 v constant line attached to the large feeder in back of the same junction box, so I used that.

The +12 v illumination is a little tricky, because as you point out the RX-7 uses PWM for dimming control. I'm in the process of putting together a simple circuit with a PNP transistor and a resistor spliced into the ashtray illumination line to get what I need for the control unit's illumination control.

I'm thinking about mounting the unit in the bottom section of the center panel, since I have a single DIN stereo and I don't use the space below it for much. That way I can mount the remote in the center console. I decided against using the inside of the glove box.

Sounds like you a resourceful person and that you are on the right track. Good luck. :)

Let me know how you like those gauges. I'm on the market for water and oil temp gauges.

Photos
 

I finally finished the install! All I'm waiting on now is a DIN pocket so I can make a custom mount for the control unit and remote.

I mounted the gauges side-by-side in a pod on the top of the dash- the gauges don't match the stock ones exactly but I like the look.