Asham 8 if you were thinking of getting one...

[91 LSC SE]

Hi Everyone,

I've been speaking with Béla (the inventor) and he is considering not making these anymore due to low interest last year. He has run out of the face or cover plates and is has offered me a reduced price for the unit.

Please let me know or contact him directly at: breda.b@hdsnet.hu

He seems like a great person to deal with!

 

[slowmkviii]

He is great to deal with and
i love mine it works great.
So order a bunch people to keep him going i may need another one in the future.

 

[Modular97LSC]

ill get one when i go back to air...i need new solenoids to complete my kit.

 

[Markviiiedrea]

I already ordered one. Just need a working Mark VIII now.

 

[Epwillis]

are the face and cover plates needed for the unit to work?

 

[slowmkviii]

are the face and cover plates needed for the unit to work?

No

 

[Epwillis]

No

Cool sent them an email, hopefully they reply back

 

[91 LSC SE]

Cool sent them an email, hopefully they reply back

the face plate was designed for the first gen ashtray location. Many have put it there and others have chosen alternate locations. The Asham 8 was designed to fit perfectly into the ashtray location in 93 to 96 M8's. Those with second gens have to find an alternate location or mod that area for it to fit there.
Béla is great, he will get back to you, if not let me know and I will contact him.

 

[91 LSC SE]

ill get one when i go back to air...i need new solenoids to complete my kit.

Béla has already considered to stop making these due to low interest. In fact he did and if it wouldn't have been for the renewed interest of 5 or 7 members here emailing all at once, he would have. This renewed interest and us asking nicely has changed his mind. I would order one now if you want one for the future. I emailed him a year ago and got busy and when I checked the forum I read he wasn't making them any more. Thankfully, other members also emailed him at that time and he changed his mind and is now making them for us again.

 

[billcu]

This is good to hear.

This is really a great module. I've been playing with my recently installed module in my CE. I'll be putting it in my black Mark soon. My green and 97 Marks have the older Module 8's.

I like the added feature that you can disable the car going to parked height every time you turn the car off. This is done with a jumper on the board . I'm thinking of connecting that to a little switch in the final install. I don't need it going to parked height all the time, like when I'm just getting gas or something like that.

 

[91 LSC SE]

My Asham 8 arrived today and it was professionally packaged! It is smaller than I thought. Makes sense if it was designed to go in the ashtray spot. Plan to install this weekend.

Thanks again Béla!

 

[pearviii]

I need one for the highway. Too rough when lowered.

 

[91 LSC SE]

Bela is taking orders to make new ones. Definitely worth it to have the level of your ride at your finger tips! I haven't installed mine yet, but hope to this weekend.

 

[wkokaneeman]

So how much is he selling these for?

 

[pearviii]

He quoted me at 160 plus shipping. I think that is without the cover plate te

 

[Markviiiedrea]

Paid $175 last month and now it's sitting on my toolbox awaiting for the right time to install. Just gotta make a cover plate.

 

[markup97]

I picked up one about a year ago, and within the next two months I will be (hopefully) picking up another MKVIII and another ASHAM8. Good product for sure!

 

[91 LSC SE]

$160 plus $15 dollars for international shipping. The price is reduced as Bela doesn't not have anymore face/top plates. He cannot find another supplier to reproduce these and sold all of the ones he had left from the previous production.

 

[91 LSC SE]

Same here. I have installed a single din radio to provide the space for the module right at the top centre where the double din was.
Next steep get a radio delete cover and dremel out the holes for the buttons and LED display. I would like find a print shop that could print translucent words like "Suspension Height" etc and use the LED blue rubber cover from the radio so they match the dash color. Plan to install a switch for the park drop and suspension on/off and would like to have a cover printed so I could install led's behind. I have looked for a blue LED ring that could go around the up/down buttons but haven't found anything that would work yet.

 

[Markviiiedrea]

That would be neat to see.

 

[91 LSC SE]

I would think a 3D printer could do the trick, the possible catch may be the cost. If that won't work, my backup is to get a regular radio delete and use translucent buttons from a radio with an arrow up, down etc. I will find a way.

I have also wanted to run wires from the trunk on/off switch for the suspension for some time. I thought there had to be a better way than running the wire to interior and then back again and did find a way, that bypasses the message center so you do not have to hit reset each time you start the car.

The Asham 8 didn't have the trunk switch listed in the black wiring connector, so I pulled the schematic for the grey connector and pin 11 brown/pink (mine looked more black, than brown), called "Air suspension switch input". I cut this just before the harness and ran a switch. In off it sends the 9 to 12 volts and turns off the suspension, without any warning in the message center.

I'm temporally using switches from a hair dryer - I know how it sounds, but they are nice and small and fit the interior, unlike those bigger red/green switches. I have sourced nicer smaller ones with an LED and will pick those up to replace the hair dryer ones. I would like to add a switch for the neon, now that I have the new ballest and a direct switch to turn off the traction control vs. going through the message center. Also, plan to have the line in jack in this section and if space allowed a nice LED meter for the sound system (not sure room will permit).

I was a bit concerned about the Asham 8 board C being open with live power on the soldered side of the board and found an old adaptor that didn't work and the case was the perfect size. Very little modification to have all the wires work. It started pouring down rain here so I couldn't tape it as nice as I wanted but will re-tape once the rain clears. I also deceived to use an electronic project box for my above the radio install to protect the electronic components there as well as behind the kick plate.

 

[91 LSC SE]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay, with my suspension making noise (lower balls joints), I have put this on hold until I get the new LCA's, UCA's, bushing etc. installed. I ordered the parts, just now trying to fine the Strut Rod Bushings as my Ford Dealer said not all are available.

So I made a temporary cover, until I can get back to this. I did find an individual with a 3D printer, and he is looking into two color printing as he can only print one color currently

 

[billcu]

That looks great. I just put mine in my ashtray compartment of my black 94 (no room on dash with it's single din radio).

I notice at night the display is pretty bright when I open the ashtray lid, do you have any plans of covering yours with a shaded lens?

I think the original lens was shaded?

 

[91 LSC SE]

Thanks, but that is just temporary, my plan is to have a faceplate made with cut outs and white words that say "suspension" "On" , "Off", "Up", "Down", "Park Drop", and a "Neon" "On", "Off" all printed to match the rest of the wording on the dash (White with the same font, to make it as stock looking as possible.

The original cover plate was shaded green and I thought of using a old radio lens (from Gen one or two) the part that displays the radio stations, volume, "tape" etc. that way the LED's will match stock dash color (if not very close) and not as bright. I would like to centre the module more and have a single line row of switches. This way if I ever want to turn anything off it is right there at my finger tips, keeping a complete stock look.

I originally wanted the two round buttons on the Asham 8 to light up, but speaking with Bela, there was too much involved with swapping these out, so a lighted arrow above and works just as well for me.

 

[91 LSC SE]

Just getting to the second cover plate design work has been steeling most of my time. I used a 3M privacy screen protector, as it was transparent to translucent depending on the angle you looked at it.
First pics are without the two switches for the suspension. Still deciding if I cut out the section for the LED's. I found them a bit brighter and more green than the blue instrument panel lights. Figured I could use the cover from an old M8 radio and put that in front so it would match exact factory dash color. Once this is done, I can get the cover plate printed, it is pretty amazing what 3D printers can do now.