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ZachRoyGarage

Can I drive the needles with an Arduino or do I need a CAN interface?

Documented on the I Tried Making a Gauge Cluster and Didn't Expect build

Published April 27, 2026

If the vehicle uses simple voltage signals, an Arduino can emulate or drive needles with appropriate driver circuits.

Full Answer

If the vehicle uses simple voltage signals, an Arduino can emulate or drive needles with appropriate driver circuits. For modern CAN-based clusters, a CAN interface is required to read messages; otherwise you'll need to intercept and translate signals to the needle drivers.

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