Dakota Digital New Products Debut At Goodguys Columbus

Goodguys Rod & Custom’s Columbus show has become a reliable spot for manufacturers to pull the wraps off new gear, and this year’s crop of Dakota Digital new products proved it. The show draws builders and shoppers from across the Midwest, all looking for the next piece to finish out a project. This year, Dakota Digital didn’t disappoint.

The Sioux Falls-based instrumentation company brought five Dakota Digital new products to the show floor. The lineup ranges from updated gauge clusters to electronics built for simplifying wiring under the dash. Some pieces are already shipping, while others are still working their way toward a full release.

Nearly 40 Years Of In-House Design

Dakota Digital has spent close to 40 years building electronic instrumentation for the street rod, muscle car, and truck crowd. The company designs and manufactures its systems in-house, rather than farming the work out to third parties.

That in-house approach shows up throughout the new lineup. It spans everything from gauge clusters to power management hardware built to make wiring an aftermarket electrical system less of a headache. Dakota Digital used the weekend to tease these Dakota Digital new products across its social media channels, promising more details as the show progressed. Here’s a breakdown of everything spotted at the booth.

New Universal RTX Instruments For ’30s And ’40s Builds

Two of the new releases expand Dakota Digital’s RTX lineup into territory the company hadn’t covered with a universal option before. The RTX-3017-X is built around a ’30s-era aesthetic with a black face, while the RTX-4017-X leans into a ’40s-era look finished in tan.

Both are universal fit systems, meaning they aren’t tied to one specific make or model. That opens the door for builders working on early hot rods and customs that don’t have a direct-fit RTX option available.

What Makes The RTX Series Different

Like the rest of the RTX family, these clusters combine a vintage-inspired face with modern capability underneath. Dakota Digital builds every RTX housing from a CNC-machined shell, then fills it with electronics designed and built in-house.

The TFT message center behind each face can be configured to display just about any reading a builder wants. Options range from the standard home screen to fully custom data screens. Add in color-configurable LED backlighting, and the RTX line manages to keep a stock-looking gauge face while running late-model electronics underneath.

Dakota Digital also includes the sensors needed for oil pressure, water temperature, and speedometer readings with its RTX systems. In many cases, that means builders won’t need to source additional sending units separately. Dakota Digital has not yet published a lead time or availability window for either new unit, so builders should watch the company’s social media accounts for updates on when they go live for ordering.

CMD-5000 Simplifies Push-Button Start Installation

The CMD-5000 is Dakota Digital’s new push-button start system. It’s built to cut down on the usual wiring headaches that come with adding keyless start to an older vehicle. Rather than relying on a separate ignition switch and remote system pieced together from multiple vendors, the CMD-5000 folds everything into one kit.

Installation runs through a single antenna and a 20mm push-button switch. The kit includes two FOBs with secure wireless authentication built in.

Fused Outputs And App-Based Setup

Solid-state fused outputs handle the starter, ignition, and accessory circuits. The fuse trip point is adjustable from 10 amps to 30 amps, with 30 amps shipping as the factory default. Total output tops out at 60 amps, though only two outputs can be active at once.

Setup happens entirely through the Dakota Digital app and is locked behind a PIN for security. The push button itself uses RGB LED feedback to indicate accessory mode, ignition on, engine running, hardware faults, and fuse faults. If a FOB ever goes missing or dies, an emergency start feature built into the app keeps the vehicle from being stranded. That’s a detail builders adding keyless start to a driver they actually rely on will appreciate.

DVC-1000 Power Distribution Module Streamlines Wiring

The DVC-1000 power distribution module gives builders eight input and output channels in a single unit. Right out of the box, it functions like a solid-state relay block. That means fewer individual relays and fuse blocks scattered around the engine bay or under the dash, since the DVC-1000 is designed to consolidate that hardware into one central point.

Setup is handled through Bluetooth using the Dakota Digital app. The module supports configurable outputs, including timer delay, CAN-triggered outputs, variable frequency, and duty cycle control.

DVC-1000 Specs At A Glance

Each channel gets its own diagnostic status LED for quick troubleshooting. The resettable fuses can be configured with current limits up to 50 amps per channel, or 25 amps when running PWM outputs.

The module caps out at a 100-amp total current limit across all channels combined. Channels can also be linked together to run multiple outputs in parallel, which comes in handy when a build calls for more power than a single channel can handle.

HND-8 And HND-9 Bring New Cruise Control Switching Options

Rounding out the electronics side of the announcement, Dakota Digital showed off two new switches for its Velocity Commander cruise control system. The HND-8 is a column-mounted switch designed to work with early GM columns and most aftermarket columns, or it can double as a universal blinker stalk cutoff.

The HND-9 is a dash-mounted alternative that measures 2.05 inches by 1.45 inches. It comes in either black or chrome finish to match the interior.

Both switches are compatible exclusively with Dakota Digital’s VCM Series cruise control, and an early GM and aftermarket column adapter ships with the kit. Giving builders a choice between a column-mounted and dash-mounted switch means the HND-8 and HND-9 can fit a wider range of interior layouts than a single fixed-mount option would allow.

RTX-57F-PU-X Modernizes The Dash For Ford’s “Effie” Trucks

The final piece of the showcase wasn’t a brand-new product category so much as a new application for an existing one. The RTX-57F-PU-X brings Dakota Digital’s RTX instrument system to the 1957-1960 Ford F-Series pickup, along with the 1961-1967 Econoline van.

The 1957-1960 F-Series marked a real turning point for Ford’s trucks. Nicknamed “Effies” by enthusiasts, these trucks introduced a wider, lower stance with a flat-faced hood and fenders integrated smoothly into the body, giving them a more modern look than the trucks that came before.

From Styleside Beds To The Y-Block V8

The available Styleside bed was a first for Ford, with smooth sides that sat flush with the cab. The traditional Flareside bed stuck around as an option for buyers who preferred it. Under the hood, Ford offered inline-six and V8 power, including the Y-block V8, and interiors leaned more comfortable than earlier trucks as Ford pushed to market them as practical daily drivers rather than strictly work trucks.

With the RTX-57F-PU-X, owners of these trucks can now bring that dash into the modern era without losing the factory look. It pairs the classic gauge face with the late-model features found throughout the rest of the RTX lineup, including the digital message center and configurable backlighting the series is known for.

What’s Next For Dakota Digital

Between the two universal RTX systems, the CMD-5000, the DVC-1000, and the new HND-8 and HND-9 switches, this round of Dakota Digital new products marked one of the company’s busier showcases in recent memory at Goodguys Columbus. Every Dakota Digital instrument system also carries the company’s limited lifetime warranty, so builders adding any of this new hardware to a build aren’t just buying into new features. They’re buying into the same backing the company has offered on its gauge clusters for decades.

Not everything is available to order yet. Builders with an eye on any of these Dakota Digital new products should follow the company’s Facebook page for updates on availability and pricing as each one clears the final steps toward launch and lands on dealer shelves.