Custom Digital Dashboard Project

Post by **brentp** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:12 pm

Love it! is that the same arduino you were using before?

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:21 pm

brentp wrote:Love it! is that the same arduino you were using before?

Yeah, it is. The solder left-over from the previous iteration definitely made it hard re-use. That's why you see direct wire connections on there. I used just enough header pins to secure the arduino to the board.

If I ever have to make another one of these, I'm just going to use the DIP version of the AT328 directly. I've got three of them with the arduino boot-loader loaded. I'm working on a Fritzing project to produce a real PCB.

Meanwhile, I've finally got around to updating the CAD files for the enclosure. I've changed mounting hole diameters to match the correct tap drill size, merged rear cover and the mounting brackets, and relocated the pass-through for the cabling. Having to go to tech shop to do 3D work is definitely a bottle-neck. But for now it's cheaper than buying a license for Inventor or some other CAD program.

Racing again this weekend. My goal, if the weather permits, is to install the RCP and attempt to collect some data.

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Tue Apr 15, 2014 7:47 pm

Ran in last weekend's Major (national race). I am very much a back-marker with the national crowd. In the first race I went from dead last to 32nd, so that's good. In the second race, I fell way behind the pack. I was lapped in both races, but really whooped in the second race. Felt like half the field lapped me. This is not good.

I bought an Aim Solo.

It wasn't even a hard decision. I need something that works, reliably, right now. I can't diagnose my own driving problems while simultaneously debugging hardware and software -- the cost of which pales in comparison to track time. I'll try to run both systems. A little redundancy won't hurt for now. But I expect that pretty soon I'll favor one over the other. Hardware wise. I'm still not a fan of Aim's race studio. So that might motivate me to work on Race Analyzer.

Still waiting on the new enclosure. I have to admit, I kinda want to finish building the project just because I hate leaving things unfinished.

Post by **brentp** » Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:16 pm

thanks for the update!

In my opinion what would help is having something that streams live to http://www.race-capture.com so you have the real-time analytics waiting for you as soon as you step out of the car - in a simple format and on the web - with all of the benefits therein. Race coaches could even look at it in real-time while you race.

What specific features of the Aim Solo were you wanting, aside from the fact that it exists already?

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:14 pm

brentp wrote:thanks for the update!

In my opinion what would help is having something that streams live to http://www.race-capture.com so you have the real-time analytics waiting for you as soon as you step out of the car - in a simple format and on the web - with all of the benefits therein. Race coaches could even look at it in real-time while you race.

What specific features of the Aim Solo were you wanting, aside from the fact that it exists already?

The fact that the solo exists already, and is what everyone else in the shop is already using, trumps everything else. I don't really need race-capture.com when I have a bunch of drivers with the same car and the same data system sitting right next to me in the paddock. If I'd had an Aim Solo last weekend, I'd have been able to get useful information about my driving. Instead I helped Andrew debug his predictive lap timer. Dave is worried that this project is holding me back, and I am beginning to agree.

Live streaming might be useful if I had someone willing to analyze it while I drive around. But I don't even have a radio yet, let alone a reliable internet connection at Thunderhill. The crew has enough to do keeping the cars going, so I'd have to recruit someone to do it. Any takers? Honestly, though, I think the live streaming features are out of context in sprint races. We're only in the car for 30 minutes at a time. There's usually an hour or two between sessions. Plenty of time to download and go over your data.

I'm more interested in using race capture for instrumentation, but I don't have as much time to hack on things as I would like.

Post by **brentp** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 2:57 am

Thanks for the update- Sounds like you have what you want figured out!

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:07 pm

I've been busy relaxing. I put my project a way, cleaned up my apartment. Went to a couple parties, did some pub trivia, kicked some butt at Go Kart Racer, and played with most of the free 3D modeling apps out there -- including one which works on iPad. Fun stuff. Somehow, I found time to design this bracket which will hold the Solo onto the bodywork. The spacing for the mounting screws is compatible with my dashboard design. I'm leaving open the possibility of switching between them.

My plan is to get the Solo on there in time for the next race. Meanwhile, I'll keep tinkering with RCP. But the pressure is off, and I can take the time to do things well.

I've been daydreaming about a few things. One idea is to make water-resistant end covers for the existing enclosure. The other is to design a custom enclosure. Either way, it'll be an interesting challenge to make openings for connectors and SD cards that seal. I'm just looking for a protection from rain drops and spray, not complete immersion, so maybe that'll help.

I am still waiting on the enclosure for the dashboard. I'm having my print new parts (in CLEAR resin!), but he missed his chance to jump on the machine this week. It might be a blessing, though. I'm getting better at this CAD stuff, and I think I might want to do things a little differently.

I have no idea what happend with my 240x64 pixel graphic display. Good thing it was only $20. Beware of Buydisplay.com.

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:21 pm

It was a really good idea to get an Aim solo because I'm still not finished with the dashboard project.

The mount for the solo worked great, though. It's nice and visible. It was definitely useful at first to be able to read the laptimes. But I've hit a plateau, and now I would rather have my oil pressure / engine temperature / shift lights up where I can see them. To hell with lap times, my engine is prone to over-heating. So I still have some motivation to finish the dashboard project, because I still can't see my temperature or oil pressure gauges easily.

In the intervening months, my 240x64 pixel graphics display showed up, finally. One of my friends graduated from Cal Poly and now has time to help me build an enclosure and interface for it. It'll be based around the teensy 3.1, assuming I still have motivation to work on it.

Another thing I want to do at some point is post all my designs / cad-files / software for people who are interested. I do sortof regret not having done that sooner, as no doubt someone else out there has probably started re-inventing my work.

emdash · Post by **emdash** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:50 pm

The dashboard firmware for my current hardware (arduino nano, character LCD, 6-led shift light array):
https://github.com/emdash/dashboard

The library which handles parsing the RCP telemetry stream:
https://github.com/emdash/LibRCP

Cad files for the current version of the enclosure (Note: I have had to do some finishing work and have not updated the design):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BylcUj ... sp=sharing

Autosport Labs

Custom Digital Dashboard Project

Pics

Pics

pics

Update

Where We're At Now

Update

Source Code