Ash tray conversion into warning panel

[mbell]

You could probably do so much more if you put a Raspberry Pi computer in that ash-tray adaptation.

Work gave me a BBC micro:bit if I had endless time and energy I want to use that for something similar, hook the various ADC to engine related inputs, use the LED matrix as info/warning lights and then have it transmit the data over bluetooth to a phone/tablet/compute where it could be logged and plotted as graphs etc.

As targeted at school kids I don't think the SW part would be that hard, the circuitry for the engineer sensors would be littler harder (for me anyway).

Alas I don't have time to drive my car much, let alone work on it or do fancy data capture.

Bud's system looks like a nice setup for some basic monitoring with limit time investment.

[The Veg]

I think I'm gonna keep my ashtray but hide the USB-inputs for the RetroSound radio inside it.

[JonB]

Warning panel? Sorry purists, fitted by previous owner.

Apart from the red surround, that doesn't look at all bad.

[pauljones]

Please forgive my distinct lack of knowledge with electronic wizardry, i thus have perhaps a stupid question, nothing new there some may say.

So, if its possible to produce a small display, would it be possible to do the same but with a tablet screen, to act as a sort of multi fuction display. But with the ability to provide access to the ecu for tuning on the move.
The idea being you can look at a live screen of lambda readings, and then adjust fuel to suit a chosen figure. Then when your bored, perhaps just display a tacho, or even put on radio 4?

Would that be such a hard thing to do? The possibilities for use are almost endless

[Gray]

I like this idea, as has been stated possibilities are endless, but you need something that has an easy user interface for the required functions. Reprogramming ECUs (where fitted) is probably best done by a laptop, not via a displayscreen on the car permanently.
One option is https://www.gaugepilot.uk/, although I'm not sure there is space on an Elan, or +2, and its not cheap. I also want the dash to look similar to the original (says he fitting 26R arches!).
A small display that does those functions with a digital display similar to the original post would be good if commercially available.

[billwill]

Please forgive my distinct lack of knowledge with electronic wizardry, i thus have perhaps a stupid question, nothing new there some may say.

So, if its possible to produce a small display, would it be possible to do the same but with a tablet screen, to act as a sort of multi fuction display. But with the ability to provide access to the ecu for tuning on the move.
The idea being you can look at a live screen of lambda readings, and then adjust fuel to suit a chosen figure. Then when your bored, perhaps just display a tacho, or even put on radio 4?

Would that be such a hard thing to do? The possibilities for use are almost endless

As I said above you can do lots more with a RaspberryPi computer.
Small touch screens are available for it. Interfaces available for digital sensors or analogue sensors (I suspect your Lamda sensors are analogue type).
Pi runs a version of Linux as its system
All sorts of software are available for Linux, though it might need some recompilation/tailoring to fir the ARM cpu of the pi instead of the PC-type Intel/AMD cpu.


https://www.adafruit.com/category/176

https://thepihut.com/

[pauljones]

Ill be completely honest, you lost me at "raspberryPi"
Now i know 2 forms of pie, ones steak and and ale. The others chicken in a creamy white wine sauce.

But seriously thats a different language to me. I dare say i would have alot to learn too.

[billwill]

Ill be completely honest, you lost me at "raspberryPi"
Now i know 2 forms of pie, ones steak and and ale. The others chicken in a creamy white wine sauce.

But seriously thats a different language to me. I dare say i would have alot to learn too.

A raspberryPi is a tiny computer board, available as RaspberryPi 3


or RaspberryPi 0 W


those are the models with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built on (which would make it easy to use in conjunction with a mobile phone). Older models are also still available.



Pi 3's measure only 3 and a half inches by 2 and a quarter inches,
Pi 0's are even smaller about 2 and 3/4 inches by 1 and 1/4 inch.


There is very little point in building complex electronic circuits nowadays when you can put all the complexity in the software and use simple interface circuits from a tiny computer to the outside world sensors and displays.

[john.p.clegg]

Paul
You forgot apple.....

John

[Andy8421]

Ill be completely honest, you lost me at "raspberryPi"
Now i know 2 forms of pie, ones steak and and ale. The others chicken in a creamy white wine sauce.

But seriously thats a different language to me. I dare say i would have alot to learn too.

Paul, the remarkable thing that Bill didn't mention is the price of the Raspberry Pi.

Your 'steak and ale pie' from Waitrose is ?5.99. The Pi Zero, which is a fully functioning LInux computer is ?4.80.

[pauljones]

Andy, Waitrose....im a retired Soldier, i cant even afford to walk on the same side of the street let alone dream of a waitrose shop.

John,
Too true, a tin of Apple pudding..those were the days.

Bill,
You clearly know much more than me. Not hard. I spoke to leoni at Emerald a bit ago. The newer ecu can be accessed using bluetooth, relevent update available via download,and providing you have a compatible windows based pc or tablet, you can then access and control as if you were hard wired.
My thought train went to thinking (dangerous) i was considering the idea of a windows phone, emerald software installed. Could you then use the phone as a virtual dash, and a security measure (maps on phone and not ecu) with all the abilities as if it was a laptop?

So, this leads me to thinking that a windows based tablet is just a screen with a chip. Could you therefore just have a touchscreen installed in the dash,interfaced to the ecu to allow full access. The secondary element would then be say a tacho, speedo calibrated via inputs ie diff ratio, wheel sizes, temp gauge. All the things we would want. And then the option of entertainment via radio or sd card source.
It would most certainly take up less room depth wise than a radio and potential to display all sorts of endless information.

I wish i had the ability to make such a thing.

[billwill]

Alas a tablet is more than just a screen with a chip, but as tablets usually do bluetooth too, you could probably use one to communicate with a bluetooth enabled ECU.

You can buy similar screens configured as monitors (display screens) instead of as tablets. probably cheaper than a tablet.

[mbell]

https://www.kitronik.co.uk/blog/bitty-d ... -microbit/

If that was extended to support the Analogue to Digital convertors, most of the SW aspect would be done. Would just need connect a few choice sensors to Analogue inputs on the board.

[bloodknock]

Wow, are you guys going for a glass cockpit? I guess thats what I would have been interested in when I were a lad!
I went through the thermionic valve, germainium, silicon, integration mill and loved every minute of it. Now its all getting a bit too AI for me.

[Bigbaldybloke]

I?m looking at fitting a small sat nav unit in place of the ashtray, I?d make a mounting so that it could just be clipped in without any mods to the dashboard and I could use the light supply to power it. Anyone tried this?