GI: "YarGauge" replacement clock module (Digital Tach, etc.)

[*MAD DOG*]

Would be great to see a picture of a working prototype.

[Altitude]

I was looking at the clock today and I think it'd be better to just leave it as a single line instead of a double line. I think the characters would just be too small. Have you committed to a double line display?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Altitude

I was looking at the clock today and I think it'd be better to just leave it as a single line instead of a double line. I think the characters would just be too small. Have you committed to a double line display?

I have a few different one line and two line LCDs on order to experiment with. The clock digits actually only fill about half of the height of the opening, so it may be possible to use a 2 line display with characters nearly the same size as the clock's.

[yappari]

Originally Posted by CTScott

For the right hand clock clusters, there's no place within the cluster to mount it (without cutting plastic). My original thought with this whole thing is that it would really be for the tachless people. It started off as simply a tach in place of the clock and then the more I thought about it the more features that kept popping to mind.

Correct on the sensor probe for outside temp (although if I can figure out the CAN messaging for the A/C ECU, I can use it's outside temp probe and save people having to run a probe wire through the firewall).

I am making great progress on this. I built a CAN bus interface this week and can read the PIDs (all of the standard OBD data), can read and reset stored DTCs, and can sniff the communication on the CAN bus between the ECM and the body ECUs.

Are you by any chance using an Arduino for the microcontroller for all of this or are you programming your own PIC? I've recently started ordering some electronics to do something similar but probably not as sophisticated as what you're planning. I've read that an ELM preprogrammed pic is great for interfacing with the CAN bus, but it seemed a little costly and difficult to use. I asked an electric engineer where I worked (I used to work as a plastic engineer at the Corolla plant) and he said that I shouldn't have a problem interfacing with the ISO bus for Toyota cars if it's a cheaper/easier solution. I've got all the parts but the programming is still killing me even in this with the easy platform of the Arduino though, I'd like to keep hear about your progress though. Please keep us updated

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by yappari

Are you by any chance using an Arduino for the microcontroller for all of this or are you programming your own PIC? I've recently started ordering some electronics to do something similar but probably not as sophisticated as what you're planning. I've read that an ELM preprogrammed pic is great for interfacing with the CAN bus, but it seemed a little costly and difficult to use. I asked an electric engineer where I worked (I used to work as a plastic engineer at the Corolla plant) and he said that I shouldn't have a problem interfacing with the ISO bus for Toyota cars if it's a cheaper/easier solution. I've got all the parts but the programming is still killing me even in this with the easy platform of the Arduino though, I'd like to keep hear about your progress though. Please keep us updated

I'm using two PICs within the design. One dedicated to the CAN Bus communication and the other for the user interface, direct RPM sampling and temp input.

The ELM PIC is way too expensive at $23 each. I built a code reader for ISO-9141 (K and L line comm) about ten years ago. The messaging for the CAN bus is very similar to OBDII, so most of my work thus far was redoing my hardware interface for CAN.

[yappari]

Originally Posted by CTScott

I'm using two PICs within the design. One dedicated to the CAN Bus communication and the other for the user interface, direct RPM sampling and temp input.

The ELM PIC is way too expensive at $23 each. I built a code reader for ISO-9141 (K and L line comm) about ten years ago. The messaging for the CAN bus is very similar to OBDII, so most of my work thus far was redoing my hardware interface for CAN.

WOW! you're programming your own CAN pic?? ok that's way beyond me. I took a look at doing that and it was too complicating; NRZ coding, bus arbitration, bit timing, etc, it's just too much, lol.
well it's expected, it's really more of a hobby thing and i'm no CS major. But i have one way I can help out.. I've got a few ideas for making a attachable design; hopefully a design that would cost >5bucks worth of laser cut parts and possibly less in bulk. If you want to go with larger 2x24 or 2x16 LCDs instead i think it would be easy to make a housing and attachment clips for it. it may be a little more costly through this route but i think it would make a world of difference

[advocate]

A design that I just thought of at the moment would be to have a progressive RPM bar that starts on one side of the display and move its way over. So instead of a digital numerical readout it would be a digital bar that would "fill" as the rpms went up.

If you could do that, and integrate the clock into the same display, I think you would deserve a medal haha. I had an idea that the clock would sit on the edge of one side, and the tach on the other. The tach would fill across the display and would overlap ontop of the clock if the RPMs got really really high. (If you're redlining, you're not worried about what time it is)

I MS painted this picture in about 2 minutes flat but I think it gets my idea across. Don't laugh too hard at my terrible drawing skills

I blame my laptops touchpad

[devinlamothe]

After thinking about it, I would probably still buy this and find a way to rig it into my cluster. If I had to disable the clock on the right side I would do it.

It's too awesome to pass up. :P

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by devinlamothe

After thinking about it, I would probably still buy this and find a way to rig it into my cluster. If I had to disable the clock on the right side I would do it.

It's too awesome to pass up. :P

At some point when you have nothing better to do, pop your cluster out, take the covers off and take a bunch of pictures. Maybe we can figure out a good place to integrate it where there's dead space and no circuit board.

[Gideon]

I think the left side in between the odo trip reset button and the tach would be a good option, but you'd have to cut a hole for the display in the plastic obviously.

I have to take mine out next week when I take my car in for warranty service so I'll take pictures if I have time.

[devinlamothe]

Originally Posted by CTScott

At some point when you have nothing better to do, pop your cluster out, take the covers off and take a bunch of pictures. Maybe we can figure out a good place to integrate it where there's dead space and no circuit board.

I can do that most likely next week, since whenever I clean my car I take my dash apart to make sure I get all the dust/dirt away. Plus I just like taking things apart!

But yes, it will most likely involve me dremelling a hole or something out of the plastic shroud in the cluster.

[CTScott]

So, I had Crashy's ECM fired up on my bench today as I was getting tired of having to go from my office to the garage to do some testing. I built a couple of circuits to make sensor data inputs to the ECM change, so I could vary the data (Speed, RPM, and Coolant Temp).

After successfully fooling the ECM with the 3 circuits, I realized that the speed one could be a fairly simple way of bypassing the speed limiter. Does anyone who races (legally) have an interest in testing that functionality?

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by CTScott

So, I had Crashy's ECM fired up on my bench today as I was getting tired of having to go from my office to the garage to do some testing. I built a couple of circuits to make sensor data inputs to the ECM change, so I could vary the data (Speed, RPM, and Coolant Temp).

After successfully fooling the ECM with the 3 circuits, I realized that the speed one could be a fairly simple way of bypassing the speed limiter. Does anyone who races (legally) have an interest in testing that functionality?

It's a good thing you're not a evil genius... or are you?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Altitude

It's a good thing you're not a evil genius... or are you?

Evil - Definitely evil.

[AlexNet0]

no, but Ill test it anyway, lol

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by AlexNet0

no, but Ill test it anyway, lol

Dang! With your NOS kit and the speed limiter bypassed there wouldn't be a safe moose anywhere in Maine.

[advocate]

Bypassing the speed limiter seems like an amazing idea to me... would certainly increase the value of the module as well...

You might have to just call the whole thing the "one mod wonder fix" for all Yarii without tachs

[custom Lftback]

I'm definitely 100% for this idea and will buy one in a heartbeat! Keep up the great work CTScott!!