My latest electronic project

[alexturner]

Hey Guys,

To those who follow the stupid things I do and take an interest in them - here's my latest update.

So for the last 200litres of fuel I've been chugging around town on straight vegetable oil and I'm loving the freedom. The ability to drive up to a restaurant and take used cooking oil from them (free of charge) and run my car on that is an amazing feeling.

So in that department all is well and good. On the other hand I am truly amazed as to how Lucas were allowed to develop the electrics to so many english cars (Left Us Cold And Stranded). On my last trip in the span of two days I lost dash electrics, brake lights, indicators, and windscreen wipers. And of course new fuses didn't rectify the issue so I've decided to pull every wire from the car and start from scratch.

Now that I have given myself the opportunity to start from scratch I thought I'd do things right, the way a german manufacturer would do it. So I'm developing a computer system, that will monitor and control various components of the car and I am oh-so-excited about it.

Overhead the drivers-side will mount a console (in an attempt to make my dash-board a cockpit) with many switches and a 4" touch screen display. The touch screen will be driven by a programmable IC (Arudino Powered) that will run my own software. From this touch screen I will be able to monitor my: Speed (GPS), Air Temp, Co-Ords, Heading, 4 Veggy Temp readings, Veggy-oil valve states (my landing gear indicators), Flow rates (l/100 as well), engine oil temp, engine oil pressure, gearbox temp, differential temps (f and r), T-box temp, veggy-oil filter pressures, tank contents and temperatures will be displayed on their very own backlit display, and there will be a very pretty screen that will display both battery's voltage current draw and remaining power (in hours based on instantaneous current draw).

I'm really quite excited about this one and I had to share it somewhere with someone. At the moment I'm all ready to go - the only thing holding me back is the cash (which is coming )

I'll keep you guys posted and hopefully I'll have something impressive in my car in the next few weeks.

Alex

[superquag]

Now that I have given myself the opportunity to start from scratch I thought I'd do things right, the way a german manufacturer would do it...........

So I'm developing a computer system, that will monitor and control various components of the car and I am oh-so-excited about it.

If you're running straight WVO, then why not stick with that level of technology and re-wire your car properly, with each circuit totally independant of every other one.... NOT the way Germans do it, with incredible complexity and its attendant unreliability. - My experience with German "Uber-Techno" printing/pre-press equipment.....

But like the overkill monitoring ! - Should look pretty good.

Cheers and Good Luck !

[alittlebitconcerned]

Good luck with the project. eBay have some larger but pretty cheap flip down touch screens that would work with what you want to do. If you decide to add gps or reverse camera latter you could use the same screen.
If dollars are no option the ducks are the touch screens from xenarc.

Much respect on the vege oil!

[Basil135]

Oh, now THIS I gotta see

I LOVE electronic overkill.... SWMBO doesn't.

To give you some idea, evidently setting up the lounge room to resemble the flight deck of the USS Enterprise is NOT an option...

[Bigbjorn]

And to think I bought a County-Isuzu to get away from excessive automotive electronics, their attendant unreliability, and propensity for instantaneous catastrophic failure, usually at the worst possible time and place.

[isuzutoo-eh]

And to think I bought a County-Isuzu to get away from excessive automotive electronics, their attendant unreliability, and propensity for instantaneous catastrophic failure, usually at the worst possible time and place.

I was thinking the same, but more power to your arm Alex! Just make sure every system can be made redundant/bypassed in case of failures and you'll be peachy!

[alexturner]

Well said Mark. Every critical function will have an override hiding somewhere. The computer system will act as an aid to display temperatures but also to alert me when something is up (pending gearbox failures). It'll mainly be there for the cool-factor which I believe will be off the charts :P

[superquag]

To give you some idea, evidently setting up the lounge room to resemble the flight deck of the USS Enterprise is NOT an option...

Why not ?

[superquag]

Kool - Factor is the best reason to do something like this.... as long as you have total, hard-wired control....
Go for it !!!

[wrinklearthur]

but also to alert me when something is up (pending gearbox failures).

There are sensors available to monitor wear residue in gearboxes.