eddie
|
| posted on 6/5/03 at 10:50 PM |
|
|
are you not getting a little over complicated here????
for a basic system you only need to have certain info to hand eg:
MPH, odometer, RPM, oil press, coolant temp, (maybe fuel level)
all the other things you all mention: 0-60 times, lambda readings, data logging, etc are irrelevant on this type of project.
you just need the basics to hand (or eye)
As for warning lights, keep em on the dash sepreate, they need to be notable, you dont want a tiny oil pressure warning light, it wants to be notable
on the dash
if all you want to do is play at being a racing driver on track days go get a telemitary setup
|
|
|
|
|
Alan B
|
| posted on 6/5/03 at 11:50 PM |
|
|
Ah Eddie I think you'll find that's pretty much what I said too...
However, if the other things are "free", then why not?.....
I do agree though that if the extra "track type" features push up the price too much then you'll end up in Stack terrirtory, which
was not my intent.
Alan
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 07:53 AM |
|
|
The cost is going to be close to 50 depending on the screen that I use for the project
I am going to build in support for the standard set of seara + escort instrumentation. If any body is interested in any thing else pleas say as it is
easer to add this tipe of support at the beginning of a project as I am sure other soft ware people will agree with me on
also I wright embedded control software for a living and this sort of level of complexity is not hard to implement at all
also as for the stack system it is very nice but if there was any body who is interested I could build a similar system incorporating GPS and much
more sophisticated data logging such as incorporated on many racing cars for a tine fraction of the price.
living
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 09:44 AM |
|
|
im not sure if you have your marketing angle right in this project.
I can see two kinds of buyer (three if looking at race apps).
1. Someone that is building an ultra light car and needs minimal instrumentation. Wont be concerned that a small LCD about 30mm x 80mm is all he has
on an expanse of dashboard.
In this case he could use
http://www.halfords.com/shop/item.asp?id=108373&cat=8&sub=95
which gives change from six quid!!!!
2. Someone that wants something digital and a bit on the flashy side. Nice big digits, a sweeping rev counter graphic, little graphic indicators of
water temp, oil pressure, etc, rather than a pop up text warning of a couple of figures on a screen.
I spendt about 300+ on my instruments. If you are hoping to sell lots of these, I would suggest that you dont say how cheap they are to make, and that
you 'add value' by making them look 'must have' for the dash of your long spent building car. You could sell a decent featured
graphic dash for around 200 quid or more - as an analaog speedo costs about 100+ quid, a tacho 80+, and smaller instruments about 20+ quid.
Otherwise, a lot of the market will pop down to halfords at lunch time and buy their lunch with the change for a tenner, dash instrument in hand.
atb
steve
[Edited on 7/5/03 by stephen_gusterson]
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 10:15 AM |
|
|
I am not doing this as a buisnes opertunite all I am trying to do is offer my expereance and skils to the group if pepol are intrested in trhis sort
of thing I am happy to help in not ok.
but for me this is all about doing stuff for the comunity i.e. ceping the low in low cost ther are anumber of you out ther who have given advice or
sold me odd and ends at very good prices I am just returning the favor.
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 11:04 AM |
|
|
I'd pay money for one with a larger lcd display that was easy to read (at speed  )
Graphical rev display would be nice, though other things can be digits/text.
what are the possibilties of outputs for say oil pressure and temp so you could attach a larger warning lamp on the dash for the limit threshholds?
Andrew.
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
Alan B
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 12:09 PM |
|
|
Steve, the Halfords link didn't work (fully) just ended up at the main page...
What is it that is just 6 quid????
Surely can't be what I had in mind which sounds more like the projected 200 quid kind of jobbie...
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 12:21 PM |
|
|
lights
Hi ned
I am switching the out puts from the 12v car supply so if you want to switch a simple bulb on the dash that will be of if however you want to switch
on a hi current draw item then you will have to add a relay similar to the way one is used on the head lap circuit and fuse this device separately.
The device to date had been designed so that it will hopefully be as simple as possible to use i.e. all out puts are the same as form any other car
electrical component. So that it will just be a mater of connecting the wires up.
|
|
|
Spyderman
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 01:03 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by ceebmoj
I am not doing this as a buisnes opertunite all I am trying to do is offer my expereance and skils to the group if pepol are intrested in trhis sort
of thing I am happy to help in not ok.
but for me this is all about doing stuff for the comunity i.e. ceping the low in low cost ther are anumber of you out ther who have given advice or
sold me odd and ends at very good prices I am just returning the favor.
I think the main point is, VISIBILITY.
That is why I mentioned the Stack unit previously.
The most important thing for me to see clearly is RPM.
The others items like water temp, oil pressure etc, I will need to be able to see at a glance.
This is why analog guages have been so successful for so long. They are easy to see and you do not need to know what they are saying , just that
things are within tolerances.
I think this what Alan and Steve are implying.
We would much rather have a large display that shows the basics very clearly, than a not so clear display that can compute Lunar trajectories to an
n'th degree during rush hour traffic.
I think us older ones are of the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple Stupid). Well I certainly am!
I don't think anyone is trying to criticise what you are offering. It is just that you seem very eager and keen to produce something that might
not be appreciated fully due to the scale that you have in mind.
(Not sure if that sounds right).
Terry
ps. the real reason is us old un's can't see as well these days!
Spyderman
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 02:12 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
Steve, the Halfords link didn't work (fully) just ended up at the main page...
What is it that is just 6 quid????
Surely can't be what I had in mind which sounds more like the projected 200 quid kind of jobbie...
Hi
Look under cycle accessories under bike speedos.
There are about 10 types, from 5 quid odd to a bit over 30.
really cheap!
atb
steve
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 02:17 PM |
|
|
this is a shot of a screen we use at work, which is a 240 x 128 dot graphic panel.
gives an approx idea of size of screen and letters on a typical 17 ins monitor.
atb
steve
 
Rescued attachment 1.jpg
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 02:48 PM |
|
|
An ok thanks for the pick of the screen Stephen is it from a PLC product (semans e100 range) or an in house development?
I will adapt the code with that type of display in mind. I have some nice components that will draw an analogue dile Speedo on that type of screen.
However with that size of screen I would only display say two large dials or one large and two small diles as they tend to get a bit confusing if you
put to much on them this would still allow some space for warning/ other indicators
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 03:50 PM |
|
|
its something I designed - im also a hardware software guy - but I didnt do the screen driver software - that was a colleague.
the screen is made by a company called emerging display technologies and is LED backlit.
It costs about 38 quid, and is similar to the farnell stocked hitatchi 240 x 128 dot modules, but a fair bit cheaper!
atb
steve
ps
if you want one to play with I can send you one free - we have units laying around from service exchange panels.
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 7/5/03 at 04:05 PM |
|
|
if i could borrow a demo screan that would be very usefull thank you.
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 08:32 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by ceebmoj
if i could borrow a demo screan that would be very usefull thank you.
u2u me with an address to send it to and i will sort one out for you.
you can keep it.
atb
steve
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 09:18 AM |
|
|
Ceebmoj,
Going back to what you were saying about 1 large dial and 2 small presumably this could be RPM at the top, speed bottom right and a user switchable
one bottom left ie monitor temp/oil pressure/0-60 time etc.
personally I'd link the oil pressure and temp lights back out to a bigger red light on the dash.
A dot matrix lcd like the one steve showed is definately the way to go. the nearest product I know of is the PI system 2 which goes for 1k seconf
hand, this does have more channels, but not the point really if they're not used!
Andrew.
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 09:47 AM |
|
|
yes I could do that withthe diales have one that cicled what it desplayed however because it is not a couour display it can be hard to tell at a
glance (with out reading the text discription) what the dial displayes.
I was planing on having the dials fixed i.e. no cycleing bewean difrent readings and then having some text at the bottom of the display witch changed
to show the other readings.
but if you are intrested in having a cyceling dyle I could look in to macking the difrent dials more didsteinctive so you can tell what thay represent
in a galance al oposed to having to read a lable if the dial is constantly changing.
a nother posibility is using one dial with two nedals but once again this can get complicated. to read at a glance.
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 10:03 AM |
|
|
ceebmoj,
I don't by any means want to make life harder for you, I just thought a 'cycling' display/dial would make the overall look of the
display less cluttered and allow you to show specific/relevant info at a time, less info on the screen would also allow it to be easier to read at a
glance and give more space to make the info displayed larger and hence again easier to read.
perhaps you could draw a diagram of proposed layout in paintbrush or similar and post it here?
just a thought...
Andrew.
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 10:19 AM |
|
|
just an idea.
Andrew
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
Mark H
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 11:08 AM |
|
|
I want a screen like Neds/Stephens attachments for my locost!
1. What are the issues with getting all the guages working (eg how do you get the thing set up to read water temp, speed, rpm, etc)?
2. What kind of cost are we talking for the "basic" set up?
I'm an electrical Philistine, so apologies if a stoopid question! But am interested in the thread nonetheless!
Regards,
Mark
Mark Harrison and
Q986 KCP back from the dead...
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 11:19 AM |
|
|
hi how do I post pictures on hear I have no web space so if some one u2us me I will send you a pic to post the boxes at the top represent on screan
indications on the warning lamps that you can wire up tio the dash the dial represent rmp mph and oil temp with the cicyeling values switch ing
betwean each of the other monitored values
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 11:24 AM |
|
|
hi I will aime to keep the cost as low as posible. I was hoping for around 50 but with this screan it will cost a bit more I have not worket out a
cost for it yet but sub 100 and probably more 80 (planing on using a seporat prosesor for the display garentees smother animations)
it will however take a litle while to develop this device but my shift lightsa are all but finished so for thowes of you just looking for that
functionality thay may be ok for you.
|
|
|
GO
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 11:25 AM |
|
|
ceebmoj, there's a photo section on this site where you can upload your pictures to your own area. If you do that you can then link to them
there. I've not any pictures myself yet so I'm not entirely sure how that parts done. But once you have the picture in your photo archive
(there's a link under your name on each of your posts), view the picture, right click, properties, then copy and paste the address.
Hope thats clear.
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 11:36 AM |
|
|
ok hear is the pick
[pic]http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=2863&page=1[/pic]
I only did this quickly so sory for the roufnes of it
|
|
|
ChrisW
|
| posted on 8/5/03 at 01:22 PM |
|
|
Do you mean:
Chris
My gaff my rules
|
|
|
