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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:39 pm 
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Some data dumping

http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/0 ... av-player/
http://www.sainsmart.com/arduino-compat ... odule.html
http://www.sainsmart.com/arduino-compat ... -2560.html


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:06 pm 
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Circuit diagram now complete apart from final checking & component renumber once PCB layout is done.

Just spent an hour trawling catalogues for a suitable 4 pin connector for canbus and drawn near on a blank. Ideally looking for PCB mount right angle socket with cable mount plug, some form of latch/lock and good quality gold plated contacts. Closest I've found is DIN connectors (audio style things from years back), but I can't find PCB right angle ones with latch. I may end up with rear panel mount & 4 wires down on to PCB.

For anyone interested.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8316230/dash/DigiDashB.pdf

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:16 pm 
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Been playing join the dots this afternoon.

Main unit:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8316230/dash/DigiDashMA.pdf

Image

Small display to go in oval box:

(option of larger TFT with 3 buttons one side, or smaller OLED with 2 buttons each side)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8316230/dash/DigiDashSA.pdf

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Just got the large display to lay out and it's off for manufacture.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:44 pm 
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Go on, join the dots on the pdm board and tack them on. You know you want to :D


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:47 pm 
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Quick update, turns out the boards have been sat next door for the last week and no one told me :( I now have 3 sets to play with.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:00 pm 
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Oooh - I didn't realise you were trying all 3 cases you showed us :-)

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:24 pm 
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The big box is a must for all systems that don't already have all required sensors via canbus/OBD as it provides the sensor inputs. It can stand alone with a small text display or link to one of the 2 smaller boxes as either/or for easy display in front of the driver with only a small cable linking to the main unit.

The large box also has an SD card to hold configuration plus logging data. This will allow easy changes of pre-set configuration and will make it easier in a pitlane scenario to grab logged data between outings for processing at leaisure.

The small boxes can also be used as stand-alone gauges / warning systems on cars which already have OBD2 / canbus. With cheap OBD/bluetooth boxes and 'Torque' I suspect this application may be limited although I find the torque display is a case of form over function as with 4 gauges on screen it's unreadable at a glance.

I decided to go for both sizes of display box at this stage as I think there is a market for both. The small one is much easier to fit out of the way and looks nicer, but I think the larger one will be much more readable.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:58 pm 
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Well you were saying that they should of turned up by now lol
Glad you got them and will look on with interest


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:25 pm 
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I'm toying with the idea of just using a PCB as the front panel rather than going for a membrane. It could just be 'different' enough to give the wow factor I'm looking for.
With PCB, the holes can be through plated so will have metal surround and through the middle. Patterns and text can also be made in copper track which is then covered with the 'solder mask' layer which can be any colour (usually green or blue). Finally there is a silk screen over the top which can again be any colour (usually white or yellow). The metal track can also be gold plated rather than the usual tin (silver colour)

It strikes me that artistically there is plenty to play with to create some space age type looks, and with a fashion of clear cases on PC's and accessories it could just work.

Opinions ?

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 3:36 pm 
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Do it, do it, do it ;-)

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:14 pm 
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Some progress today. I started with the software for my existing system (written for pic16) and rejigged it for the new dspic30 processor. It is now working as per my old system apart from re-jigging the analogue reading as this is very different on the new processor and needs more brain power than I can muster at this hour.

Next step (after analogue) is to do a bit of re-structuring and starting to add the facilities offered by the new hardware - SD card, logging, canbus, g sensing.

Next step after that is getting to work on the display units.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 12:25 pm 
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Thinking again about membrane vs. PCB front panel, the membrane option makes it very difficult to illuminate the buttons. I had originally designed for a membrane which then uses very cheap tactile switches switches.

I've just been browsig catalogues and found this range of PCB tactile switches with illumination, shaped buttons and shaft extender options to get the height from PCB correct for the button to poke through the correctly shaped hole in the front panel.

http://docs-europe.electrocomponents.co ... 93198f.pdf

Looking at p14 and 1V or 1N arrow shaped button. Probably get frosted white button & green or yellow illumination to match the display. These would be organised as up/down on the right and left/right on the left.


What are peoples thoughts ?

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:49 pm 
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Seem reasonable to me. I'd say triangle shaped ones would be better tho.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:33 am 
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Slow progress and lots pain with I2C, mainly thanks to poor documentation of the USB-I2C module coupled with the fact i haven't used I2C for a few years and forgotton some of it's quirks.

On the plus side, I now have reliable communications with the PC via USB with some basic (not the language) PC software written in preparation for easy configuration / logging / software upgrade. I'm also automatically detecting and recovering I2C lockups (well tested now :lol: ).

The next step is to sort out being able to upgrade the software via the USB port so I can then install one in my 205 without needing to pull the dash apart every time I want to make a change.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:24 pm 
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Not much help now and not a long term solution but its quite easy to bitbash I2C on windoze using the parallel port and winio

Start
I2C is simple
.
ACK
Restart
I2C is robust
.
NAK
Stop


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