Android or iPad dash in Subie Conversion? Options

[CptTripps]

::: Warning...purists may not like this idea :::

Riding around in a friend's Tesla-S this weekend got me thinking. (Dangerous...for sure.)

It dawned on me last night that if I'm doing a Subaru conversion with the stock ECU, that I'll have an ODB2 port that I can interface with. So a fully digital dashboard is not only probable...it's highly possible.

I probably have a dozen iPads and Android tablets in a drawer at work that I'm not using. Why not make them the gauges and entertainment? Now I realize that screen glare in a 914 will be an issue...especially with the top down, but this could be pretty damn cool.

Here are a few screen-shots that I found from different apps.

DashCommand looks like it'd be pretty cool installed in the center cluster. On a 7" Android tablet, it would mount in nicely.

JDash looks like it'd need a proper computer running Linux to boot up and run it. I could do that with a RaspberryPi and have something set up real quickly. Heck...a couple of different rPi boxes and you'd be in business for a lot of different things. (dashcams, rear-view, etc.)


So am I crazy, or could this be cool?

[pcar916]

It'll be interesting to find out whether the Pi's 700 MHz processor will deliver decent refresh rates for the tach. Certainly a test is in the future so let us know. I've almost decided to run a telescope (and some 914 systems) with the BeagleBone instead. It's 1GHz processor might have better I/O resolution.

https://www.adafruit.com/category/75

Frankly (if it was fast enough, which it isn't) I'd use an Arduino or some other microcontroller rather than a microcomputer like the Pi) . It's capable of higher I/O pin voltages and less sensitive to voltage fluctuations, and there are a butt load of acceleration/temperature/vibration/light-intensity devices for input. As well you can control a lot of different motors, servos, and... well lot's of stuff with simpler C++ instructions. Of course you can always use the Pi as a front-end into an Arduino, distribute your processing tasks, and build a little "hybrid vigor" into your system.

I like the fact that there is a GPS module that can be used (with either LINUX board) at the same time. I use GPS (via the Garmin) for my speedo/odometer rather than have a speedo gear and cable in the car. I decided that on the street, accurate speed readings were the bomb, and I'm fine with the slight lag it takes to display during acceleration and deceleration when I'm not looking at that display anyway. There is one disadvantage to it that doesn't apply to your project, and that's too much centralization.

Note: I'd like to try an Android solution as well, but it runs like a dog on the Pi.

What I want to avoid in my machine, even though it would be a cool thing, is to digitize the entire car. I like the modularity of multiple systems so my basic modification rules (with few exceptions) are as follows. All of the rules below have to follow the original question, which is

- Does it work better than what's there already?

1. If it applies, will it make the car safer?
2. If it applies, will it make the car faster?
3. Is it simple?
4. Will a mod be easy to install/maintain/replace around the existing systems?
5. Will it be fun?

With the Pi or BeagleBone (or any other single-board solution) you could run either a console cable and a micro-keyboard with a laptop for config operations. Or, if you're really wanting to complicate the project, do it with WiFi.

Sorry, I wandered a bit from the topic, but thought it might be better that way.

Let us know how it turns out... but don't forget to drive the heck out of the car while you're at it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)