car computer- feasibility, functions

[ThomasG]

And for a fraction of cost that I'd incur if I was to go for some half-working setup of theirs.

[ThomasG]

Dam.. That post above is crap.. I shouldn't be writing all that whilst "still under influence"...

[SwissXC90]

Wow. Keep smoking and dreaming.

Honestly what you want takes a lot of hardware and software design resources. I hope you have the ability to fund both. In time or money or both.

[ThomasG]

Originally Posted by SwissXC90

Wow. Keep smoking and dreaming.

Honestly what you want takes a lot of hardware and software design resources. I hope you have the ability to fund both. In time or money or both.

tell me about it

COMPUTER
|||
||---------Physical/mechanical
||          |||
||          ||---CORE FUNCTIONS
||          ||    ||||||||
||          ||    |||||||--Central unit size and location
||          ||    ||||||---HUD display size and location
||          ||    |||||----Centre console Touschscreen size and location
||          ||    ||||-----Jog wheel/Knob size and location
||          ||    |||------USB I/O module size and location
||          ||    |||         ||
||          ||    |||         |---light sensors location
||          ||    |||         ----Signal acquirement tap-in points
||          ||    |||        
||          ||    ||-------OBD adapter location
||          ||    ||           NOT on maind OBD port- reserved for DICE,
||          ||    ||            research ability and feasibility of disabling adapter for 
||          ||    ||            when Vida and DICE in use
||          ||    ||
||          ||    |--------GPS antenna size and location 
||          ||    ---------Wiring routes
||          ||
||          |----ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS
||          |       |||
||          |       ||----microphone location
||          |       |-----reversing camera location
||          |       ------USB sensory module (gyroscope, yaw, temperature)
||          |
||          |
||           ----FAR FUTURE FUNCTIONS
||                ||||
||                |||--road camera size and location
||                ||---side cameras size and location
||                |----interior camera size and location
||                -----
||
||
|----------Electrical/Electronic
|          |||
|          ||---MODULES SELECTION
|          ||    |||
|          ||    ||--CORE
|          ||    ||   |||||||
|          ||    ||   ||||||--central unit
|          ||    ||   ||||||    processing power, power consumption, size, 
|          ||    ||   ||||||    number of USB ports, 2 display ports, audio IN/OUT/MIC
|          ||    ||   ||||||
|          ||    ||   |||||---HUD display
|          ||    ||   ||||----Centre display
|          ||    ||   |||-----jog wheel/knob
|          ||    ||   ||------USB I/O module
|          ||    ||   |-------OBD adapter
|          ||    ||   --------GPS antenna
|          ||    ||
|          ||    |---ADDITIONAL
|          ||    |    |||
|          ||    |    ||--microphone
|          ||    |    |---reversing camera
|          ||    |    ----Sensor module
|          ||    |    
|          ||    |
|          ||    ----FAR FUTURE
|          ||         ||||
|          ||         |||--road camera
|          ||         ||---side cameras
|          ||         |----interior camera
|          ||         -----
|          ||
|          |----POWER SUPPLY
|          |       
|          |
|          -----sensor and inputs tolerances/tuning
|
|
|
-----------Software
            |||||
            ||||---System
            ||||     |||||
            ||||     ||||-operating system selection
            ||||     |||--emulators selection
            ||||     ||---drivers for USB devices and touch screen
            ||||     |----sleep mode triggering by I/O module inputs
            ||||     -----maintenance mode triggering
            ||||
            |||----I/O management
            |||     |||||
            |||     ||||--GPS data forwarding into emulated android environment
            |||     |||---light sensor data triggering "night mode"
            |||     ||----display switching 
            |||     ||     ||
            |||     ||     |--option A- by 2 buttons, each switches one of screens in sequence
            |||     ||     |   (MediaaCenter)-(SatNav)-(OBD)-(system desktop)
            |||     ||     |
            |||     ||     ---option B- by 6-8 buttons, each will have assigned
            |||     ||         display and virtual destop to display on that 
            |||     ||                display
            |||     ||
            |||     |-----
            |||     ------
            |||
            ||-----Media center (emulated android OR emulated system OR native)
            ||       |||
            ||       ||--app selection
            ||       ||    ||||
            ||       ||    |||-KODI(native)
            ||       ||    |||     least resource-consuming of KODI options
            ||       ||    |||
            ||       ||    ||--KODI (emulated in android)
            ||       ||    ||      (possibly easiest to control by knob- "back" button function
            ||       ||    ||       already incorporated)
            ||       ||    ||
            ||       ||    |---Xbian (KODI-like system, emulated)
            ||       ||    |     (slightly simplified, benefits may be null as separate skin
            ||       ||    |       will be needed anyway)
            ||       ||    |
            ||       ||    ----OTHER (but what?)
            ||       ||
            ||       |--app control
            ||       |    |||
            ||       |    ||--jog/knob
            ||       |    ||    turn- highlight option
            ||       |    ||    press down- select option
            ||       |    ||     separate "back" button
            ||       |    ||
            ||       |    |---touch screen
            ||       |    |    self-explanatory
            ||       |    |
            ||       |    ----voice control
            ||       |          possible at all?
            ||       |
            ||       |
            ||       ---media sources
            ||            ||||||||
            ||            |||||||- audio openFM service plugin (selection of stations)
            ||            ||||||-- audio TuneIn service plugin (selection of stations)
            ||            |||||--- audio local library (internal storage)
            ||            ||||---- audio local media (USB stick)
            ||            |||----- video (BBC IPlayer plugin)
            ||            ||------ video local library (internal storage)
            ||            |------- video local media (USB stick)
            ||            -------- other plugins 
            ||
            |------SatNav
            |        ||
            |        |--app selection (android)
            |        |    |||||
            |        |    ||||--google maps
            |        |    |||---waze
            |        |    ||----velociraptor
            |        |    |-----tomtom speed cameras
            |        |    ------camsam plus
            |        |
            |        ---app control
            |            |||
            |            ||--jog/knob (establish if possible at all)
            |            |---touchscreen (and only when stationary)
            |            ----voice controls (on the move)
            |
            -------OBD readout
                     ||
                     |--app selection
                     ---app control
                         |||
                         ||--wheel/knob
                         |---touch screen
                         ----voice commands

[GMcL]

Originally Posted by christheancient

I think back to my first car.

It had three pedals, a gear lever, a handbrake, lights, a fuel gauge and three warning lights of igition, oil and main beam, wipers, a speedo). The de-luxe version had an engine temperature gauge! Did it need more than that? Nope. I took me everywhere... with few problems.

But in this world where car manufacturers try to make their car more whizzy then the opposition's, they find it necessary to add more (what Yorkshire people call "do nowts") fantastic things!

Why? I don't think it's to make life 'easier' for Mr Joe Public.

I'd take a car with electronic engine management over points and a dizzy cap any day of the week. The engine management is a "do nowt" in terms of functionality but wee's all over a dizzy and points for reliablility and longevity.

[ThomasG]

I missed one important... detail.. in there.

two displays, each independent, each showing its own stuff..

but only one controller (knob)

so it would need some way of assigning, on-the-fly, knob to the screen.

say- press button and knob controls whats happening on centre screen.
press it again and it controls whats happening on HUD..

something to think about.

but it looks like way too many buttons, and with too many buttons its complicated to use, and when its complicated to use its not good for driving..

if there is a will, there is a way- i`ll figure something out

in the meantime- there is many ways to skin a cat (a saying that i heard somewhere)

how about..
instead off having one central unit, have 3?

one (lets say raspberry pi4) running kodi/Xbian, second running android with torque and third working on satnav?

would it need 2 separate, physical, GPS receivers- one for torque, one for satnav?

how to switch video outputs?

matrix switch with 3 inputs and 2 outputs?

how to retain and switch (between raspberries)controls from the knob?

how about audio?

yet another raspberry for mixing audio and managing controls?

HomeAssistant actually could do such a job (thank you for idea), but.. overall wont all that be even more complicated not only to build but to use as well, than my original setup?

soo many questions..

[green van man]

Me, I would remove the central screen. Steering wheel buttons already control radio if you have them, if not it's relatively easy to use the controls by feel if absolutely nessesary, if sat nav needs reprogramming just pull over when safe to do so and reprogram it. It does not need changing on the move. If my phone rings it is ignored untill I can stop safely, and everyone that phones me knows I will not look at let alone pick up on the move.

As for dizzi and points, I found if maintained they were no problem while a mechanical injection system works reliably as many 200 and 300 tdi landrovers attest.

As others have said, it's a car, a means of transport, all else is unessesary gloss and a gilded pig is still a pig, the add ons will not change that.

All I require from a car is that it be reliable, as I regard driving as an art form, the rest is down to me.

You carry on Thomas, if it floats your boat, but I'm struggling to see the need for any of it and can manage quite well without it thanks.

Paul.

[ThomasG]

Well...

there is something i`d call a "difficulty treshold" that may put a stop to it at any time.

Obviously i am aware that it is not a small task, that it will require a lot of work and so on

But as long as i have an idea how to overcome an issue i can plod on.

its when i`m out of ideas, and that will happen many times- thats when it will grind to a halt.

and so happens that i might have stumbled on one of such events just now

the very knob selection

the one ive found, in my second post- thats way too big, way too many buttons on it, wil be difficult to find a fitting space for it.

and so, yesterday i started looking for something smaller.

nothing.
nada.

two best candidates are

a spinner for arcade games- only one function- rotate left/right, digitised straight into USB bus, would need separate buttons

or

this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-Ser...y/163557191034

size- ok
number of buttons- fine

connection...

4-wire, all i know at the moment.
somehow i dont think it will be usb, more likely 2 wires used for GND and +12V, another 2 wires for comms , but what protocol?

employing bitsnooper to find out whats being transfered may be a bit counter-productive, or a tleast drive the costs of this enterprise too high for my acceptance (i have to keep in mind that other bits will cost, too)

and then i would be using a piece of a car that i dont really like (BMW)

so, until i find a way out of this one...

Ta!

[ThomasG]

not that i will be sitting on my hands during that time

Hi Guys,

I have searched a lot of the web and I cant find a concrete answer for this.

I'm starting to make a driving simulator and I want to have an I-Drive in it.

I got a hold of one of these: http://cdn.cnet.com.au/story_media/3...ntroller_1.jpg

However, I can't find the pinout for it.

From what I can tell its using CAN-BUS, which means there should be Power, Ground, CAN-HIGH and CAN-LOW.

Does any one know where can I find more information about this pinout?

Thanks,
Hurla

From my understanding, the F30 CANbus is quite a bit different than other auto manufacturers and even previous generations of BMW's (the F30 uses TCP/IP for example).

The folks in http://www.f30post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=429 may be a better sub forum to ask though.

[ThomasG]

Been thinking shall i write yet one more post, and i think this deserves an answer..

Originally Posted by green van man

Me, I would remove the central screen. Steering wheel buttons already control radio if you have them, if not it's relatively easy to use the controls by feel if absolutely nessesary, if sat nav needs reprogramming just pull over when safe to do so and reprogram it. It does not need changing on the move.

Paul.

2 main reasons to have that central screen

1:
some of things will be much easier to type in on a virtual keyboard, just like theone you have on your smartphone.

it may be a destinantion in satnav, it may be something yet different

but at some stage such an input will be simply necessary

2:

on a longer run it will be feasible to entertain passengers

thus access to videos on that media center

(you didnt think i`d be watching TV or a movie whilst i`m driving, did you?)

True that at some stage i would have to figure out a way of fitting all that nicely and neatly, maybe that central screen retracting into space currently occupied by cupholder (or phone moduleon other cars), right next to HU unit..

but that is for later

in all likelihood, with first run, with first several runs, of this, my dashboard will look like certain DeLorean time machine looked on the outside

only when it works i will be worrying about the way it looks.