I'm working on a digital/LCD electrical dash upgrade using my own iPad Air2 as the display, or something similar.

I have a question for you guys, Is there anyone else that might be interested in something like this for their van?

My original plan was to make this just for myself, but I thought I'd offer this up to anyone interested. I was planning on doing just engine/transmission vitals, fuel gauges, light conversions to LED, and maybe even vacuum to electronic control conversions for whatever is on the van. I'll focus on a couple things first just to make sure that it works properly and then expand the system as I go. If anyone has any suggestions for what else to read just let me know.

Right now I'm looking at using the Teensy 3.1 for the main brains of the system, and bluetooth for the communication with the electronics for display, this way we can all "upgrade" as we have the money to do it. I've already downloaded the SDK stuff for the Apple iOS that I'll need to be able to show all the van's information on my iPad.

 

mpguino might be of interest. from ecomodder

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I looked at both MPGuino and OBDuino, but neither one are for vehicles that are pre-OBDII. Besides that I don't want to just read data from the sensors, I want to make a complete graphical LCD screen interface so that it can tell you all the information that it reads. I know that my speedo is off by at least 10mph at 55mph and can't be sure about any of the rest of the gauges, so that is the driving factor behind making this. Unless I change my mind I'll be using the Teensy 3.1 microcontroller (72MHz), and part of the reason I didn't like MPGuino or OBDuino is because they are based on a much slower chipset (8MHz) that I don't think can handle the load that I'll be putting on it, not to mention it doesn't have near as many analog inputs for the engine data.

Aside from the programming part for the Apple devices, the hardest part will be getting the chipset to transfer the useable information through the bluetooth to whatever tablet or phone is being used as the "dash".

 

Another hard part will be having such a thing be embraced by end-users. While it sounds infinitely interesting the buy-in cost along with whatever will be required to install and interface it with existing vehicles will also figure into how its received or perceived.

Sounds like a lot of work incorporating essentially a "digital dash" into vehicles pre-dating PCM's that are so common today. For the most part folks driving earlier vehicles aren't going to be too quick to add something they've lived without for so long already.

Not trying to dash your enthusiasm but this is quite an undertaking---good luck with it, keep us informed please.

 

This would be a completely DIY thing of course, I personally don't believe in paying someone else to do what we can do with just a little help. Call me cheap, but I refuse to pay for anything if I can help it, unless it involves tools that I don't have with me and can't justify buying, or buying again if I already purchased them elsewhere.

I know that the programming would be more than just a bit daunting for most people so I'm going to try to take care of that. The rest of it really isn't much more than any of us fixing normal problems on the vans.

I know that I have a whole laundry list of things to display on mine and honestly that's really what drove me to use my iPad as the display since I already have it and because I'd have to spend a chunk of change just for the 7-segment LED displays.

 

If your speedo is so far off, you might want to consider using GPS to track the van and output an accurate speed.

 

That's going to be part of the project, GPS for speed and odo, speed will be displayed by a HUD and on the LCD display of whatever device I end up using.

 

Here's a site you should check out for ideas and possible solutions:

AvBrand.com - Projects - Car PC

Basically, he put a laptop into his Subaru as a vehicle monitor/entertainment unit. I've been thinking of doing something similar using a tablet/laptop in a client/server configuration.

 

I Would love to have a dedicated laptop for the van, but the Teensy is a far cheaper option right now. I like many of the ideas he has on that website though!