Monitoring The Engine Control Unit

Is there a place in the dashboard of your high performance automobile for this Engine Control Unit feedback panel? There’s several methods of showing information at work here. The row of LEDs at the top of the bezel provide RPM feedback. The two red LEDs with chrome bezels are alarm indicators. But that big OLED display is the centerpiece of the unit. Not only can you scroll through a myriad of display options, but the screen packs more than enough contrast to be readable during the day. It looks like [Mathieu] is selling these units and has decided not to release source code because of this, but there’s a schematic available and a video after the break shows the menu system from which you can draw inspiration.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo8FvmOQ6NA&w=470]

17 thoughts on “Monitoring The Engine Control Unit

  1. I normally think stuff like this is cool but my Mustang and my F-150 both have this built in to the display on the dash right from the factory.

    The tuner device I use to upload new tunes to the car also reads all this data through the OBDII port, and it logs that data so that I can export it to my computer.

    Furthermore I have a data logging program and a usb to OBDII adapter on my laptop.

    Not crapping on the guy’s work but there are already lots of built in, or inexpensive or prepackaged ways to do this.

  2. If you read the link then you will see this is aimed at older cars that do not have OBDII.

    I would also like to know what display he is using. He seemed to provide all information but that.

  3. Hey guys, limpkin here

    @Gaspard de Coligny : no publicity intended here… there is no website for this product, only people having the particular car that this monitor has been made for can know how to buy it… this product has been developed because only _them_ wanted to buy it.

    @Stephen : I agree that a lot of product already exist in the market. This one has been especially been developped to be integrated in these 2 places for this particular car, and to provide functionalities that THEY wanted.

    Concerning the OLED display, you can find it on farnell under the reference DD-25664GE-1A :).

    I just want to remind you guys that I put this project on the web for people who would like to develop a similar product or who would be interested to use this kind of platform.
    Again, you will notice that I don’t mention for which car this product has been made, and that if you look for the product name you won’t find it on the web. This thing has been made only for passionate people, who (logically) wanted to pay me a little for the product I developped for them :).

  4. Sorry, if there is no source, there is no hack. I despise people who say “LOOK AT THE COOL STUFF I DID!” then say “But I won’t tell you how I did it, so I can look superior to you”.

    Plenty of companies sell open source software. Ideas want to be free. Sell the service, not the product.

    I’m disappointed in HAD. (I’m usually the optimistic poster, but I feel pretty strongly about this)

  5. @h3llphyre : I will be more than happy to give you the source code you need for the low level part… as mentioned in my original post ;). I am sure you will understand that I don’t want to release the high level stuff :)

  6. @Stephen: My Ford Fiesta also has Sync, running Windows Auto. I’m tempted to hack it due to a few deficiencies: Apparently no coolant temp display except for an idiot light, and Ford is screwing over their Canadian customers with major features missing while they endlessly “evaluate” providing them. They do have a dev kit for Sync, so that looks like a way to go. (Dude! I rooted my ride!)

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