Infotainment System for Porsche Car [from CAD, prototyping to finish]

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by hemonu

What I personally see as an issue is touchscreen as sole input. Driving at 200+ km/h a touchscreen needs too much focus.

Greetings from the Shandong province (temporarily)

Herbert

Hey Herbert!!! Wow Shandong, lucky you man. Some of the best country ppl are from Shandong (true, honest, strong, and 'beautiful'). Enjoy the capital of the Best-in-the-World Dumplings my friend.

I'm with you RE the touch at 200km. I'll be looking at adding steering wheel BT controls during 2018. E.g. some fancy CNC that clamps on each side of the wheel... copying what Porsche did already really... nothing 'new'.

There is already aftermarket steering wheel kits locally for this but made out of cheap plastic. I've returned the kit I've ordered two weeks ago just so I could get my money back (omg). I'll just CNC those myself... eventually. (Cheap plastics... one day in the sun and off it goes.. type thing lollll)

[thatguychad]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

I'm with you RE the touch at 200km. I'll be looking at adding steering wheel BT controls during 2018. E.g. some fancy CNC that clamps on each side of the wheel... copying what Porsche did already really... nothing 'new'.

That's a nice compromise (maybe even an improvement) between my desire for hardware buttons on the unit itself and your full touchscreen concept.

[Nine8Six]

Below are the ones I've ordered - just to have a try. Works fine, you can program them with the software it comes with.

just not for me though...

I'll eventually CNC my own e.g. finish them quality brushed metal with solid 'metal' spring switches. Something like that... will be fun (beware, porsche/style copy again lollll)

[MWS]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

lolll "real knob"... you'd love this capacitive/touch trackbar. One light tap and that's it - set.

Don't be too quick to discount tactile input. Sure, an "all glass" interface is really cool looking, but the feel of a turn of a knob or a push/click of a button is not only intuitive, it provides mental feedback as to the status of the operation attempted. As an example, imagine being blindfolded and handed a physical keyboard; within a few seconds, your fingers will find home, and typing is not an issue. Now imagine blindfolded and handed a tablet; the output of which (if anything) would be "hkbvefhvjhfebelll" (apologies if this means something in Norwegian).

Also, per your advice, I am raising my fee from 2 cents to 3 to compensate for the new gas tax increase in our state.

Cheers, best of luck, and keep us updated.

[Nine8Six]

We should make friend, I share your exact same opinions! I'm a Rock Start man (part-time, at home, imaginary audience and all). Played rhythm and lead guitar on my custom mappleneck Jackson's for +30 years now... "tactile buttons"?! Hell... I express feeling-of-the-day throughout 20x of those buttons daily lolll If our hardware would be all replaced with digital trackbars I'd be the 1st to set this world on fire

Some of my knobs even ticks and feedback lolll (in the context of guitar knobs, pls)

But hey, it is what it is and I am getting a nice and fat slider for the master volume in my 986. Could Photoshop it and make it look like a "real/physical" studio style trackbar also, would that help mentally you think? loll

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

I'm a Rock Start man (part-time, at home, imaginary audience and all). Played rhythm and lead guitar on my custom mappleneck Jackson's for +30 years now...

We need pics!!!!

Circa 1993:


Edit: I'm the one in the middle with the Carvin Tele style guitar....

[Nine8Six]

Last week, while in transit between a city to another, the guy sitting next to me in the train said; "it would be nice to have the option to set a personalized background to your app?". So to save us both from dying of boreness, we did this together right there on the laptop lolll

You can now upload a 1024*600 background.png/jpg to the system. Route 66 below (I think) is meant for dev only, I plan on replacing this with the picture of my wife of course, but also like the solid black background (personally). Anyway, the option is there if needed

I've also set the live spectrum to transparent. Bounce nicely to the beat without being distracting to the driver a-la-previous version. A bit light for some but still very visually pleasant imo

986 candies:

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by steved0x

We need pics!!!!

Circa 1993:
Edit: I'm the one in the middle with the Carvin Tele style guitar....

You are tad better looking than I am so I won't upload the jamming sessions we got on pics here... all very sweaty stuff anyway. Since its a Porsche/986 forum, here's one. Spot the 986!

and no, I don't keep a toy car in my guitar case lolll that'd be the beginning of the end

[Nine8Six]

Quick Update:

Its Saturday!!! 10:57AM, third coffee and seeing rainbows already. Below is just a preview of the theme styles the prototype will have to live with for a few extra weeks. I'm at a stage where I have pretty much all code libraries and user controls squared out and nicely debugged. Proof of concept basically.

So until we settle all of the features that will eventually need plug-in, we'll toss away the User Graphical Interface(and freak coding) aside and start drafting the digital twin of the assembly in NX. We have so much to do; from ordering cabling & connectors to designing heat sinks and coming up with a proven thermally managed enclosure!

I'll update later this weekend on the hardware I've settle for external GPS, still trying to get this running at the minute - might get the 4th coffee lolll.

Until them, here goes some proper thread painting stuff



^ The package is set to this "Silver" by default. Got Hot Pink also and something like 128 other colors to chose from loll





and so on.... you get the idea. The only 2 DIN kit "In-The-World" that is designed with the option to set any RGB color. OEM Dash & Accessory lights match or money back

[Nine8Six]

But but but I've changed my dash leds for blue ones :/ No worries, you have the theme that goes along! And last one, this wouldn't be completed without the Crimson Red... got to be seen on the IPS display with the back-light, it is hilariously mental

Sure to driving you nuts also LOL

[Wallace River]

It's 6:25 am in Nova Scotia and I remain mightily impressed with what's ahead of us. And it usually takes a lot to do that at 6:25 am. Carry on Fred!!!

[Nine8Six]

When I wrote a week ago that I would update at the end of the weekend, I meant this weekend

Quick Update:



Half way setting up our digital twin. The core parts anyway! We’ve got the mainboard and power management PCBs modeled along with a few connectors. Remaining parts have yet to arrive at GT Labs loll so we’ll model those once they've reached and passed prototype phase (hoping next week). Talking about USB hub PCB, the audio jacks, some wire gauge and other connectors/terminals (to mention a few).



I’ve also successfully carried out data acquisition for thermal management. We’ll need this down the line to run flow sims. In all honesty, the only two components that are generating ‘significant’ heat, or those that we need to maintain if you prefer, are the Intel’s graphic & processor chips. Gathering this data was achieved (quite successfully in fact, thank you!) using the C# OpenHardwareMonitor library; recording processor’s heat and power over time periods. Of course this data was gathered when the CPU was max out e.g. HD video playback + a few C random but complex expressions running as background service at 10ms intervals. That was the most brutal benchmarking I could come up with quickly e.g constant 90~100% CPU usage for 10min each runs. Got hot, glad it lived up (no fan) lollll



Once the sim models are out, we’ll be able to gauge the CFM required for the in & out flow and most importantly, we’ll know how and where to cut our heatsink’s fins (or pins, we’ll see).

Lots of work to come, fun stuff; late evenings, weekends if I can, even during traveling - I am not in Shanghai atm

(back this coming weekend)

Tc friends

[JayG]

Only one word
WOW!!

[kjc2050]

Wow. We are so lucky to have you as a member of this forum. Amazing, Fred!!!

[BruceH]

I hope you are planning on making a lot of these Fred! These are going to be VERY popular Incredible work

[Nine8Six]

Wow wow, its pay day! Kind words guys As much as I do this all-for-myself (trying?!) I always keep the fine folks of this board involved for sure - trying hard anyway. Happy to see some love for the tech things!

Originally Posted by BruceH

I hope you are planning on making a lot of these Fred! These are going to be VERY popular Incredible work

Captain, thx bud. Haha yea, hope to share a few but lets hope this doesn't get 'popular'. Can't imagine doing more than 10 or 20 max. You got to have some respect for the folks who does this all day long I tell ya. It's all bloody microscopic and fancy lolll Well, not microscopic but geez its small. Soldering with 0.8mm and most if not all needs magnification.

Light-weight in mind, all harnesses PET Sleeved, copper, shielded, low resistance material testing, gold plated this & that, just a nightmare to custom-made-to-order this thing enough for myself

We'll see. If this ever gets out, we'll find a new girlfriend here with small fingers and patient enough to rig a few kits for us. I am so not 'assembling' those myself (or alone anyway) LOL



^ One thing coffee doesn't work well with; soldering miniature electrical components. Best done when exhausted or half dead... kinda thing. Toxic soldering smoke & fumes rocks also, pcb handling and all (also toxic lolll). Cheap Drugs, you guys should try one day

[sppdev]

looks like clean and proper work - looking forward to the result. will it be available for members to buy?

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by sppdev

looks like clean and proper work - looking forward to the result. will it be available for members to buy?

Only members, absolutely. Straight out of the Ultimate GT Collection my friend

And.. it looks clean until you wire these thing (to be real here)... then everything starts looking like a mess lolll Good news is everything is CAD modeled and terminated using the Electrical Routing add-on from NX. So we'll be able to route all of this miniature stuff with real wire size/gauge and make it look and feel tidy without having to 'kink' anything so to fit! That's the plan anyway

Keep in mind this kit you see here actually fits in one of your hand :/ Hard work lollll


Quick Update:

Finally have the Wi-Fi squared for the kit. Overkill but hey, it works.

The Bluetooth connectivity is already pretty good on the kit but wifi needed to be addressed and replaced with something that actually works. I plan on streaming data using either a mobile or a 4G router, undecided yet, but one thing that needs to work OOTB is the wifi - or I just don’t want it.

So I’ve recently picked up a stack of those antennas for 2.4ghz to prototype with and shortlisted the (to me) best 3 models. I think we have a pretty good range to start with here.





^ By default an SMD port will be planned on the back of the enclosure and the 3db short range antenna will be standard. Light-weight, compact (60mm), and works better than all the others, for short range anyway. Well, short range… I can still pick up medium-to-strong wifi signals from across the street with this kit (40-50meter away) so I think this will be more than enough for a 3meter sq cabin loll. However and if you are a real data performance and signal freak, keep reading… I have better options




^ That other option is a 5db. That will work well if you need to link up the car with your 100-150 meter away home router (for instance). External antenna, 3mm slim so can easily be concealed in a trim anywhere you need it to be. Hidden behind the plastic trim between the windshield and the door frame would be ideal (just next to the cluster).




^ The last one is a magnetic base type with a pretty solid 15db. Expansive though ($8 lolll). Required if unlike myself, you are a hacker and want to download your town’s CBD or do nocturnal war driving (I used to be a ‘hacker’, so we called them 20 years ago). You’ll have a full and steady 2~3mb transfer rate over 2.4Ghz wifi within 150~300meter using this kit. There is also sufficient lead to reach the frunk where you could conceal this little bad boy into. Mean mean mean stuff




^ This 2db directional ant will be thrown in the kit also but won't be supported nor the idea! It works 'okay' but the data stream isn't too stable. The only advantage to this one is it mount internally, hidden in the enclosure. FREE inside loll (crap stuff x10).

Atm this will do for the 2.4ghz connectivity collection! Already mentioned; I am using a generic SMD terminal so you can source your own, in any colors!

Good Good Data!

[PaulE]

Fred this is amazing, even though the chance of me buying one is remote I am following this thread with great interest. Would it be feasible/possible to incorporate a TPMS function? I'm not encumbered with technical knowledge so it's easy for me to think big! I do know from my own work that expanding a project to have every possible bell and whistle is a good way to fail. There are lots of aftermarket TPMS systems out now that use a solar powered monitor that sticks to the top of the dash or plugs into the cigarette lighter. How cool would it be if TPMS could be a readout on your unit?

This is an example of one of the TPMS kits available -

[Nine8Six]

Paul, I think you could even do this yourself? I'm serious bud. The IC (SP370-23-106-0) is $10 and a breadboard and mcu is around another $10. Bet you only need access to max 5 pins of the sensor. For the coding part just contact the manufacturer and they'll shoot over samples in C language for you to interface this in a snap. Normally how it works, for me anyway.

Mind you the kit has already a built-in MCU (ATmega32u4) with more digital and analog pins that you'll ever need for a car (I think?). You also have access to SPI/CPU if you need more serious processing!

Creative Developer's Dream Kit, basically.

So things like these, all good ideas I agree (tire pressure IS important), but if we do it all there will be nothing left for the chaps to have fun with Atm we need the unit to be available, simply made and reliable. That'd be a good start Goodies later bud!

PS: We already have a fella here who is already deep into prototyping his own applications with the same kit. I believe (I've been told) he is working onto an active suspension system. He is apparently using the can-bus ABS raw, add-on accelerators & gyro 'and process over the CPU'. Crazy stuff... all above my head of course but none the less, can't wait to see what ppl does with it.

Limitless, they say lolll