[race_prep] 205 1.9 8V Hillclimb Car

[alexcrosse 124]

ECU is alive, CAN system works, trap door sump and baffle plate is on (cheers anthony ), checked the engine timing, drilled and helicoiled for oil temp and put the exhaust on. Getting some oil tomorrow before work, found sound nano tech millers oil that is an oil finally formulated for syncros and plated diffs, and then will get some engine oil too. Have to work some stupid hours at the moment, but hopefully should be starting tomorrow or wednesday

[alexcrosse 124]

Ok, still not running, got 2 temp faults I need to check over, and I think my earths need to be cleaned up a bit (paint taken off). Turns over though, fuel holds pressure, just need more current as things are dropping off.

[alexcrosse 124]

 

need to work on the base map lol, but first start.

[welshpug 1,626]

linkfail

 

 

Edited January 27, 2013 by welshpug

[alexcrosse 124]

haha cheers buddy.

[alexcrosse 124]

Having to do overtime so havent had much evening time this week, but had a really late one in the garage last night after the bonnet and pins were delivered. Just back pins to do and a little lip at the front to stop it coming up.

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Al

[the matt 13 2 Cars]

Looks sick blud! Base map is running better than my tweaked and developed Mini one!

[alexcrosse 124]

And after stripping making the switch box as small as it could physically be with an analogue system I decided it is still too big so bought one of these

 

 

geek excitementttt!!!!

[welshpug 1,626]

I recognise the name Ardunio, and see it has some kind of processor, but that's about it, my brother probably knows though having done computer science

 

 

What is it?

[alexcrosse 124]

its a microprocessor, computer, got a very compact circuit mounted relay board too. Means I can write C code onto the processor to do all switching rather than running relays and toggles, wiper relays, int relays etc, can get rid of it all, just some circuit mount buttons, a membrane screen.

 

I also have a few very very cool ideas to write in for all sorts of functionality.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Nice. Is it an AT90CAN?

 

If you have any issues drop me a PM. I've got a similar project here for someone that I can't really make public (and reminds me, I should really finish it!) but suffice to say I've gone where you're going . Well, I'm well down the road, although not at the destination yet

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Ah no, I can see now it's an ATMega2560. How are you going to interface to CAN then; your choice of CAN tranceiver/controller? Or am I missing something (apologies)?

 

Are you sure the relays on the shield board are up to whatever you want to drive, or are you going to use them to switch more traditional higher-current automotive relays?

[alexcrosse 124]

10a relays will be split carefully. can individually drive certain bulbs. its nothing to do with the ecu, already have logging on both ecu and dash, no need for owt else. def no need to do it considering the current market, like reinventing the wheel. this is in effect a bcm rather than pcm.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Oh, understand - thought all the talk of CAN previously was because you was going to read off that for your Arduino. Was thinking maybe you was going to do speed-related wipers, or switch on cooling fans/pumps/etc at given ECU signals or something.

 

I looked into the membrane panels. The panels themselves come out a nice price, but the tooling up charges are a killer X-(. I picked up a nice simple 4-button generic membrane from Farnell in the end, into which you can slide your own graphics. Should prove adequate. The other idea I had was a touch-screen LCD, just a small one, but you could easily generate any button configs you like upon one of those - actually much more flexible than a membrane really... you could even have the buttons dynamically change for any given scenario.

 

Ah well - will keep me eyes on!

[EdCherry 34 1 Cars]

Wow all this techy electrical speak between you too! All sounds awesome!

[Cameron 16]

This is basically Alex's sex-talk; he tries it on me all the time, but I ain't no holla-back girl.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

<laughs>

[alexcrosse 124]

coming up to 500 lines of c code after compiling quite a few individual simulation files.... must.... type... quicker.

 

And brumster - you can get a small 3.5" tft touch for as little as £20-30. But i decided against it, I think its best to have more physical switches in such a harsh environment, especially if you have gloves on. A childish screen will appear eventually... lol... but only secondary to everything that makes it function already.

 

Really impressed with this kit so far, even at this code and simulation level, very capable.

Edited February 8, 2013 by alexcrosse

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

I breadboard the DIP-package AVR's myself, have never really bothered with Arduino, but it was in it's infancy when I got into the Atmel microcontrollers - I quite like getting right down to the basics of it anyway. Everything coded in C via Atmel's IDE, AVR Studio (quite nice ow it's gone Visual Studio based).

 

I do have a prototyping development board (http://www.mikroe.com/bigavr/) which is nice for getting things up and running initially, but I prefer to then move to custom boards fab'd by PCB Train or otherwise I protoboard it if it's a one-off. My desk is littered with breadboards of different little projects

[the matt 13 2 Cars]

I am completely lost by your talk of what this device does. Yet I'm confident I'll be suitably impressed at Prescott!

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Microcontrollers are basically very small, single-chip "computers" with a set numbers of pins which can be controlled as either inputs, outputs or both, by code that you write yourself and upload into the microcontroller (MCU). The features available on the pins vary from model to model. Typically you have some pins that can be driven as digital outputs (on or off), or used to sense digital inputs. You will also have some analogue-to-digital pins that can sense a varying voltage, for example testing the resistance across a temperature sender. You often have PCM outputs that can create pulsed square-wave signals that you can configure as you want in code - for driving transistors, for example, or motor relays. Most MCUs then have additional 'cool' features, such as SPI pins (a standardised means of serial communication between microcontroller components) - so you can interface your MCU with hundred of other custom-builts chips out there - USB controllers, CAN transceivers, wireless network devices, LCD screens, gawd - you name it, it'll be out there).

 

The beauty is you can then write your own logic - however you want this little computer to work. So I presume Alex will have buttons/switches for things like lights, wipers, etc. and the MCU will drive relays to turn them on/off. But he can do clever logic, much like modern days cars do - for example write in the code a variable wash/wipe program, or put the car into 'race' mode which might change how the cooling fans, fuel pumps or power steering pump might work (for example).

[alexcrosse 124]

yep, exactly what he said. lots of wire is cumbersome, as are toggle switches and boxes for mounting everything. These are not. And yes clever coding can be done for special functions, such as the 'pin code' function I have programmed pre loop so that ignition cannot be turned on until you put the right pin in, which is useful in a car with no key... and requires no more buttons or wiring that what is already there.

[EdCherry 34 1 Cars]

Interested in how it turns out, up for making more?

[alexcrosse 124]

had come to mind. pm me

[alexcrosse 124]

 

YES! after spraying the bonnet with halfords alpine white, otherwise known as brown, I rubbed it back and got some propper paint from leonards paints in romford. Really pleased with how its come out, hope that it goes off enough tonight to bring it inside tomorrow so it can really go hard in the warm. Considering its not flatted back or anything its good.

 

Need to make another 'final touches' list now, sadly 'tax' and 'insurance' are on them $$$$$.

 

Cheers,

 

Alex