Diagnostics software/details
Diagnostics software/details
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Discussion

j_s_g

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
Has anybody got any software/connection details, etc. for plugging a laptop into the Tuscan? I'm wiring a laptop into the car, and as well as the usual jukebox/nav and having swanky satellite photography of the local terrain, I'd really like all the car's telemetry data plugging into it - pretty graphs of temperatures, etc would go down very nicely. I just don't know what's already out there for the Tuscan/if there are any specifications on the data returned/protocols, etc. Anything would help!

Cheers.

jrb43

879 posts

271 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
Sounds like you know what you're doing but as always a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So here's my little knowledge!!

ODBC is a standard code used in many engine management systems and there are various interfaces on the market that will probe it and return the values. What I'm not sure of is whether TVR uses ODBC or not. Given that they write their own chips (rather than buy it in from 3rd parties like Magnetti Marelli) there's no good reason why they should use it. If they do, your idea may well be practicable. If they don't, I can't see any reason why TVR would reveal details.

I'm sure that hasn't helped at all but I'm having a slow day at work for the first time in a while!!

ec1 eex

400 posts

258 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
I'd be very interested in this as well as I was considering installing a PC in my car too.
www.mp3car.com is a good source of info for installing PCs in cars. I can't see any references for TVRs on there though.

j_s_g

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
ec1 eex said:
I'd be very interested in this as well as I was considering installing a PC in my car too.
www.mp3car.com is a good source of info for installing PCs in cars. I can't see any references for TVRs on there though.
I've been chatting to Joolz tonight, and have a few ideas and leads on other stuff for getting car data. I really want to get the rest of the stuff sorted out first - navigation, etc. then look at the ECU stuff.

I'm considering setting up a little sideline selling full in-car kits. We're probably talking around £600 including a wide-screen touch-screen TFT monitor, GPS, a (second-hand) laptop included that should hopefully be DVD-equipped, all the necessary software, and also having it simply plug in to the cigarette lighter adapter rather than needing custom wiring/power inverters, etc. I'm just working on my prototype at the moment, checking out suppliers, etc.

I should've got all the necessary bits within a week or so, then I'll start looking at integrating all of the software. I'm currently debating whether to write my own mapping application that sits on top of MapPoint, or whether to go with an off the shelf solution (Destinator, etc). If you/anyone else's interested, drop me a mail and I'll start documenting what I'm doing to keep people posted.

j_s_g

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
jrb43 said:
Sounds like you know what you're doing but as always a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So here's my little knowledge!!

Wise words! I've never worked on a car ECU system before, but I've done quite a bit of embedded electronics, did my degree in Computer Science, etc. Looking at the box in the Tuscan, it's a standard MBE job; whether or not it's encrypted so that only the TVR diagnostics application can read all the data, I don't know. I'm guessing not, and that it's just the fuel-mapping that's encrypted. (That's a total guess!) I'm not interested in changing any of the settings in the least; I just want pretty pictures!

Cheers for your input, anyway, every bit of info helps and I'm quite new to the ECU lark.

ec1 eex

400 posts

258 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
There's an alpha version of a plugin for mappoint that gives voice directions which could save you a lot of work. You can find this at: www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=23940

I've already got a Via Epia motherboard, a Lilliput 7" VGA with touchscreen and a Haicom GPS unit. I just need to get some time to try it all out. Cabling will have to be something I sort out at a later date. I like the idea of parking my car outside and uploading MP3s for tomorrow's drive.

j_s_g

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Wednesday 7th April 2004
quotequote all
ec1 eex said:
There's an alpha version of a plugin for mappoint that gives voice directions which could save you a lot of work. You can find this at: www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=23940

I've already got a Via Epia motherboard, a Lilliput 7" VGA with touchscreen and a Haicom GPS unit. I just need to get some time to try it all out. Cabling will have to be something I sort out at a later date. I like the idea of parking my car outside and uploading MP3s for tomorrow's drive.

Pretty much the same kit I was going to install, but I like the idea of a laptop for lower power usage, and battery backup (and taking it into a hotel to watch DVDs in an evening when on driving holidays, etc.)

Quick question about the Lilliput - is that the 7" widescreen version? If so, what resolution does it run at? I've got conflicting info of 1024x768, and some crazy 2000x400 type resolution.

Cabling will be an interesting part of it - shouldn't be too bad in the Tuscan for getting to the lighter socket, as pulling the ashtray out's quite handy. The laptop should fit behind the passenger's seat quite nicely, too. Might be a bit tricker with one of those epia boards, as the ITX case'll be a bit thicker unless you get a custom one made.

Mine'll be 802.11g wireless networked to the house, and as there's 3 hours of power in the laptop battery, I'll have it switch on an hour before I get up each morning to download my mail, the news, etc. Then it can text-to-speech it for me whilst I'm driving.

ec1 eex

400 posts

258 months

Thursday 8th April 2004
quotequote all
Yes it's the 7" widescreen Lilliput screen I've got. Actual resolution is 800*480, but it displays 800*600 suprisingly well. It'll also show 1024*768, but that isn't so clear, and everything gets a bit small.
The 2400*480 pixels that I've seen quoted is true, but 3 pixels, 1 each of red, green & blue only make up one white pixel in my book

As well as VGA, there are two composite video inputs and one audio input (there is a small speaker in the back), and this strangely plugs into the screen using a USB plug (though it's got nothing to do with USB other than the shape & dimensions of the plug)

Tilting the angle of the screen from the top (or bottom) produces a very large change in brightness & screen clarity similar to that on the screen of an old Pentium II laptop I have. It's obvious that they aren't using the latest TFT technology.

The best location I can see for the screen is on the top of the radio "pod", but I haven't figured out a neat way to mount it yet. Obviously I want to remove the screen or at least hide it when I'm parked up in the street.

>> Edited by ec1 eex on Thursday 8th April 01:17

J_S_G

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Thursday 8th April 2004
quotequote all
ec1 eex said:
Yes it's the 7" widescreen Lilliput screen I've got. Actual resolution is 800*480, but it displays 800*600 suprisingly well. It'll also show 1024*768, but that isn't so clear, and everything gets a bit small.
The 2400*480 pixels that I've seen quoted is true, but 3 pixels, 1 each of red, green & blue only make up one white pixel in my book

As well as VGA, there are two composite video inputs and one audio input (there is a small speaker in the back), and this strangely plugs into the screen using a USB plug (though it's got nothing to do with USB other than the shape & dimensions of the plug)

Tilting the angle of the screen from the top (or bottom) produces a very large change in brightness & screen clarity similar to that on the screen of an old Pentium II laptop I have. It's obvious that they aren't using the latest TFT technology.

The best location I can see for the screen is on the top of the radio "pod", but I haven't figured out a neat way to mount it yet. Obviously I want to remove the screen or at least hide it when I'm parked up in the street.

Cheers for that. Agree with everything that I possibly can do there! Think I'll get myself one if it can do a reasonable 800x600... that's all I really need out of it.

I've noticed that they do a head-rest mount for the monitor. I was considering getting one of those and butchering it to fit between the radio pod & the top of the dash (same thoughts as you, really!)

powerlord

771 posts

257 months

Thursday 8th April 2004
quotequote all
I use a toshiba e750 pocket pc in my car.

runs gps software with voice, etc(toms), runs os maps, etc. Still trying to find the aerial photo ones somewhere in net for a 'trial'.

works a treat.

the newer pocket pcs like this one (400mhz xscale) will play divx movies of pretty good quality too, and does mp3, etc too.

tosh also has a usb connector which I can connect a little 2 1/2 inch HD too, give it all the storage space it needs.

A far more compact in-car solution, and actually cheap... you can get a new compaq 400mhz for 200 quid.

stu

j_s_g

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

266 months

Thursday 8th April 2004
quotequote all
powerlord said:
I use a toshiba e750 pocket pc in my car.

runs gps software with voice, etc(toms), runs os maps, etc. Still trying to find the aerial photo ones somewhere in net for a 'trial'.

works a treat.

the newer pocket pcs like this one (400mhz xscale) will play divx movies of pretty good quality too, and does mp3, etc too.

tosh also has a usb connector which I can connect a little 2 1/2 inch HD too, give it all the storage space it needs.

A far more compact in-car solution, and actually cheap... you can get a new compaq 400mhz for 200 quid.

stu

The e750's a good call. You can pick up the PPC 2002 version (e740) for £175 on EBay. I really want a nice big display, and lots of other gadgets, too... I'll probably have rear parking camera wired into it before I'm finished, etc. Mail me offline and I might be able to point you in the right direction of some aerial photography - not sure what your mileage will be getting it to run on a PPC device, though.