Without my kids, life would be pretty boring in comparison! 
Project: Custom Spoiler Control Module
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 124
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, Texas
uhhhhh.... lets see..... uhhhhhhh...... ITS FOR THE TRACK. 
Uhhhhh... it's for the AUTOBAHN.
Uhhhhhh.... it's for the AUTOSTRADA.
ya ya that's the ticket (or, aplogies to The Grinch "He thought up a LIE and he thought it up QUICK")
Uhhhhh... it's for the AUTOBAHN.
Uhhhhhh.... it's for the AUTOSTRADA.
ya ya that's the ticket (or, aplogies to The Grinch "He thought up a LIE and he thought it up QUICK")
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
My company could easily make and mass produce this if the quantity is high enough. Just need to know how many and I can quote. Given that it could be just a simple 2-layer board and get rid of the lead resistors and caps. Cange everything to SMD and we can get a high-quality piece that will exceed OEM. Let me know cowtown. By the way, my company specializes in vehicle simulations and data aquisitons. We make and design all our own I/O cards. Imagine and board about 3 x 3 inches and 7 layers about 1000 parts the size of dust and you have the most powerful I/O card in the world. This could be fun since I could put it on my 993!
Dindo
Dindo
Three Wheelin'
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,717
Likes: 27
From: oceanside, ca
cowtown - good work and congrats on the baby!!
Im wondering if you are thinking a DIY kit or just complete assembly? I, like you, love learning and to me its enough of a challenge to build the module based on your original. I understand that others dont want to mess with it and would prefer a complete module. Either way, you could recover your time/costs if you offer the boards or a BOM kit for those that want to build themselves and save a little $$. Im still using the OBDI DIY board and LOVE IT! Already saved me money by disabling a false airbag warning when my steering wheel was out.
Im wondering if you are thinking a DIY kit or just complete assembly? I, like you, love learning and to me its enough of a challenge to build the module based on your original. I understand that others dont want to mess with it and would prefer a complete module. Either way, you could recover your time/costs if you offer the boards or a BOM kit for those that want to build themselves and save a little $$. Im still using the OBDI DIY board and LOVE IT! Already saved me money by disabling a false airbag warning when my steering wheel was out.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 424
Likes: 4
Hi All,
Here is an attempt to answer a bunch of previous messages. In the next message I post, I'll address the "challenges" of making this a kit or product.
It's doable but I'm going to need help with a couple things.
I also need to make sure everyone understands that this is my amateur-level design work. It's been very reliable on my car (no failures at all), but I have no MTBF (mean time before failure) information on the parts I used, and I can't guarantee it will work for 10 years (or 2 years). I think it is pretty well-designed and will last a good long time, but who knows? So we'd need a common understanding of warranty issues/support, etc. But I'm willing to give it a shot if others want to try it. It's also possible that a few of you could beta-test it and any needed refinements could be put in before a bunch of people get it.
Thanks! Mom and baby are doing great. We are tired but fine.
This would be doable, because there is +12 switched ignition AND +12 constant (used to drive the tail motor) going into the box. It would take a secondary power supply to drop both lines to +5 for the chip to monitor. In other words, a smallish board change and a code change. There would have to be lots of interest to make it worthwhile but it could be done. With the existing board design and a code change, the spoiler could raise on motor start, but you'd have to lower it manually before shutting off the ignition.
I'd have to price it out. Off the cuff I'd say $200-250. I have to pay retail on parts and buy small quantities so they are kind of steep.
Thanks. See my next post for what needs doing to make this viable.
I'd be OK assembling a limited quantity for folks, and also OK providing a kit. I doubt this is worth licensing or really "productizing" (yes I have a marketing background 
) but could be wrong. Free time will be my constraint here.
The code is loaded on to a PIC 16f627. It's nonvolatile memory and is infinitely (more or less) reprogrammable.
Just a hobby. I'm a middle-management cog in the machine for a living.
Those speeds are just constants declared at the top of the program code. They are all configurable, and can be different for each unit. It's literally a 5-second change to set them as desired.
From what I've read the 964 has a main module and backup module. I really don't know.
Legal issues aside, that's why I bought a '95
That's a great idea and I've put it in the code. Good safety precaution. Credit to wayne325.
Glad to hear it. The OBD-I reader circuit was designed by Ray (raycm) - I just did the board layout. He designed a great tool.
On the spoiler module: I'm open to building a few or setting up kits, as long as everyone understands this is not a stress-tested product (yet, but it could be if we get some testers going), and also if we can overcome the couple issues I'll describe in my next post.
Colin
Here is an attempt to answer a bunch of previous messages. In the next message I post, I'll address the "challenges" of making this a kit or product.
It's doable but I'm going to need help with a couple things.
I also need to make sure everyone understands that this is my amateur-level design work. It's been very reliable on my car (no failures at all), but I have no MTBF (mean time before failure) information on the parts I used, and I can't guarantee it will work for 10 years (or 2 years). I think it is pretty well-designed and will last a good long time, but who knows? So we'd need a common understanding of warranty issues/support, etc. But I'm willing to give it a shot if others want to try it. It's also possible that a few of you could beta-test it and any needed refinements could be put in before a bunch of people get it.
Chuck W.-Congratulations. Take your time and enjoy your new addition. This is a great time in your life. Hope Mom and baby are well.
brucec59-Now, what about setting it to go up when you turn on the ignition and down when you turn it off? That would be tricky because the power to the spoiler would be off when you turn off the ignition...
macanswer-So, any idea of what the cost would be to produce these for a group buy? Like many of you I have always thought the Ruf module was too much money for what it does but I really don't like the way my spoiler works in real world driving. I've been considering changing to a fixed wing for just that reason (and the looks) but if the stock spoiler could be made to work more logically I might just keep it.
Sumtoc-Let us know if there is something we can do to make this easier for you....
wayne325-There are lots of things you can do:
Turn it into a real product
Make it available as a kit with all the parts needed.
Make the board and a parts list available
License it to someone who does the first thing
Run away
What are your thoughts?
PS I wish I'd done it first. Good stuff.
Turn it into a real product
Make it available as a kit with all the parts needed.
Make the board and a parts list available
License it to someone who does the first thing
Run away
What are your thoughts?
PS I wish I'd done it first. Good stuff.
) but could be wrong. Free time will be my constraint here.
mborkow-that's awesome! how are you doing the code?
edward-Wow, Colin, very impressive work indeed ...is electronics your day job or are you just that good a tinkerer!!!
One question, though: why did you choose spoiler down at 15mph? I love the idea of up at 65 @ 10 seconds continuous (brilliant!!), so what are your thoughts about down at around 5mph so when decelerating in traffic it doesn't drop only to rise again as the pace picks up? Just a suggestion
Marc Shaw-Very cool - any idea if this would work in a 964 too?
Howdy993-I'd be interested too - Have you considered working on the CEL / SAI electronics??
Wayne325-Anyhow. I have a suggestion for an improvement to the program. My understanding is that
the tail has an aerodynamic function - to reduce lift at the **** end of the car at high speed.
Using your program if I mat the gas at say 40 MPH, with a 10s delay after 65 the car is going
to be going like 120MPH or more by the time the tail starts to rise and by the time the tail is
fully extended the car could be over 140 MPH. I don't think you want the tail down at that speed.
So. The improvement is:
Put up tail if tail is down and:
(switch is activated UP
OR car goes 65 MPH or more for 10s continuously
OR car goes 75 MPH) <--- This is the new part.
THis way, on my high speed blast example the tail will start to go up at 75 and by the time
I'm at 100 or so it's fully extended.
What do you think?
the tail has an aerodynamic function - to reduce lift at the **** end of the car at high speed.
Using your program if I mat the gas at say 40 MPH, with a 10s delay after 65 the car is going
to be going like 120MPH or more by the time the tail starts to rise and by the time the tail is
fully extended the car could be over 140 MPH. I don't think you want the tail down at that speed.
So. The improvement is:
Put up tail if tail is down and:
(switch is activated UP
OR car goes 65 MPH or more for 10s continuously
OR car goes 75 MPH) <--- This is the new part.
THis way, on my high speed blast example the tail will start to go up at 75 and by the time
I'm at 100 or so it's fully extended.
What do you think?
tj90-Im wondering if you are thinking a DIY kit or just complete assembly? I, like you, love learning and to me its enough of a challenge to build the module based on your original. I understand that others dont want to mess with it and would prefer a complete module. Either way, you could recover your time/costs if you offer the boards or a BOM kit for those that want to build themselves and save a little $$. Im still using the OBDI DIY board and LOVE IT! Already saved me money by disabling a false airbag warning when my steering wheel was out.
On the spoiler module: I'm open to building a few or setting up kits, as long as everyone understands this is not a stress-tested product (yet, but it could be if we get some testers going), and also if we can overcome the couple issues I'll describe in my next post.
Colin
Rennlist Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 13,460
Likes: 767
Any thought to doing a simple (less expensive?) version that's similar to the now-unavailable Ruf module? Maybe up at around 70 to 75, down at <5. I have modest needs and an even modest-er bank account...
-Jim
-Jim
Last edited by jimbo3; Jan 14, 2007 at 12:05 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 424
Likes: 4
Yep, it would be less than the RUF module if it's available, but it wouldn't be the bargain of the century either. It's the nature of one-off electronics - no economies of scale. Let me think on the price a bit more - the $200-250 is a first stab at it.
As to a version that does less, the parts count can't be decreased much. No matter how simple the behavior gets, you still need the circuits in place.
As to a version that does less, the parts count can't be decreased much. No matter how simple the behavior gets, you still need the circuits in place.
Last edited by cowtown; Jan 14, 2007 at 05:23 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 424
Likes: 4
In a nutshell, here are the obstacles:
1) I can't find a source for the male connector. I had to fab one, which is not viable for a kit or assembly. It's a 12-pin, two-row connector with 7mm pin spacing and 14mm row spacing. See pic below, and here is a link with more pictures. Can anyone help with this?
2) Case size with this board is slightly large. It WILL fit in the stock location but I should probably compact it. That means finding a new case too. Or maybe it's OK as-is.
Sorry about the poor focus on the picture. The rear one with the LEDs is the project in the aluminum box, the front one is the stock module.
1) I can't find a source for the male connector. I had to fab one, which is not viable for a kit or assembly. It's a 12-pin, two-row connector with 7mm pin spacing and 14mm row spacing. See pic below, and here is a link with more pictures. Can anyone help with this?
2) Case size with this board is slightly large. It WILL fit in the stock location but I should probably compact it. That means finding a new case too. Or maybe it's OK as-is.
Sorry about the poor focus on the picture. The rear one with the LEDs is the project in the aluminum box, the front one is the stock module.
Last edited by cowtown; Jan 14, 2007 at 07:33 PM.