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Coop's temp gauge had me thinking on this prior, I think a round LCD screen could fit over/outside the center gauge without fully obstructing the tach, or you could get one big enough to fill the gauge completely and do tach in software. The tilt of the plastic may make it a bit wonky, but if the viewing angle works on the screen it seems possible. You'd have to integrate it into something that would press fit around the cluster, but the aluminum gauge trim pieces you can buy are an example of how this looks good in general. If the exterior .1 and .2 dash dimensions are the same then that makes life easier, and it would be a reversible install which wouldn't require actually cracking open the cluster. A small (~1.28 inch watch face) screen could possibly fit right in the middle without obstructing either the tach or the original screen.
The floating screen in the below thread still looks like the best bet for getting a large amount of screen space almost in vision while driving, and adding a companion screen in the cluster could be interesting alongside that. I feel like it should be possible to get some kind of floating screen setup without having to cut into the trim like the other install, something anchored to the hazard screw hole seems like it should work.
Unsure, but doubtful... I doubt the market is very large (since it's 996.1 only) and wouldn't be a simple plug-and-play installation. End-user support would be the killer and not worth my time unless the price was very, very high, which would make it sell less. Most likely, I'll release all the details (code, PCB designs, 3d printed parts, etc.) as open-source once I'm happy with it and have actually tested it in my car.
No plans for those right now. The left one handles the odometer, and I don't want to mess with that (for resale value). The right one handles the oil level check, which I don't want to bother recreating. The center one only handles speed, which is easy to replicate, and the onboard computer (range, mileage, etc.), which is pretty much worthless (to me), so it made the most sense as the one to replace.
How are you decoding the signals from the cluster or ECU?
How are you decoding the signals from the cluster or ECU?
Currently, from the cluster. The cluster receives the analog signals from every sensor it displays. As far as I can tell, the cluster is on the K-line for diagnostics purposes, but not to receive any data from the DME.
Eventually, I'd prefer to fetch coolant temp from the DME so it's more accurate.
I have a 996.1 GT3 myself and have been thinking to get oil temp visible someway but haven't got around to it yet. I'll keep the cluster original but had some ideas on how to show it on it.
I have a 996.1 GT3 myself and have been thinking to get oil temp visible someway but haven't got around to it yet. I'll keep the cluster original but had some ideas on how to show it on it.
Awesome! I'll email you when I get to that point. What IC are you using for Kline ISO communication? I just picked up a few MC33290 ICs but haven't played around with them yet. I'm not sure yet if the oil temp can be pulled from the Kline at the cluster. I'm crossing my fingers that it is. But I'll need to sniff the communication between Durametic/PIWIS first to see if the oil temp comes from the typical Kline pin on the OBD2 connector or the other Porsche proprietary Kline pin.
I made a spot on the board for the option to solder on a SN65HVD100 on the rear of the board in addition to the SN65HVD230 that is on the top side of the board for CAN. But I haven't gotten around to fiddling with the LIN/Kline stuff yet.
@MagnusT coudl you use one of the can boards as a can sniffer the try and decode the AC control module? The standard 996.2 HVAC controls suck and I want to see if the controls can be reverse engineered to work on a separate interface like the Grayhill canbus modules etc
@MagnusT coudl you use one of the can boards as a can sniffer the try and decode the AC control module? The standard 996.2 HVAC controls suck and I want to see if the controls can be reverse engineered to work on a separate interface like the Grayhill canbus modules etc
It's just a piece of hardware with no code on. But it's easy to write simple Arduino code for a sniffer that dumps out everything over USB, bluetooth or wifi. But you can instead also just load ESP32RET onto it and use savvycan to sniff CAN traffic if you don't want to write any code.
Connect to K-line to read additional OBD2 data (intake air temp, codes, etc.)
Create a menu system that can be navigated with the 4th stalk for the OEM OBC, or use the clock button on the cluster to cycle through different screens.
I'm open to any suggestions or ideas you all have. Thanks!
These two tasks alone sound like the biggest fish to fry, but will be so freaking cool when pulled off. Watching it done on E30's has me bracing for impact though (either labor hours or cost).
If everything works, one high-value thing that race dashes offer over OEMs is programmable limits (alarms). If oil temp goes over say 275F, water temp over 200F, etc. Bringing info to attention instead of having to scan the gauges is just objectively better.
These two tasks alone sound like the biggest fish to fry, but will be so freaking cool when pulled off. Watching it done on E30's has me bracing for impact though (either labor hours or cost).
If everything works, one high-value thing that race dashes offer over OEMs is programmable limits (alarms). If oil temp goes over say 275F, water temp over 200F, etc. Bringing info to attention instead of having to scan the gauges is just objectively better.
100% agreed. I see a visual or audible alarm as one of the most important features. I don't want to be constantly watching my gauges to know the temps are out of range.