DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

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shinny
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DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

So, I've been thinking about data logging a little bit recently. It dawned on me that it should be really easy to log the following on any SW20 without installing any extra sensors:

* Speed
* Revs
* Voltage
* Boost / Vacuum
* Lambda / Narrowband AFR
* IAT
* MAT (rev3+ turbos only, preferably with a RIAT installed)
* Coolant temperature
* TPS

All these can be picked up from either the ECU or from behind the dash. Except for the speed and the revs, all the others are 0-5V signals and therefore could easily be read by an Arduino board. Once read by the microcontroller, the values can be logged onto SD card and / or displayed on some form of screen. Not only will this give you a cheap and easy "multi gauge" for a good number of engine metrics but data from the SD card could then be used to create graphs and video overlays.

Obviously the sky is the limit with what else you might want to connect, although these are some possibilities that require extra parts to be fitted:

* Wideband AFR (trivial provided you have a wideband controller fitted)
* Oil temperature
* Oil pressure

I'm not too sure what a normal data logging setup would cost; however the shopping list I ordered last night totals a fraction over £60. AFAIK that's already a bit of a bargain, although I could probably knock £15-£20 off that by using an LCD display rather than OLED one and shipping parts from China rather than the UK. This is what I've ordered:

* Funduino Mega 2560 (Arduino compatible)
* SD card module
* 16x2 character red OLED module
* Thumb joystick module
* DS3231 RTC module
* 80 jumper leads

In addition I'll need (and mostly already have):

* Multicore cable to reach the ECU
* A 5V regulated power supply
* A few assorted resistors
* Some form of case (I hope it will all fit in a single DIN storage tray)
* An SD card

Knowing me, this may take me forever to actually implement, but I'll try to get onto it more rapidly that normal. Needless to say, I'll aim to document the physical connections and open-source the software so that other people can replicate whatever I come up with.


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Smitty1977

Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by Smitty1977 »

If you could get it working you could always start knocking them out to order should sell quite well.
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

Smitty1977 wrote:If you could get it working you could always start knocking them out to order should sell quite well.
The thought had crossed my mind... however the moment I consider a mark-up that makes it worth my time to produce for other people, it stops being a bargain. I'd much rather share my work for free (assuming I get it working) and let people customise it for their own use (different displays, mounting locations, sensor setups etc.)

Anyway, consdiering production is jumping the gun. The first thing that's required is to actually make the thing. :laughing
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Smitty1977

Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by Smitty1977 »

shinny wrote:
Smitty1977 wrote:If you could get it working you could always start knocking them out to order should sell quite well.
The thought had crossed my mind... however the moment I consider a mark-up that makes it worth my time to produce for other people, it stops being a bargain. I'd much rather share my work for free (assuming I get it working) and let people customise it for their own use (different displays, mounting locations, sensor setups etc.)

Anyway, consdiering production is jumping the gun. The first thing that's required is to actually make the thing. :laughing

Well knowing you in the 2 years it is going to take for you to start putting this little lot together either the MR2 may well be extint or someone else will beat you to it and be selling them for a tenner a peice on ebay :clapping:
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

Smitty1977 wrote:Well knowing you in the 2 years it is going to take for you to start putting this little lot together either the MR2 may well be extint or someone else will beat you to it and be selling them for a tenner a piece on ebay :clapping:
Precisely!

TBH, last time I looked at productising some electronics I gave up after the prototypes as actually productising something physical is of little interest to me. Of course this means Gaz and I have the only two boards in existence... I should probably release the schematic for my mirror folding mod at some point for other people to build :blush:

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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by Chris_D »

Sorry, I'm ahead of you. Won't be quite as cheap as yours but as you say, add im production costs & markups and the price will be similar.

http://www.gt4dc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6240

Hoping to have the first phase on the market by the autumn, prototype will be in my MR2 by the event mid June (watch my build thread).
It can read the ECU sensors directly by using high impedance 0-5V input and the ECU pull-ups (2K7), or it can be configured with pull-ups to allow separate sensors.
I'm also planning to interface with OBD2 / Canbus to allow people to run Torque on older cars or alternatively to read newer ECU's digitally to save wiring.

Once I'm ready to sell, I'll register as a trader on here too if there's interest.

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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

You are most certainly are a fair way ahead of me, and are clearly producing something much more professional. (I CBA with PCB production etc). Looks like we've been thinking along similar lines though...

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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by Chris_D »

If you have other 'products' that are worth putting into production but you're not interested in doing it, I'm happy to discuss a profit split / royalty type arrangement.
I see so many useful DIY / amateur type electronic projects on car forums that never make it to market & it's a shame. e.g. these cars are crying out for a remappable but otherwise standard ECU - and it's been done, but it's not on the market.
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

Chris_D wrote:If you have other 'products' that are worth putting into production but you're not interested in doing it, I'm happy to discuss a profit split / royalty type arrangement.
Well, I do have other ideas up my sleeve regarding what to do with an in-dash Arduino. Boost control is the next obvious step and has already been attempted by Marc2Turbo IIRC. However I've got an idea that would be appeal to the modified car scene in general if it could be done on a low enough budget; once I've got Arduino working in my car I will almost certainly give it a whirl :th:
Chris_D wrote:I see so many useful DIY / amateur type electronic projects on car forums that never make it to market & it's a shame. e.g. these cars are crying out for a remappable but otherwise standard ECU - and it's been done, but it's not on the market.
Actually, it's just going onto the market ;)

http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/showth ... VZ-FE-ECUs

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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by Chris_D »

Good news. Even better if it's packaged well as a product, i.e. 'exchange' for standard ECU and supplied with PC software to allow easy remapping.

I had given up on this as it's been in the pipeline for so long and started doing my own ECU with all the safeties of the standard ECU but at a decent price. It still can't replace the man years Toyota spent on mapping though.
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

Chris_D wrote:Good news. Even better if it's packaged well as a product, i.e. 'exchange' for standard ECU and supplied with PC software to allow easy remapping.

I had given up on this as it's been in the pipeline for so long and started doing my own ECU with all the safeties of the standard ECU but at a decent price. It still can't replace the man years Toyota spent on mapping though.
Indeed - I thought it had been abandoned and then last week I heard it was actually in production! :clapping:
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by GazRev1Tubby »

This thread just oozes win, and I for one will definitely be wanting one of these when they're finished :th:

Everyone asks about my mirrors mark, such a cool mod ;) :th:

Sent from my GT-I9300
1996 BPU Supra TT ;)
The deuce will surely be missed, until the second turbo comes online :th:
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by shinny »

GazRev1Tubby wrote:Everyone asks about my mirrors mark, such a cool mod ;) :th:
No-one asks about my mirrors :crybaby:
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Re: DIY data logging - ordered some parts to play with

Post by gavsdavs »

Good thread - will be interesting to see one in place...

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