[DMCForum] Re: DeLorean Video Dashboard

["therealdmcvegas" <dmcvegas@xxxxxxxxx>]

That's not ranting at all. The thing is that when it comes to
customizing your instrument cluster, there really are no options out
there available to anyone, unless you own an oldschool Hot Rod.

Hot Rods are great, because you can fabricate a metal panel, and cut
holes in it as needed to mount gagues, and create custom clusters. But
for more modern cars, all you have are indiglo, or metal overlays for
the gaugues, and custom trim rings where applicable. Something like
this would have a HUGE value to the after market.

Currently, the only people out there for custom, electronic gagues is
Dakota Digital. And I've gotta tell you, their products are shit. The
only thing worse, is their customer service. At SEMA a couple of years
ago, I asked the guy at the booth about making a custom gague set.
Instead of everything being squared off, of they could take their
gagues, and make them curve around, or at least change colors. The guy
gave me a dirty look, and said that no, they couldn't do that. And he
didn't even know that they had ever made a conversion kit for the
DeLorean, when he asked what kind of car this was for.

Of all the custom aftermarket modifications that you can do to a car,
the instrument cluster has remained fairly untouched by anyone. If you
could market various sized LCD monitors, with custom binnacle inserts
to fit vehicles (which isn't too hard, since manufacturers share parts
so often), and a universal box that could easily interface with the
ODB-II systems of a car, you'd have a product that would sell.
Especially if it contained a flash drive inside for you to dock with
and store the widgets on, while you cusomize the displays right on
your computer ahead of time. You'd have a mini desktop to drag and
drop the widgets to. It would know what programs to load, and would
remember what X,Y positions to place them at, along with custom wall
paper you chose. You'd have an winner. People would FLOCK to these
things, and install them in every customized car under the sun.

If state emissions stations can connect ODB-II readers that scan O2,
and other sensors, then this could easily be done.

-Robert



--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Nathan C. Skalsky" <ncskalsk@xxxx>
wrote:
<SNIP>
> Any I'm ranting. It is a interesting project especially for learning
about
> designing and programming embedded system-based products, would be a
great
> systems engineering project.  I think there is value to such an
> reconfigurable instrument cluster, but likely not enough value to
justify
> the costs to a startup developer.
> 
> > 1. Monitor washout in sunlight. What type of displays is being used?
> > Most displays are virtually impossible to see outdoors. Even in the
> > cockpit of a car, this could be an issue.
> Good Point, this is why automotive engineers almost exclusively use
Vacuum
> Florescent Displays VFD or more recently OLEDs / high lumen EL, you'll
> rarely see a 'traditional' chemical display..
> 
> 
> -Nate
> 11501

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