Thinking about going this route, need more info

Started by Cody_h12v, October 10, 2018, 07:22:53 PM

Cody_h12v

So what's install like? No hardware wise but software wise? What pins does it use with the Arduino? Can I use a screen with this? Can I use an Arduino mega? Is the little black box even available for purchase still?

hakcenter

Should still have units for sale, there's quite a few sitting on my desk
TS2009 Deḇarim 8:2
"And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.

Cody_h12v

Quote from: hakcenter on October 10, 2018, 10:33:24 PM
Should still have units for sale, there's quite a few sitting on my desk
Excellent, could you help me with some of my other questions, I want to expand on the program a little bit more and documentation is decent but does not answer the questions I have

Cody_h12v

Guess it would help if you knew what the plans were. Trying to make a gauge/tuner system using a Arduino and the lilbb. Want to be able to tap the screen and change it from a fuel efficiency mode to a race mode. And add an engine brake also since I'll have that capability, plus some other goodies.

Rx7man

I used a Mega with it, but I had to shuffle some pins around (SPI interface pins are different) and that meant I needed another board between the two.. Sparkfun has some little Arduino proto boards that did the job nicely.   
for screens, if you're looking at like the 3" color TFT touchscreens, I don't know how well they'd work, they take a whole lot of pins on the Mega, and it would also be a lot of processing power needed..

If you're well versed, or have the ambition to really learn the software/coding side of things there are all sorts of ways to work around it.. you already have CAN bus, so you could have a completely separate unit that does the display and transfers commands to, and receives data from the Lil'bb.  That way a slowdown because of high display workload doesn't affect operation.
I just have a switch that changes modes.. If you had a dedicated display controller you could use a rotary encoder with a pushbutton to do all sorts of things.
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Cody_h12v

Quote from: Rx7man on October 11, 2018, 09:08:00 AM
I used a Mega with it, but I had to shuffle some pins around (SPI interface pins are different) and that meant I needed another board between the two.. Sparkfun has some little Arduino proto boards that did the job nicely.   
for screens, if you're looking at like the 3" color TFT touchscreens, I don't know how well they'd work, they take a whole lot of pins on the Mega, and it would also be a lot of processing power needed..

If you're well versed, or have the ambition to really learn the software/coding side of things there are all sorts of ways to work around it.. you already have CAN bus, so you could have a completely separate unit that does the display and transfers commands to, and receives data from the Lil'bb.  That way a slowdown because of high display workload doesn't affect operation.
I just have a switch that changes modes.. If you had a dedicated display controller you could use a rotary encoder with a pushbutton to do all sorts of things.

Hmmm thinking I might just use a raspberry pi to put the gauges on a screen and just have the arduino send info there. I already kinda started this project with a raspberry pi and had the pressure sensors and screen working, but could not find a canbus for it. this method might also be able to better split up the processing power

Rx7man

you can get a canbus adapter for them for like a buck on Ebay.. I think the R-pi itself has a built in CAN controller.. now if there's a library to use it, I don't know for sure.

I have an R-pi 2 and loaned it to a friend to play with.. don't have the energy to learn how to program that as well right now.
'94 dually,  67/67 HE351VE, NV5600, ~600hp
'93 ECLB 47RH, new toy truck, H pump project, 1000hp goal, 300K miles
93 XCLB auto, bone stock, 350K miles
93 XCLB 5spd, bone stock, 100K miles