Funny (but serious) idea for my car

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-01-07 01:36am

Well, as I mentioned in one of my other threads, I have an '86 Camaro IROC-Z. Thanks to General Motors fitting many of those computerized cars with ALDL (Assembly Line Data Link) connectors, it means that I can hook up a PC to the computer and do a variety of things...

So some of my ideas were:

Heads-Up Display. Thanks to some other geeks, particularly one guy who fitted a HUD to his '95 Camaro, I'm pretty sure that I could hook up a Vacuum Fluorescent Display to my computer, write a program to interpret the ALDL information, and make my own heads-up display that could show such things as speed and various diagnostic information.

Idiot Light, Enhanced. For the benefit of other drivers, of course. You know those scrolling LED displays they use in doctors' offices, etc? Well, I could take one of those, connect it just inside the rear window (pointing backwards) and hook it up to the computer. Then I'd write a program that could display a number of messages, maybe including:
"Do you really want to know what would happen if I stepped on the brake?"
"Eat my dust."
"I hope you have excellent infravision, because I sure can't see your headlights."
"KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE HIGH BEAMS!"
"It's called a TURN SIGNAL for a reason."

KITT. Well, not really, but it'd be pretty funny to write a simple program that could play back choice messages over the sound system. The simplest way to do that would be to use a small "dictionary" of pre-recorded words and simply let the program assemble them, which would of course result in a '60s-sounding computer voice... but who cares? And of course, this could be rather useful, e.g. "You left the lights on, Dave." or "Hey, who let you in here?"

MP3 jukebox. The oldest trick in the book. Hell, if I go for the voice thing, might as well stow a bunch of MP3s while I'm at it...

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2004-01-07 03:16am

You officially have my envy

Hyperion · Post by **Hyperion** » 2004-01-07 03:46am

Hehe, that would be cool if you pulled that off. I'm working on the LED board myself, just because of the morons with high beams and the tailgaters.

Johonebesus · Post by **Johonebesus** » 2004-01-07 03:53am

Just remember that a lot of cars and especially trucks are built with headlights that are about as blinding in the low setting as traditional high beams. Just because you could read a newspaper with the illumination provided by the headlights in the car behind you doesn't necessarily mean they are set on high. (I learned this when I went through an obnoxious stage as a teenager of flicking my beams to high every time I was blinded by an oncoming car. About 5% of the time I was surprised when the blinding lights suddenly got worse got even worse.)

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-01-07 04:41am

Settle down, an 86 car's computer system is certainly not what you seem to think it is (assuming your post was at all serious). That, and the ALDL relays very specific information to a scanner, it's not like it's a friggin USB or something. Let me demonstrate your chances of getting anything cool to happen with this here snowball and this here blowtorch.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-01-07 08:29am

Howedar's got it right, in '86 the control computers for those car were practically run by O2 sensors something like:

Primary exhaust manifold O2 sensor switch on; Lean fuel mixture*Check engine light comes on*
left turn signal out....*indicator light comes on*
right high beam out....*Indicator light comes on*
things like that.
You *might* be able to do that with a late '90's model GM vehicle, as the comps for those bad boys are immensely more complicated and comprehensive, but you have to have a special connector to attach it to the port which I doubt a GM dealer would part with for a reasonable price.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-01-07 02:37pm

It's pretty easy to fabricate an ALDL connector, actually. And yes, I know a lot of the computer is driven by the O2 sensor. It's also driven by a bucketload of other sensors. MAF (kind of useless, granted), various temp sensors, etc.

At any rate, hell, I could even build a second computer that would fill in the gaps. It's really a matter of measuring resistances for some of the other stuff and making the computer turn that into practical information. I'll have to take a look at how the '86 Corvette gets its digital speed readouts, then maybe copy that.

As I told my girlfriend, "This is why you don't let a computer geek near a performance car."

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-01-07 02:40pm

Howedar wrote:That, and the ALDL relays very specific information to a scanner, it's not like it's a friggin USB or something.

According to what I've read, yes, the ALDL is primarily for diagnostic purposes. However, if you send the computer a "shut up" signal (to cut the chatter on the bus) then you can send specific requests for information. Which is exactly the same thing that diagnostic computers do.

This is just a wild idea right now, but given enough time I probably could do at least some of it.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-01-07 06:53pm

I fail to see the point of incorporating the ECM at all. Just build an entirely separate system to flash signals or whatever.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-01-07 09:02pm

I like the idea of a HUD on your windshield.
Now for advanced targetting arrays and gattling cannons.
Bye bye traffic.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2004-01-07 09:16pm

I think the important question is are you going to install a Targeting Computer linked to the Zero Space Turret which is linked to your rear mounted Micro Missile Launcher and still make it under DIV 15 ?