SimBa

Nice! I was doing electronics stuff last night too. PiDash seems nice. MSDroid over bluetooth isn't perfect, but has satiated my desire for a digital dash.

One thing I have wanted to play around with is the 10 HZ GPS that Adafruit offers. https://www.adafruit.com/product/4279
This one has USB C, but I think they also have one you could wire in. 10 HZ is what most people I know use for datalogging at autocross and it seems very accurate. I would think it would be plenty for GPS based speed. I'm not sure if that would be comparable or easier than the tone ring (I need to watch that Beavis video). I could also see this one suffering from interference if it was tucked away in the dash somewhere.

der_vierte

This thing is nuts for 29$.
This could be a VERY cheap and accurate alternative to a dragy!

SimBa

I had similar thoughts. I should probably just buy one and see if I could get it to integrate with MSDroid.

People at autocross are always having issues with Bluetooth, so I figured this would be great and you could just glue it to the back of the tablet or something. I haven't gotten anyone to try it yet though.

EDIT : If I remember correctly some people (AidandJ) on here have played with these (or similar) before. I think he 3d printed a housing for one.
DOUBLE EDIT : https://www.miataturbo.net/race-prep...ispreloading=1

Z_WAAAAAZ

Little bit of progress made today. Cut out an ABS sheet to mount the screen and other goodies in the dash. Ran grounds for everything and wired up three generic 2-pin connectors for the Pi, display, and fan. Finished off by wiring in the momentary switch to the GPIO pins 21 and ground for the shutoff command. Still gotta test that out to make sure it works.

Mocked it all up and am pretty happy with how it looks. Still gotta pull the fuel gauge out of my IC, wire in the USB-C for the Pi power supply, and put the Pi in the case I got for it and wire up the fan. I gotta do something to clean up the HDMI cable situation too.







Man, you guys are the best. All I gotta do on here is vaguely mention something and I come back later to numerous suggestions/improvements that can be made haha.

@Fireindc I’ll have to PM you to pick your brain and get that script once I get the rest of this set up. Automatically uploading datalogs is a brilliant idea.

@SimBa Yeah, I was originally going to run a VSS signal to the MS via a tone ring on the axle. That GPS add-on sounds easier, though, and it’d be cool to integrate lap timing with it. Been running my phone as a timer for… too long. At the same time, though, I should probably set up boost by gear if I’m gonna add more power down the road. Car already spins tires in second and sometimes third if it’s cold out.

redursidae

Nice job! Are you going to make your own dash layout in TS or try to grab one online?

10Hz GPS seems to be the standard for the AIM devices and the external GPS devices around too. The Adafruit at $29 is already winning. Wow. I like the Dual GPS I use and seems accurate with Track Addict and Hot Lap. On track it takes about 5 seconds to connect to my phone and GPS.

Regarding GPS speedos: It's likely not an issue in cities, but in the mountains GPS can take a bit to acquire satellites and begin working, especially if the antenna is not looking at the sky (i.e hidden in the dash). The Adafruit GPS may have that issue depending on where you mount it, but you could make an extension lead for it. Maybe look into keeping the control device of the GPS on if possible (on a separate switch) for these special occasions. I don't know how much juice the Pi takes to stay on but I can't imagine it is a lot with the screen off, so you could run a script or add logic to the "turn off" script to leave the OS running with the screen off and keep the GPS connected when you turn off the car in a remote area, or while staging on track/autocross. Of course this is not a big deal for a racecar, but it is annoying in a street car. A friend of mine has a GPS speedo in one of his cars and the acquisition lag is a pain point.

Z_WAAAAAZ

Thanks man! I currently have one of the stock TS dashboards loaded up but am going to download one of Beavis’s to use later on.

Good info and insight on the GPS speedo lag concern. I never thought about running a script to keep the gps on with the car off. I gotta adjust my thinking regarding what this little computer can do if I successfully tell it to haha. Maybe once I set the rest of this thing up, I’ll grab that Adafruit unit and see how bad the lag is when reconnecting on startup in the canyons.

SimBa

@Z_WAAAAAZ Make sure to do some research on that adafruit bit. I was rereading reviews and it seems like it might only work with a pc and not Arduino or RPi

Z_WAAAAAZ

Copy that, thanks for the tip. I won’t be pulling the trigger immediately but might not have done that research otherwise when the time came haha

Z_WAAAAAZ

It’s aliiiiive! Still need to mount the fuel gauge and my GPIO shutoff command doesn’t work, but all of the startup scripts function and it connects right up to the MS!

Z_WAAAAAZ

Two achievements unlocked today: Make a functional PiDash and break a 1.8 diff housing






Put the finishing touches on the PiDash last night. Got it mocked up in the car and connected the fan wiring and USB extension. No problems after startup so I bolted it in and put the gauge hood on so I could run it today. Topped off the tank and figured I’d be good to run it like this until I got the fuel gauge installed. First thing I noticed is that it’s incredibly easier to go through and make changes in tuner studio with the mini keyboard as opposed to using my laptop. Stoked on the project for that alone!




Unfortunately, victory in one sector does not protect from defeat in another. Took the car out to the canyons today and cracked the diff housing arm in a mid-corner g-out under heavy throttle. I knew it busted the arm immediately. Super annoying as I already have the Getrag diff sitting at my work, but lead time on the swap kit is over a month if I pull the trigger on it. I’ll probably scoop up a non-turbo FC housing and run that until the kit comes in (or better yet, if the updated KPower driveshaft fixes the driveline vibration, I’ll just leave it in). Lots of ***** in motion right now.

I should note that the KPower PPF delete instructions highly recommend diff arm reinforcement plates be added during the install, as the kit causes extra force to be exerted on the arms of the diff. Of course, I didn’t read the instructions until I had the kit in hand. I still should’ve grabbed a pair, but with everything else going on, I let that concern go to the wayside. Shame on me.

Midtenn

iTrader: (15)

Get weld in diff reinforcement plates. I've seen pictures of arms even with the K-Miata bolt-in plates.

SlowTeg

Nice work Zak! You can't sit still man.. I can appreciate that. I have had my eye on a digital dash for a while now as well but that's a down the road further on the list endeavor.. I like the neatness of the DD-EFI miata dash cluster but it's obviously much more pricey than your solution which I'm sure will work just as well. https://www.diyautotune.com/product/...a-miata-na-nb/

Sorry to hear about that diff bracket but it's been putting in good work for a while now.. I guess that's something to add to the to do list of things to do if I ever swap diffs..

Z_WAAAAAZ

Yeah, I thought I'd heard the same thing. Seems to me like bolt in plates would still allow for more deflection than weld-in plates. Plus more holes...

I'm currently leaning toward just grabbing another Miata diff housing and running it as is with the boost turned down until I drop in the Getrag. Only gonna have to run the current setup for a little over a month or so until I pull the trigger.

No way man, if I sit still for too long the monsters in my head start getting louder hahaha. I was looking at the DD-EFI dash too as well as the official PiDash. Both look super slick and the install is substantially less involved. If the cost difference weren't so substantial, I might've been able to justify the PiDash. Seriously though, I had a couple Amazon credits but even without those I think the total cost was about $180-190 haha. Plus I don't know the first thing about even basic coding, so I figured that learning experience could be fun. That being said, I still have a couple things to dial in (gotta install the fuel gauge and my GPIO button/shutdown command don't work).

Yeah, I mean it's got 216k miles on it now and lots of abuse. I almost never launched the car and never did so with over 210whp. I guess 300whp and the PPF delete and going full throttle through a corner on a fairly bumpy road was its limit. Like I said, housings aren't too expensive so I think I'll just procure another stock one, order the Getrag swap kit, and run the car semi-gingerly while I wait for the kit to arrive.

redursidae

Nice work on the dash, and RIP to the diff housing. That's crazy!

It's interesting that the PPF delete adds so much more stress. Does it make the system more rigid? Like having solid diff mounts? You should be honest with yourself a bit; There is no way you'll drive it gingerly .

Z_WAAAAAZ

Thanks man! To both of those comments haha.

Yeah, the additional load on the arms from the PPF delete brace isn't something I expected. I suppose in theory, there's less give in the system since the PPF allows the diff to move rotationally with the engine/trans. From KPower's instructions:

It is REQUIRED to install polyurethane or Delrin bushings in your differential when using this kit. If you do not, the right arm on your housing WILL break under hard driving. The stock bushings are too soft and allow for too much movement relative to the stiff front bushing used in our kit. Additionally, we highly recommend reinforcing the right housing arm, as mounting the diff to the front of the subframe makes the arm more prone to failure. Check out our popular bolt-on reinforcement plates (pictured above) for an easy and effective solution.

Z_WAAAAAZ

Ricardo, you know what, you're not wrong. Hahaha. I figured I'd just run wastegate pressure for a bit and hope that would be enough. I remembered today, however, that I still have my chopped PPF laying around. I'm going to install the PPF along with the new housing and hope that prevents me from breaking another diff arm while I wait for this hot little number to show up...






In other news, I nearly have the dashboard ready to rip. Pulled the fuel gauge out of my IC and am going to wire it back into the factory harness tonight. I want to get a cover for it, but in this configuration, I can just grab the needle and push it back towards full when I get low on gas, so that's a plus. Still haven't been able to get my shutdown function to work via the GPIO pins. Gonna test for continuity through the switch tonight, but I figure it's more likely a fault in my computer skills. Luckily, it's not too pressing. Shutting down the dash via the wireless keyboard I now keep in the center console takes about five seconds.


Fuel gauge test fit. Gonna trim the tabs at 5 and 11 o'clock off of it too.

HalalBuilt

Holy smokes man. You made a lot of progress in a little over a week. I'm glad you're going through this now so that I can pick your brain in the future.

Shame about the diff housing it it seems like you have a solid plan to keep on moving.

redursidae

Hmmm, very interesting. Hadn’t heard of that before, but I also haven’t researched crazy high power Miata mods too much either!

yeah man, I’m happy to be your reality check shoulder angel haha. Damn dude, you keep going after it. I’m interested to see how the PPF with another stock diff housing goes in the meantime, at full Goya beans.

The dash is looking good. Is that an LED or button on the right?

Z_WAAAAAZ

Thanks man, highly encourage anyone to learn from my mistakes. They're numerous I'll keep updating the thread as I receive parts.

That's a good thing. If you're familiar with all of the diff/tranny swaps, it might mean you've been blowing up important parts on your car, lol. Hopefully the PPF with a stock housing lasts... about 5 weeks. I'm told the Driveshaft Shop axles sold with the kit usually have a 4-week lead time before KPower receives them. I think/hope it should be fine. KPower specifically says their PPF brace puts additional stress on the diff housing arm. I never had a problem running the same amount of power beforehand. We'll see I guess. Luckily I was able to find this diff housing for under 200 bucks shipped.

Thanks man! I got the fuel gauge wired up and functioning last night. Just needs a cover now. The thing on the right is a momentary push button that's connected to two of the "GPIO" pins on the Raspberry Pi's board. I set up a command to shut down TunerStudio and turn off the whole system when the button is pressed, but haven't been able to get it to work yet. Probably a tiny detail missed in how I "programmed" the command. I'll work on it more tonight or tomorrow. Luckily, it's still easy to shut the dash down with the wireless keyboard.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Please know when you are connecting your ppf to the subframe that the upward motion of the ppf under load is not the only direction you will have force. The ppf will be shoved forward under load as well as the diff housing attempts to rotate the axles.