bmw e36 racing sim project wip

hey guys so ive been active on here for a few days and already had some great answer from some great people,

ill post a video link after but i having a problem still with dahla (i think) s tacho sketch and way on controlling it with a arduino and so far ive got it to send out a signal to the rpm and speed dial but its jumping about like no bodies business so if anyone can help thatll be great

this is a video of what is happening so far

regards
andy

bump any ideas on whats happening?

i know its been a long time since i posted, 1 because i got a new ssd, and 2 ive still got this on going problem with the gauges flicking up and not correctly calibrated, im not that good on ardunio and dont know where to start to write my own code to go from game dash to arduino if someone can point me in the write direction thatll be great,

on a more happy note ive been hacking the 93c46 smd chip to code it back to 000000 miles for when i have the complete rig..... well to a point i can racing, just so i can see how meny miles ive done in the rig, im using a damaged bmw cluster that the rpm and the odometer lights dont work but i can soo the miles so i can see if this has worked, i hate smd stuff but ive got on order a etching kit to make my own pcb so i can do it better for the real dash, lots of fun fun stuff comign soon



i know this is cheating but ive had to surrender and buy symprojects pro-gauge till i can find out how to get the ardunio to work with all 4 gauges working, any advice will be great thank you.


this is all ive got for now well apart from my shed for my racing sim is coming on tuesday so can wait to get it up and start the big stuff

derliveerrrrrryyyyyyy time

got off dialysis today to be greeted by the postman, my order from symprojects has come and heres the stuff i got:

below is the symprojects,

Pro-gauge + signel extender
Pro-shift
5x green,blue,red,yellow 5mm leds

all in all £79.40 British pounds, concidering the Pro-gauge was £49.50 it has 8 outputs 1 for rpm and 1 for speed then 6 others for water temp and the likes.

i know i could of used simtools game dash but im not that good with coding and couldnt get it to work,
im not giving up the idea of using game dash and simtools as i did pay 60 pounds for it and im wanting to us it to add motion at a later date.



below is the pro-gauge connected up and im doing some calibration atm before i get it all enclosed in a nice box

GOT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


shed is built for the sim

sorry i didnt take a photo of it complete but it is all done..... well got to get insulation and board it out but the main bits done



in the mean time ive been busy on ebay buying stuff and one thing unrelated but will keep me in good order is this got two btw


got my order from ebay well some of it.... zener diodes, 4k7 resistors and a serial card for the programming/workshop pc
,
now this next pic is one of a prototype ive been building to reset the miles on a dash board, im using the bmw e36 cluster with a 93c46 smd chip that stores the miles, i thought withbuilding a sim id like to know how meny miles ive done, so i built this bad boy.... only issue with is, you need a serial port and windows xp to run pony prog to program the chips, im yet to come up with something to do it via usb.... i really enjoyed making this and its yet to be tested, but im tired its been a rough few days with my health and ive been out in the workshop doing all this as much as i can....

more pic to come when the post gets here after the weekend, thing im going to be relaxing more then anything but ill be at my pc working on something and researching stuff for stuff to add to the sim

sorry theres not been an update for a long time with my kidney failiure and heart problems dailysis and all that i dont have the energy to be working on my project all the time,

i have however got some new toys for my work some and im still coming up with schmatics for my dash, its all getting a bit to much for me as well so i baack of ever now and then,

does not mean i am ending it, i have invested alot of money in to the products ive got already and i wont stop for nothing, ill hopfully get some up for you lot in the next week or 2

regards
andy

theres been progress on my sim rig

first i made my hand brake work analog only atm but working on code for it to be digital too and have a switch put in place to switch them on or off, heres some pics,





then i got some deliveries.....
and also when to the scrap yard for a bit of a play






my state of the art garden chair



then i i have to take it all out again after instaling the dash so i knew where to put the support beams

so i could then do this....




and the reason for the white hardboard well does this give you any clue





been a good few days my health has been good enough for me to do this and im yet to go to the big diy shop in town to get some more goodys..... ps im taking the trailer haha lots of good stuff

peace

UPDATE TIMMMMMMMMMMMEEEE!!!!!!!

right more pics mean more work done......

got the instlation all installed so now it time to panel it out......

hmmmmm my cats on the trailer..... and i need the wood thats on it ..... work postponed hahahahaha



right now on to the good stuff

floors in....



got some walls done and its hard work with kidney failure... im not moaning im just sayijng i drank alot that dayu hahaha,








skip ahead abit and i got the dash in








there more but not got pics yet, just a very secure door has been built and lockes fitted someones gonna think im hiddening something,

got some plans drawn up for the motion still working on the best way to do it,


any one got any great ideas for the motion side of things, ie. what motors and controllers im looking at a 2 dof so nothing mad,

also anyone know of good free or cheap software to curve my projectors ?????

thanks

more coming sooon!!!!!

Sorry for the lack of progress I have pics of a few bits and bobs but atm with my health taking a turn and dialysis for kidneys taking over atm I have little time to make actual progress so I've been inactive but I have a question on diy pref about Arduino coding and some leds, ill try getting round to sort the pic out and maybe getting some work done soon.....

So stay tuned.... I've not stopped fully there is just little progress


Regards

Andy

Hi,

I've just read your first post and had the same problem with the dials jumping around near idle.
I don't know if it still needs fixing, but my workaround was to find that point where is starts to freak out and give a zero output on the arduino below that speed and rpm.
Not a nice fix, but since it's mostly below 500rpm and 15kmh, it's not that visible.
I'm about to start my build thread soon, I have a lot to post.

By the way, congrats for yor work so far, keep it up. I can't wait to see how your sim shed comes to life.
Get better soon.

Hey guys, sorry there's not been any updates, as some of you may know I have kidney failure and a heart condition that makes me ill have to have treatment in and out of the hospital,

I have been working on my sim rig silently and do have a few picture to give you sometime this week hopefully,

I am working with Christiano the man who own symproject working on a turbo gauge and if you've seen my youtube videos you'll have seen that I do kind of have the turbo gauge working but there are a few bits that need doing, we are working on a digital depo gauge with analog and digital readout, and going to update his software for more support


I have some pics of the rig and some parts ordered but it been way too cold for me to be outside in the workshop or sim shed so not got a lot of them sorted or taken,

will hopefully if the weather gets better ill go out and take some pics to show you where I am with it all

also talking to Tomo over at simplicity to get a DDW looking forward to that

anyway ill keep you posted more as the weather and my health gets a little better

kind regards
Andy Horton

well weathers been crap and ive felt like it too, but i have had a package delivered all the way from California to the UK






still waiting for the usb adaptor to get here, and the weather to get better,

news on the turbo gauge its fully working, will upload a video to youtube when i get time and sorted out

kinds regards
andy

Get better soon indeed Sir!

I have an interest in this forum post due to having built my very own dash simulator exactly like this.



I previously used RCC (Real Cockpit Connector) to drive the cluster, but since discovering SimHub, i've completely got rid of RCC and instead used SimHub for all purposes.
Basically, SimHub is a program that can be used to drive LEDs, LCDs, HDMI Screens, TM1638 modules and much, much more. I have used the custom protocol feature to send data from the game to the arduino, with a personal sketch wrote for the arduino to use the data for Tone signals and PWM outputs. This means that the cluster will function with any game, with all gauges working. If you're interested in the software and my sketch, i'm more than happy to share it with you. Most of the info is in the YouTube video's description.

Cheers,
Morgan

Awesome. It's good to see there are like-minded folks who take their time and build their rig.
Indeed, Simhub is the best for controlling all things connected to the cockpit. I use it too and love it.

yeah, i like the saying, if its worth doing its worth doing properly

with my health and everything else in the way i don't get time to do much, but..... now we have changed the clock back/forward in the uk, there warmer and light nights so i can get some work done, but for anyway interested in what im doing

im working with simco (air core gauge manufacturers ) and creating a cs8190 air core driver circuit and also working with jlc pcb to produce an end product,

to add to the excitement, im taking the E36 cluster and gutting it,

creating a pcb with air cores and all the led backlighting and drivers all in one pcb with 1 usb and 1 power

im working on the schematic as i speak (i remembered i should update you guys on whats happening ) no nothing has stopped

also looking at getting a custom gauge face printed by black cat custom automotive

so im working on alot of things and still in the design stage atm

ands will get in the sim shed soon,

good news and off topic, my hearts been given the clear and im been activated on the transplant list so it just a matter of time till i get a phone all and a new kidney


kind regards

andy

Sorry to hear about your health. The shed looks awesome, what style motion seat were you thinking of putting in there?

no worries, its part of my life now and I've found a way to live around it

thanks yeah lot of work is going into it and I'm taking my time,

I'm thinking of putting a 2 dof put a compact size one that the size of the seat base, I've got a Mazda RX8 racing seat but unsure how it'll turn out

I'm still looking for a good guide/tutorial for the motion side of things

kind regards

Andy

heres a nice bonus for you all i have a turbo gauge working

im going to be doing a write up of this soon so you can all use it if you have a symproject pro gauge



regards
andy

hey all, well its April and in the UK in it very hot..... not a cloud in sight, so I got some work done in the sim shed,

first thing I have to do I clear it out of all the junk and wood that has been stored over winter.....




here I used a scrap bit of MDF to make a base for the Clubsport shifter,

square it off best I could, I could get the table saw so it had to be a hand saw for now, but will be getting it out soon as i can get at it,




here is a couple of photos of it in place sort of, and also with the center console







and here it is attached in place and i can tell you i can tug on that all i like it ain't moving,



the second was to have a look at the analog handbrake as the center console was hitting this




this is what the slide was attached too




so I've had an idea to use the pivot point of the handbrake here



may need to use epoxy or weld a pot in place, wiring to the Arduino will be the same,


got the 240v electrics almost in place, this looks dodgy but this is the input for power i could get hold of a caravan plug so ill make a double-sided plug to connect it, just got to not be silly and poke the other end lol,

I will change this at a later date,




but yes let ignore that for now, and I've been working on the sockets and switch

and yes my cat has claimed the Mazda RX-8 racing seat lol




P.S if you're wondering how I'm going to change from h pattern to sequential shifter I'm going to use a car door look actuator to switch between them


....

that's all I've got, for now, i worked on this all yesterday but not today as i had dialysis,

will be outside all day tomorrow to get some more goodies done and get the pc (temporary pc ) installed and see what the projector looks like

that's it all court up...... apart from the write up of the turbo gauge that will come don't worry

regards

andy

Well I can update you all on the weather.... it’s hot.... very hot... I finished the 240v electrics and have power in the shed, got the temp pc cobbled together and got a post just need to install windows 10 and in tidy it up, didn’t take any picture but I think it was about 28 c outside in the sun in felt like a million.

And with it been so hot that’s all I got done.... I may have drove to raf coningsby to watch the Lancaster and typhoon fighter fly for abit so that stopped the work....


Other then that not much hoping for a cooler day on Saturday I won’t be outside tomorrow but will sort the pc out, I’ll hopfully be out Saturday with the pc and some gauges and a game running

Regards
Andy