AEM Infinity 506 in a 3000GT

[Jeff V.]

I'll add to Brian's offer. I've still got the original busted dash from the Spyder. Want me to cut out the triple gauge section so you've got a jig for test mounting?

[mjannusch]

That's too funny that you guys have dashes laying around. I have a cut-out section of dash for the triple gauges, and the gauge set out of my old drag car project, so I've been using that to measure up what sort of LCDs I can use.

I found some cool round TFT LCDs that would work great as gauges, but unfortunately they use an FTDI interface and I need SPI or I2C or something along those lines. I'm currently looking at options for panels around 3" square, and have some good candidates.

I'm also considering using a setup with a Bridgetek FT813 embedded video engine chip on each of 3 LCD screens to do fancier graphics if I can't pull it off with just the microcontroller. In fact, it would be a lot easier to just do it that way but the choice of panels isn't as numerous. That would also let me do a lot more on the microcontroller (maybe have it talk MUT-II to a stock ECU or Chrome, or RS-232 to an AEM v1 or Series 2) so that I can sell more of these to other 3S owners. I'd have to figure out how to log a stock ECU though, which I'm not so sure would be fun. And I'd need a way to hook up a real oil pressure gauge to it (not really an issue) since my displays would eliminate the stock oil pressure gauge.

Maybe build mine first for AEMnet to prove the concept and optimize it, then a v2 for AEM serial logging, and then v3 for Chrome/stock. Hmm.

I'm giving up on soldering wires to the header connector for the harness side of the conversion cable. Very difficult soldering on the header pins because they are so close together. I'm just getting a pre-wired header from the guy I got the patch harness for the AEM Series 2. Then I just have to solder wire to wire. If I end up having to make a bunch of harnesses if the Infinity starts catching on, then it'll be a lot easier to build them that way anyways. Should have that in a week or so and assembly should go much quicker and be far more reliable long-term.


I really don't have time to work on this, but I'm doing it anyways.

[Jeff V.]

Logging a stock ECU is easy if you use the MUT protocol. It's basically a 1 byte request and a 2 byte reply, one of which is just an echo of your request. The worst part is the 5 baud init to wake the thing up. But there's tons of examples out there for that.

[mjannusch]

Configuration for this gauge thing might get tricky. The ESP32 microcontroller I am using does have WiFi capability, so maybe I'll just embed a webserver for the config stuff.

5 baud init might be tricky, but should be able to just bit-bang it with a GPIO pin if necessary.

[Jeff V.]

That's usually how I've seen it done. Bit bang to wake it up, wait for the reply, then switch to 15625 bps for the remainder of the session. The ISO9141 transceiver chips are super cheap too.

[DCIV]

And we went into ecu lingo and I’m lost.

Matt I don’t care to try and scan one of these center gauges but with so many having them could they not just be modified easier?


Coop

[mjannusch]

[quote=""DCIV""]Matt I don’t care to try and scan one of these center gauges but with so many having them could they not just be modified easier?[/quote]
Modifying them would probably be more difficult than 3D printing a mount. I need to hold 3 LCD panels, and the visible area of the gauge through the black bezel part is obscured with half-moon wedges on the left side of the gauge (which yes, you could cut out). I'm thinking that a square visible area may work better for visibility for menu screens and such. I could* do a circular area just as well though.

I also want to remove the clear cover piece, so that the driver can use the LCDs for capacitive touch to change display modes or whatever. Maybe touch the left gauge to scroll left, right gauge to scroll right, center gauge for "select" or "menu" or something along those lines.

You can* just take off the transparent cover piece and the black bezel part mates up pretty well with the dash holes. Not perfect, but close enough to work well if the edges of the gauge hole aren't chewed up on your dash.

Hmmm.

I think I'd still want to try to 3D print that black bezel part though. I'm not sure I see hacking up the stock part going all that well.

Maybe I can put some baby powder or something on the black part to increase the contrast in the camera to capture it better, or use brighter lighting.

[mjannusch]

$85 for a full flying-lead harness with an ECU-side male header. Yeah, that's a no-brainer compared to soldering all that up by hand. Should have it early next week.

In case anyone is interested, here's where 3SX gets their patch harnesses (and marks them up):

http://www.autosportwiring.com/

[ChargerX3]

[quote=""mjannusch""]$85 for a full flying-lead harness with an ECU-side male header. Yeah, that's a no-brainer compared to soldering all that up by hand. Should have it early next week.

In case anyone is interested, here's where 3SX gets their patch harnesses (and marks them up):

http://www.autosportwiring.com/[/quote]

Thats a great resource. My dumb self keeps burning his fingertips when i come up with these crazy build ideas. Maybe I should leave it to the pros. ALso hows yours $85. Looks like those are $139+

[DCIV]

Well if you want me to try to scan it I will. Someone with one PM me and I will send you my addy.


Coop

[Jeff V.]

Maybe take a scrap cluster lens and spraypaint it in a high contrast color? Something that'll be easier for the scanners to pick up?

[DCIV]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]Maybe take a scrap cluster lens and spraypaint it in a high contrast color? Something that'll be easier for the scanners to pick up?[/quote]

Black paint should work. The test piece they send you is just black 3d printed.


Coop

[ChargerX3]

Might use plastidip too if you wish to reuse.

[Jeff V.]

Ooh. That's a great idea.

[mjannusch]

[quote=""ChargerX3""]Thats a great resource. My dumb self keeps burning his fingertips when i come up with these crazy build ideas. Maybe I should leave it to the pros. ALso hows yours $85. Looks like those are $139+[/quote]
Mine is flying-lead, so it doesn't have the four female plug connectors on the other end. It is a custom one. I did use their full one for my AEM patch harness though.

[quote=""DCIV""]Well if you want me to try to scan it I will. Someone with one PM me and I will send you my addy.[/quote]
I'll give it another try with my phone and the app and see how it comes out if
I use better lighting. If that fails, I'll send it your way (unless someone else can send you theirs). I wanna take a bunch of measurements off mine first.

[quote=""Jeff V.""]Maybe take a scrap cluster lens and spraypaint it in a high contrast color? Something that'll be easier for the scanners to pick up?[/quote]
I don't really have a scrap lens, but I suppose I could just put painters tape over the lens portion to let the scanner pick up on it.

[quote=""DCIV""]Black paint should work. The test piece they send you is just black 3d printed. [/quote]
How does your scanner work? Does it laser scan it, or just take a bunch of photos, or something else? Not sure how a professional device does it.

[DCIV]

As long as it gets smooth enough. It says it’s suppose to scan very high tolarancss. But I’m sure Matt can edit it enough to make it work.


Coop

[Jeff V.]

I know I've got some scrap cluster parts. I'll look around tonight and see exactly what I've got.

On a semi-related note, would it be possible to scan the cover from a RHD cluster, flip it in software, and then print a LHD version? I've got a GTO cluster I've been trying to figure out what to do with...

[DCIV]

Does it have the clock?! I’ve wanted a clock forever!

I have not gotten into any of the editing and only help set up the scanner so I’m very very novice at this point.


Coop

[Jeff V.]

Let me poke around the dump basement tonight and see what I can find. I might be sending you a box of goodies

[mjannusch]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]On a semi-related note, would it be possible to scan the cover from a RHD cluster, flip it in software, and then print a LHD version? I've got a GTO cluster I've been trying to figure out what to do with...[/quote]
Doesn't look like that would need to be flipped. It is the same assembly, just with the mounting brackets reversed.

Though actually, a GTO with the clock would have one of the spots without the little half-moon cover on the left side. That could be useful.