Raspberry Pi Course: How To Build A Digital Dashboard For An Older Car?

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has earned a reputation for its economical instruments essentially designed to teach and nurture computer programming. The programming enthusiasts have immediately welcomed its products and utilized them in various assignments- a photo booth station and a two-player arcade cabinet to name a few.

Raspberry computers, sized as small as a credit card, are not as fast as the high-end devices but they contain all mandatory functions expected from a computer. The latest model launched by the foundation-Raspberry Pi-3, works on the Linux-based Raspbian Operating System, just like the previous generations. Its power consumption is also minimal.

Raspberry Pi, being an open hardware, finds usage in a variety of projects. One of the most fascinating projects where Raspberry Pi can be applied is in the cars that are not equipped with onboard diagnostics version II (OBD-II). A digital display can be added on the dashboard of a pre-OBD-II vehicle that has a restricted range of technological components or whose accessories may not be in a working condition any longer, using a digital touch screen and the revolutionary Raspberry Pi.

This certain Raspberry Pi project can be utilized on any pre-OBD Nissan Car with a consult port. The data from the car will pass through this port. On completion of the project, the car will be equipped with a technological advancement that will display the status of one or more systems. Depending on what the Pi has been programmed to do, the upgraded console can display the speed, revolutions per minute and the temperature of engine.

A YouTube user "240SF" developed a digital dashboard for Nissan 240SX S14 using a Raspberry Pi 3, a 7-inch touch screen display from the Raspberry Foundation and a power supply from Mausberry Circuits. The whole project was then documented in a video. The file system needs to be expanded for the installation of the console dash on the Raspberry Pi. The touch screen display is a vital part as this is going to be the main control system. Tapping on this screen will display the car's stats by clicking on the activated options to select from. The Mausberry Circuits power supply will draw power from the car's battery and will shut down the Raspberry Pi when the ignition is turned off.