My Digital Inclinometer

Good to see you back on this project. Looks good. The GPS logger function would be sweet.

 

Thanks! When I'm closer to that point I'll evaluate again to see if the GPS is still something I'd like to pursue. I believe there are already numerous logging apps available for phones and there wouldn't be an map output on this device so it may not even be worth going down that road. Who knows at this point ‍♀️

 

Could this be done with a raspberry pi? Use it on a breadboard or custom PCB so you can use software and a custom GUI. Benefit is you can add other hardware later and do the same thing. Like an OBD app but better because it's coded with your sweat and tears.

 

It could, but what you mentioned would be better achieved with an arduino over a pi. pi's are more for software, whereas arduinos are more for hardware. I could interface with obd2 as it is with the arduino if needed but I don't think there's any info in the obd2 that i'd need in this project. open to ideas?
It was initially inspired by the inclinometer that was on my step dad's '86 4runner, and it's already a gadget that's more for looks than anything as most people won't be using it offroading. I already feel digitizing the classic analog gauges is slightly cheating as it is, haha

 

Well if you wanted to make your own software to pull in data from an inclinometer, GPS, OBD, etc, wouldn't you want to use a pi?

 

If you wanted something that needed more software-based interactions such as uploading custom images rather than hardware-based such as sensors, then sure. Probably not the best choice for something like this though or anything on my list really. Maybe the GPS logger if I wanted to add a nice graphical map. I do have a few pi's here, i could adapt the code if needed but it's not really something i'm interested in doing. Footprint, power draw, things related are all things I was trying to keep at a bare minimum.

 

Fair enough. I'm not too familiar with arduino. Or hardware sensors for that matter. Sounds like your direction makes sense for your application. I'll follow for the final result.

 

If you end up considering a linux based SBC approach, I would recommend a beaglebone. That onboard eMMC makes a lot of the reliability weirdness with Pis and their SD cards go away.


Love it. What micro are you using?

 

i'm by no means a pro at this. maybe if i get the fire under my ass to make this project be super advanced i'll need to go that route. would be neat. i did want to build a security system that would record from multiple angles. that would be a great project for the pi!
glad to have you along!

i've heard great things about beaglebones. i should pick one up and tinker sometime. too many projects at once
prototyping on an arduino. we'll see what it ends up with though. it all depends how much memory i've used at the end of it. haven't had to step up to a mega yet, ha. but i'd like to have it finalized on an arduino micro or similar.

 

Yeah the regular arduino is pretty limited. I've used the Teensy 3.6 as the next step up. Its not 5v tolerant, but its a heck of a lot more powerful.

 

oh man, i've had a lot of success with them in other projects. always wanted a reason to need something more than an arduino but i haven't hit that yet. i've got a teensy lying around somewhere but never had a chance to work with it at all

 

I also want to make a pi DVR. And a bunch of other cool stuff that I probably don't need but it's too cool not to try. Control accessories similar to an spod setup.

 

Made a bezel and started to mock up additional locations. for my own setup, this has a clip that slides behind where my scanguage does, making it removable.
i'll have to design a mount to have it sit where the clock is if I stick with this screen size. The problem with mounting it at the clock is it's not easily seen by the driver. not a big deal if it's not going to be used much but anything I use often I'd like to be able to catch at a glance without having to look for it.
still like the idea of having it by the rearview, but I also have another project for up there that I haven't started so I wanted to hold off looking at that as an option.

 

this is how i've lived my entire life. lol.

 

Small update. Nothing too crazy but holding myself accountable to posting updates.

- Added physical buttons to allow changing of the desired image. will also be used to navigate a menu if added, but i'll likely add a 3rd button at that point.
- 4 images to choose from at this point; Basic line, side shot truck, rear shot truck, and toyota logo.

 

A few weeks ago I decided to go at this again and finally finish it.
Sooooo I thought it was a good idea to start fresh. Again.
This started as just a fun project for me as an inclinometer isn't something I'd personally use when I'm wheeling, but the GPS logging was always something I wanted. No need to worry about your phone running a logging app, this will already be logging your path to an SD card. You can then upload your SD to a map plotter like https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

But this time it's fully functional and I rewrote everything but really focusing on the calculations. I'm really happy with it now!

So far here's the gist:
- GPS LOGGING to SD card. Lat, long, speed, alt. May remove speed. Haven't been able to test the speed too in depth but it may not pick up crawling speeds accurately in which case there's no need to log that.
- Pitch & Roll Inclinometer with a few images to choose from as well as the calculated angle reading with no imagery.
- Settings all stay saved.
- Recalibrate your vehicle with a few clicks. Will only need to do this first installation or when you move the unit to another place in your vehicle.
- Updateable! This was important to me and is mainly for new images as I don't see any code changes being needed, but this means the firmware is updatable! Hate being locked into something.

What I still need to change
- I want Pitch and Roll to both have at least 5 options of visualizations to choose from each.
- Need to tidy some the UI stuff up and make the images max size.

It'll be open-source hardware and will be available as a complete kit that you assemble(an hour and basic soldering skills needed) or pre-assembled. This stage is still a few weeks at minimum.
If you purchase a kit you are able to disassemble(or not assemble at all) and use the parts for another project.
I don't have prices yet though. Not sure if this will be the final OLED and may move to one a few MM smaller as there is a large price difference and the gain isn't huge in the extra space.

Open to suggestions for more features!! I couldn't come up with anything else that would actually be handy.
Here's a video sped up of the way it currently sits:

 

I'm def making an overhead mirror mount, but I dig this, too.

 

I think it was mentioned a long time ago in this thread, but it'd be neat to get a basic compass and outside air temp like the overhead display in the second gens. I'm thinking of replacing the factory display with a scangauge, so it'd be neat to get a small display with that info on it. I was thinking about making a small one that would fit in an overhead button hole, but I would cut a hole to fit this for those features + the ones you came up with. I would think you could pull compass data from your gps function, but I don't know how you would understand the signal from the outside thermometer.

 

Cool arduino project!