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Old 03-02-2010, 11:50 AM   #9 (permalink)
kubark42
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Join Date: Jan 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Weather Spotter View Post
what exactly would I need to buy in order to use my car as a test car? As a collage student money is tight bit I do drive a consistent route on a regular basis.
Good question. While the exact cost will depend on what you have and what kind of a car you've got, overall it should be quite cheap. I have sitting next to me a number of 1st gen. boards that are completely ready, and tested. Only... they're first generation. The results are as accurate, but there's no automatic shutdown module for the GPS, so either you find an alternate way not losing the GPS fix whenever you turn off the car, or you run the risk of killing the battery if your car is parked for extended periods of time.

I have one additional second gen board, which uses a transistor to turn on the GPS every 30 minutes so that you always have a hot fix whenever you jump in your car. However, for this board it turns out that I don't even have the processors anymore, nor the accelerometer, so you'd have to spend about $20 on chips. Not a lot, but not free either.

So, to answer your question:
  1. You should get a GPS. Any kind that outputs NMEA over a serial port AND has a pulse-per-second (PPS) signal will do, but as mentioned in an earlier post, I strongly favor something based on the u-blox chipset. Otherwise, I bet you can find something used on eBay for <$15.
  2. You'll need to have some way of splicing into the fuel injection signal, so I suggest spending $5 to buy a short extension cord, (just like you would with the MPGuino.)
  3. Again, just like the MPGuino, you'll need a Vss signal. I've seen cars where this is quick and easy, cars where I found it with a bit of effort online, and, for instance my car, cars where there is no Vss and you have to find some other solution (I used the CAN bus).
  4. You'll also need an SD card, maximum of 2GB. (>2GB cards won't work.) If you don't have an old one lying around, I just bought a handful for 2€/ea. so they can only be cheaper back in the States.
  5. If it's a first generation board, depending on the GPS you might need a battery to keep the GPS alive. I used lithium watch batteries, but those are a little pricey (~$5)
  6. Add in assorted wires and connectors to get everything connected, and you're set for installation.
  7. You'll also need a computer. If you don't have Matlab at school, you might find a copy that "fell off the back of the internet".

Oh, yeah, and don't forget to factor in a couple bucks in postage. The Luxembourgish post office says 2€ to send it anywhere in the world.
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