Quote:
Originally Posted by dcb
An opto-isolator would probably introduce more interference on the signal lines. You have to supply enough current to light an LED with an opto-isolator, as compared to triggering a high impedance input pin.
As for the other general "stuff happens" concern, I don't know that one can prevent the occasional miswiring in a cost effective manner. Even "professional electronics installers" occasionally miswire something or short something out. But if the thought of hooking up 4 wires causes you unusual distress then you should look into an obd based solution. What kind of car do you drive?
P.S.
Welcome to Ecomodder  |
Thanks for the welcome.
Dont get me wrong here, I love working on wiring which is why I am becoming an electrical engineer. I just like to think about the ill-effects a project could cause before I do work...sometimes...at least when it comes to something as expensive as a car. Personally, I believe all cars should have some sort connection for modders to safely tap into the cars systems but unfortunately its not that easy.
As for my car, I drive both a 2002 Chevy Z71 Suburban and a 1987 300TD Mercedes. Both cars are unique for the work ive done on them. The Suburban could be considered the electrically modded car. I have done the basics such as replacing the entire radio system with a much higher quality system capable of dual zone sound, I have installed flood lights under the rear for backing up in the dark, and I ran a 100 amp electrical connection from the battery to a fuse block under the cup holder for my inverter and for future projects. I have even pulled apart most of the dash board electrical system just to see how it worked. While this car is not the most fuel efficient car out there, we only really use it when we need to haul large loads or go on road trips.
The other car, the Mercedes, is my main focus of installing a MPGuino. The background of this car is interesting. First off, its been converted to run on Bio-Diesel, Vegetable Oil, or whatever else we want to put in it. The reason for this is that my Dad runs a bio-fuel research program at my old high school on the weekends. We are researching different fuel blends and their emissions. Currently, we have been using a set test route to measure our distance and we have been getting our MPG by weighing a test tank we have in the trunk. While this method is great for overall MPG, its not practical for instantaneous MPG. I have the wiring diagrams for the car as well but I did hear a mention that Diesel cars have a slightly separate signaling method which worries me. Anyway, I should probably start a separate thread if I want help on that, I really dont want to derail this topic any more than it is.