SimDash boxes

[NIVO]

Hello. Back to post up some SimDash boxes I completed about a month or so ago. Now these are mostly for feedback data from racing sims(Assetto Corsa as a perfect example). I am sure with a proper sketch file you could also send data to the box to display info from some arcade racers as well, possibly such as OutRun. These are powered by a Teensy board, wired up to a readout display that shows all kinds of info you'd need such as Gear/Speed/RPM/Fuel/Delta times etc, etc. The buttons change to each of these segments on the display. Was alot fun to build and the end results have been outstanding. Pics below of the finished boxes.

[Howard_Casto]

How about a video or something of them in action?

[NIVO]

ok, well rather than take an inferior crappy video, ill link one that is exactly the same functionally. Just pretend its inside one of my boxes above You'll get the idea once you've seen this.

[Howard_Casto]

Cool man.  Those are pretty awesome.  You can't beat the price at least considering all the functionality you get. 


I wonder if we can find a similar module with or for a full color display?  I've been trying to get some help interfacing these old psone lcds via a generic usb 2 vga dongle over in the monitor/video forum but I guess I'm such a dinosaur nobody knows what I'm talking about.  I didn't think of using a avr. 

[NIVO]

thx howard. yea these little bad boys are cheap and very useful. dealextreme has all kinds of items cheap. Teensy costs more but i think it was worth it.

[Howard_Casto]

So it looks like they are using some sort of serial interface correct?  Yeah I can support that.  I might go ahead and order one and include support in the next mamehooker release.  I've already got a teensy lying around.

[NIVO]

yes, serial interface. Teensy wired to this display: http://www.dx.com/p/8x-digital-tube-8x-key-8x-double-color-led-module-81873#.Uu4e1PmSx8F using dupont connectors. then soldered leads to the buttons. Programmed up with a sketch file through Arduino software and TM1638 library

[Howard_Casto]

Well I've been wanting to do an analog shifter so I'm wondering if I can make a sketch to have the whole thing show up as a composite device.  With all those extra pins it should be possible to do a Daytona style setup... inputs, shifter, and lights... AND run the display.  That is assuming the display doesn't take up all the processing power.

[NIVO]

sounds like a plan. Id like to see a sequential shift version too   As 3d printers continue to become cheaper I have been eyeballing them more and more. A drop in/versatile mount housing is an idea I've had as well. Another note, you can get G27 shifters brand new for $25-$40. Then add a usb converter cable and bam you have a h-shift/pushdown reverse shift console. Even has a d-pad and buttons you can use independently of the wheel itself.

[Howard_Casto]

I was searching around on ebay and there are a few variants of this board running on the same chip.  Some of them are nuts, with 64 buttons and a slew of leds.  A person could power a homebrew pinball with just a couple of boards and a cheap avr. 

I'm wondering how hackable the actual boards are.  It's be nice to split the 8 digit display out a bit.....  2 for rpm, 3 for mph, 1 for a shifter and 2 for misc stuff. 

[Howard_Casto]

So I looked into these a little more.  Amazon has a decent selection, although they cost more.  One that did seem interesting was billed as a "lcd clock" but it has the chip on it and uses the same serial conncetion.  I think it was 4 dollars or somewhere around there. 

I wonder if anyone sells a breakout board with just the chip on it?  You can buy the 8 segment, 4 character modules without a chip 10 for 10 dollars on amazon.  It'd be possible to arrange the cluster anyway you want that way. 

Anyway, I'm still super interested in this and just as soon as I get some significant free time I want to sit down, make some sketches, and see what I come up with.