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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: Nigel]
#566084
17/03/2008 21:12
17/03/2008 21:12
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578 Berlin
barnacle
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Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
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OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
Forum Demigod
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578
Berlin
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Some clarification - the code which talks to the ECU is exactly the same as the original. Errors are spelled out to a maximum of 20 characters on the screen; to get a more detailed error message - the magic numbers - you need a terminal and USB connector. You'll still have to decode those numbers by hand, I'm afraid - there isn't room on the display for all the information that's available.
What's changed is that the resolution of the screen has increased, and the shape is a little taller. That has meant that I can improve the font for better legibility and that the measurement bars are proportionally taller - again, that makes them easier to read.
All the screens are back-lit. There's a single LED - sadly, cast into the plastic housing so probably impossible to change colour once decided - and while I can't find a guaranteed lifetime for it I would expect it to be more reliable than the green/yellow MK3 versions since it's mounted differently and I can be conservative in its current feed.
Colour screens are prohibitively expensive, but also computationally so; they require a minimum of three times as many writes to the screen and more usually twenty-four times. With the processor I've used, that would make the screen writes too slow to be useful.
Separating the screen doesn't really help. The circuit board (it won't be the one shown in the teaser pics; that's just an old MK1 board I use as a test mule) is about the same size as the display, just a few mm longer. The HK mount is possible; I'll be talking to Baracoupe about mouldings but I'm making no promises. The initial offering will be on a carbon-fibre/fibreglass sandwich composite plate, as per the original.
<sigh> It's so much easier when you expect to sell a few hundred thousand... you can go to manufacturers and get their undivided attention, *and* their best prices. Effectively, I'm doing everything buying at retail here. It's expensive, and it's annoying.
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: Nigel]
#566085
17/03/2008 21:12
17/03/2008 21:12
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owl10
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owl10
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when you say this will be significantly different to the other versions neil, do you mean it'll do extra stuff or is it mainly cosmetic changes, or is it still a secret?
im tempted anyway, just curious.
...and that post above has just answered my question........ lol
Last edited by owl10; 17/03/2008 21:13.
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#566158
17/03/2008 22:21
17/03/2008 22:21
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,704 Harpenden
sugerbear
Je suis un Coupé
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Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,704
Harpenden
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If anyone wants to develop a colour interface then it would be better to get one of the these http://www.roalan.com/Bluetooth%20Wireless%20Serial%20RS232%20Converter.htm (or similar) and plug it into the widget and find a pda that has bluetooth and supports the bluetooth serial port protocal and do it that way. I would imagine that it wouldn't be *that* hard to build using VB (famous last words !!) as all you would be doing it decoding a stream of numbers and converting those to a graphical output. You could then hide the widget away and place the pda where ever you like, I always liked the idea of embedding something into the sun visor as thats about the only place that I can see as being free apart from from sticking out of the dash:) Dont quite know if it would work with the later usb widgets. Sorry if offtopic.
Last edited by sugerbear; 17/03/2008 22:22.
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: sugerbear]
#566220
17/03/2008 23:25
17/03/2008 23:25
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nrenz123
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nrenz123
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Out of interest, providing all goes well and the new widget works... Can we expect a rise in price from the previous model? if so roughly how much are we talking? Nathan. p.s Interested! ![wink ;\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/wink.gif)
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory...
[Re: Nigel]
#566250
17/03/2008 23:57
17/03/2008 23:57
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paul20vturbo
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paul20vturbo
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i am 100% intrested in one off these
paul
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#566311
18/03/2008 01:11
18/03/2008 01:11
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paul26982
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paul26982
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oh im excited, get a riggle on
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: Brewster]
#566336
18/03/2008 01:31
18/03/2008 01:31
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bulldog5046
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bulldog5046
Unregistered
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maybe pushing my luck but whats the chance of getting one with the picture changed for a Marea? ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif) does look really interesting!
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#566371
18/03/2008 01:59
18/03/2008 01:59
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 32,122 Cumbria
stan
Dr. Frankenstan
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Dr. Frankenstan
Forum Demigod
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 32,122
Cumbria
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But you can have it in a choice of English or Italian. Or Scottish: 1). Warning! Broken. Expensive 2). Warning! Broken. Fccuking Expensive 3). Warning! Broken. Sell the bairns! 4). Warning! Broken. Sell yer kidney! ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif)
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ash_p]
#566564
18/03/2008 04:37
18/03/2008 04:37
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h2ypr
Unregistered
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h2ypr
Unregistered
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Lol stan, that would have to be a ross special edition to say things like that on the screen. Nah. Mines would be... 1. Its broke, try fix it yourself, but fail. 2. Its broke, you'll need to spend money. 3. Its broke, you'll need to scam money off someone 4. Its broke, you'll need to start again Ross
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: sugerbear]
#566719
18/03/2008 15:43
18/03/2008 15:43
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warnysouth
Unregistered
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warnysouth
Unregistered
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If anyone wants to develop a colour interface then it would be better to get one of the these http://www.roalan.com/Bluetooth%20Wireless%20Serial%20RS232%20Converter.htm (or similar) and plug it into the widget and find a pda that has bluetooth and supports the bluetooth serial port protocal and do it that way. I would imagine that it wouldn't be *that* hard to build using VB (famous last words !!) as all you would be doing it decoding a stream of numbers and converting those to a graphical output. You could then hide the widget away and place the pda where ever you like, I always liked the idea of embedding something into the sun visor as thats about the only place that I can see as being free apart from from sticking out of the dash:) Dont quite know if it would work with the later usb widgets. Sorry if offtopic. You could use your phone, if it was of the PDA variety.
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#566728
18/03/2008 15:48
18/03/2008 15:48
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578 Berlin
barnacle
OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
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OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
Forum Demigod
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578
Berlin
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You could *use* it, but you couldn't *see* it. One of the problems I've had has been finding displays big enough to see at a glance at arm's length. The PDA idea works well, but of course costs the price of the PDA on top of the widget. If you can find a serial adaptor (and a reliable version of WinCE - it's buggy as hell on comms functions) then the simplest way to do this would be to use a microwidget and modify Star Trek to work on 20v and WinCE. And before anyone asks, NO. Do it yerselfs! That's why it's open source ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif) Neil
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#566745
18/03/2008 16:14
18/03/2008 16:14
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warnysouth
Unregistered
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warnysouth
Unregistered
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Hi Neil, The PDA idea would provide people who already have them (e.g. on their phones) the ability to display more info should they have the inclination to develop the required software ![smile \:\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif) Cheers Scott PS If I still have my car when they start coming out of the Barnacle Factory Ill take one!
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#566830
18/03/2008 17:59
18/03/2008 17:59
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Alfamale
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Alfamale
Unregistered
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put my name down for one!
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#566857
18/03/2008 18:18
18/03/2008 18:18
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578 Berlin
barnacle
OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
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OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
Forum Demigod
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578
Berlin
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Okay, stuffed it into a bodged plate and got it in the car. 'Tis a runner! Now I feel I can get the quotes for the carbon fibre plates and the circuit boards. http://www.nailed-barnacle.co.uk/public/p3180039.jpg(Er, the final version will only show the active area of the screen, not the entrails... ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif) )
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#566919
18/03/2008 19:18
18/03/2008 19:18
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,425 Lightwater, Surrey
DaveG
Club Treasurer Member 311
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Club Treasurer Member 311
Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,425
Lightwater, Surrey
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I like the idea of using my Palm phone/PDA and bluetooth to communicate with the widget, I already use bluetooth for GPS and SatNav, but I have no idea how to program the PDA with Palm OS. I have written a few very clunky programs in SmallBasic, and you could get a lot of useful info on the 320x320 screen
1996 Portofino 20vt & 2000 Pearl White Plus 2008 Ferrari F430 & 2017 Fiat 124 Spider
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: DaveG]
#567129
18/03/2008 22:24
18/03/2008 22:24
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,704 Harpenden
sugerbear
Je suis un Coupé
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Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,704
Harpenden
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I like the idea of using my Palm phone/PDA and bluetooth to communicate with the widget, I already use bluetooth for GPS and SatNav, but I have no idea how to program the PDA with Palm OS. I have written a few very clunky programs in SmallBasic, and you could get a lot of useful info on the 320x320 screen Funnily enough I did try to use smallbasic and did a small test but unfortunalty the graphic processing was so slow for even the most basic of drawing. This was done using a palm 111e I think so maybe the later ones are better/faster and have the capability. What Palm pda do you have by the way ?
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: sugerbear]
#567198
18/03/2008 23:14
18/03/2008 23:14
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,425 Lightwater, Surrey
DaveG
Club Treasurer Member 311
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Club Treasurer Member 311
Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,425
Lightwater, Surrey
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What Palm pda do you have by the way ? Treo 650 (using it now ![tongue \:P](/forum/images/graemlins/default/tongue.gif) ) haven't felt the need to upgrade, it's mature technology - like me! ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif)
1996 Portofino 20vt & 2000 Pearl White Plus 2008 Ferrari F430 & 2017 Fiat 124 Spider
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#567465
19/03/2008 04:08
19/03/2008 04:08
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bulldog5046
Unregistered
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bulldog5046
Unregistered
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Zero... ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif) Don't think it would work with a Marea, anyway - aren't they all post 2001? In which case, they'd be OBDII compliant. But you can have it in a choice of English or Italian. erm, lets say i have a 1997 20vT in the shape of a Marea.... now what are the chances? ![wink ;\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/wink.gif)
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#567486
19/03/2008 04:27
19/03/2008 04:27
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578 Berlin
barnacle
OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
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OP
Club Member 18 - ex-Minister without Portfolio
Forum Demigod
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33,578
Berlin
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Well, I can do it in 20vt flavour ![smile \:\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif) Basically, there are four bitmaps in the source code; they're displayed depending which of the four coupe variants you use. I'm not about to change that part of the source code; at the moment it works and I really don't want to mess around with it. So, if you have a 20vt engine *and* ECU in your Marea, then a 20vt logo is what you'll see. But only for five seconds. (Just went out to see how bright it is at night... plenty bright, plenty green! ![laugh \:D](/forum/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif) )
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#567495
19/03/2008 04:48
19/03/2008 04:48
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bulldog5046
Unregistered
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bulldog5046
Unregistered
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if its just a case of a bit map can you send me over and example one i could modify for my design and just load it onto the device you send to me in place of the 20vt one?
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: barnacle]
#567749
19/03/2008 16:48
19/03/2008 16:48
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neall
Unregistered
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neall
Unregistered
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Looking very good in the test picture dude, does it just need plugging into the ecu for it to work?
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#567752
19/03/2008 16:50
19/03/2008 16:50
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paul26982
Unregistered
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paul26982
Unregistered
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no theres a free magic wand, just wave it in front of the display and all will be reveiled lol ![smile \:\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif)
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Re: More tease pictures from the secret laboratory
[Re: ]
#567776
19/03/2008 17:18
19/03/2008 17:18
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,568 Northampton England
Sedicivalvole
Club member 2092
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Club member 2092
Forum is my life
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,568
Northampton England
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If we could get one mounted in a box that is removable or separate I would be interested. i would expect this to come at a higher cost though ![smile \:\)](/forum/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif)
Vinci Grey LE Alfa 147 GTA 3.2 V6 BMW E92 M3 4.0 V8 Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole 2.0 16v ABS
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