DashCommand

DashCommand is an app similar to Torque that monitors vehicle performance. It is available for Apple, Android and Windows platforms. It works with the same OBDII Bluetooth enabled scan tool as Torque. One curious note is that DashCommand was listed for $29.95 in the Android Market Place, but only $9.95 in the Amazon Android App Store. It pays to check prices.

Main Menu.

I deployed DashCommand to my Android Tablet. I can run in concurrent with Torque as they use the same Bluetooth interface. DashCommand seemed to have a little more trouble making the initial connection to the OBDII scan tool and it seems like the app gets lost every so often.

There are multiple dashboard displays. This one measures speed, RPM, acceleration, horsepower and  torque.

On the plus side, I thought the DashCommand screens were easier to read. These screen captures are all real time shots from a short drive in the Corvette.

This display is one of 2 fuel consumption (kind of the how-green-is-my-car display).  While I'm not one for blue smoke coming out the tail pipe, I really don't care about how green my car is. I am driving a performance sports car, not some battery powered Obamamobile.

Torque is more flexible on how dashboard displays are designed. The DashCommand website lists all the sensors they monitor, and they state not all cars have these sensors. Since I will go with a new engine harness and ECU to match the engine I plan to purchase, I think I should have all the bells and whistles that can be tracked.

The most interesting item on this screen is the intake temperature. The very first winter project I did on the Corvette was to install a Hurricane cold air intake. My buddy Brian and I worked all day on that one. I probably wouldn't have tried to do that if he hadn't been gracious enough to help me.

This is the skid pad screen from app. It uses the built in sensors on the tablet to figure out acceleration and braking  Gs. Hmmm, it looks like I accelerate a lot more than I brake.

The Skid Pad screen is unique to DashCommand.

This is the race track screen that projects a trip against Google Maps (once you have an Internet connection). I like  Torque's version better.

Torque App

Torque is an OBD II performance and diagnostic monitoring tool that deploys to the Android Operating System (sorry Apple users). There is a free and a professional version. The professional version costs $5 and is available on the Android Market Place. I wouldn't bother with the free version.

Torque Pro main screen.

I am using the Corvette as a Torque test bed. The entire set up costs under $40. I can keep Torque loaded into memory on my Android tablet (Samsung Galaxie II). It would work just as well on an Android smart phone. You can set up virtual sensors based on sensors available to the ECU. These can be set up as dials, graphs, digital displays and/or bar charts.

Real time virtual gauges.

Most cars built since 1995 have a OBDII plug (On Board Diagnostic II). This is the interface between a manufacture and/or aftermarket scanners to access the ECU. The Corvette C5 has a plug tucked under the dash board about dead center under the steering column.

This is a bluetooth enabled scan tool. It is designed to work with Torque. It is plugged into the OBD II socket and receives power form the car. 

One of the goals for the GTM is to monitor engine performance. The requirement is twofold:

• To debug problems that occur pre/post build. There is no Mr. Goodwrench to help out. I need to understand what is happening inside the engine.
• The Engine Control Unit that comes with the LS376/525 engine is fantastic, and I need a reliable method to monitor the ECU.

Torque uses the tablet's GPS signal to record speed and direction for any given trip.  This is then plotted against a Google map display. This is my ride to and from a local deli. This chart is built into the app and just requires an Internet connection.

Data logging is the most intriguing aspect. A specific metric (in this case RPM plotted against speed) can be logged to a file on the device. Later this file can be uploaded to a web server and plotted against Google maps and the specific metric displayed in a dual chart. Torque provides access to its web server for registered users. Data logging is managed by setting up the preferences under settings.

This is the data logging plotted out after my trip to the deli. It is the same trip as displayed in the previous display. (Before anyone gets on my case, speed was recorded in KPH not MPH, so I wasn't really speeding). The line chart shows speed (x axisi) against time (y axis) and the bottom shows RPM (x axis). This chart requires access to Torque's web server.

To demonstrate Torque's data logging capabilities, I took a run in the Corvette from my house to a local deli for a bagel run. You can clearly see the shift points in the charts, the route and the low to high speed (green to red) relative to top speed achieved during the trip (in case about 50 mph).

Torque allows you to set up profiles for different cars. Right now I have one set up for the Corvette. I plan to add one for the Boxster and the GTM. This entire platform can be moved from car to car. This is an incredible flexible product and I have only skimmed the surface.

Electronics Suite - Preliminary Decisions

Every guy I know love their gadgets. The GTM electronics suite is a vast opportunity to devise, scheme, plan and plot a digital cornucopia. With the order date for the kit a mere three and half months away, it is time to start making decisions. As with everything, decisions begin to narrow your options - this is a good and bad thing.

The CarPuter or Car PC is a powerful option. Mobile Computing Solutions is a great site to research the available options. Centerfuse Auto provides software framework to load apps (similar to iPhone and Droid) to a XP, Vista or Windows 7 environment. 

The CarPuter idea is seductive and extraordinarily powerful. Unfortunately, there are some red flags. Many of the apps rely on an external board connected to the CarPuter via a USB 2.0/3.0 cable (in some cases up to 10 possible inputs). I live in this world professionally, and my experience has been that trying to push a Windows OS with 6 USB inputs is iffy at best. This is going into a car. I need it to be reliable. The other warning flag was that people are relying on hacks to make things work (e.g. hand soldering boards). Again the reliability/kludge factor causes me to pause -  especially in a car capable of 200 (or better) mph.

I went with an independent TPMS system offered by Orange Electronics.  Most systems are rated to 7 years on the Lithium Ion batteries. This is a direct monitoring system. The pressure monitor is mounted on the inside of the wheel rim. I plan to mount the screen on the lower left hand side of the dash. This becomes critical in the build, as I want to get the car up on wheels no later than July. Therefore, I need a TPMS solution ready to go by then. This also means I have to decide on tires and tire sizes.

The electronic suite consists of the following:

• Parking Assist Sensors
• TPMS (My buddy Vern hates these things)
• AM/FM/DVD/BT/MP3/GPS/XM
• HomeLink
• Automatic Headlight Sensor (under $30)
• Auto Dim Mirror
• Compass
• Temperature
• Trip Computer
• Forward and Rear Cameras (Night vision is a plus)
• OBD II Diagnostics
• Cruise Control
• inTouchMax
• Seat heaters (this is a Minnesota car - needed for late and early season driving)

Directed Electronics 545T Nite-Lite System uses a photo electric sensor to measure light and automatically turns on/off the headlights, tail lights and parking lights as necessary.

The goal of the electronics suite is functionality. This means I need to pack a lot of functionality into a small number of versatile interfaces. One of the major driving factors is space. The GTM is not a Chevy Suburban that has boat loads of room. It is basically a cockpit strapped to a rocket motor inside an exotic body shape. The center console has room for a double din unit and the ISIS inTouchMax screen (after I move the shifter towards the rear). The ISIS system already has 1 Master Cell, 3 Power Cells and a inMotion Cell. These all need to be deployed out of sight, and they require flat mounting surfaces. ISIS localizes 95% of the controls to the inTouchMax screen. Add to this speakers and an amplifier (I'm thinking of hiding this under the passenger seat) for the sound system and there aren't many places to stick a CarPuter.

This is a Bluetooth enabled scan tool that is compatible with Droid, Android and Torque. Torque is an Android app that directly monitors the vehicle's ECU. I plan to use this with an Android (Samsung Galaxie II) tablet on an as need basis. I will test it on the Corvette and see if Torque lives up to its billing.

Since space is at a premium, you start asking questions:

1. Does the GPS and/or cameras get deployed to the rear view mirror or the sound system controls?
2. Does the sound system use a fixed screen double din solution, or a single din with a motorized screen solution?
3. Does HomeLink get deployed to the rear view mirror, or is it an independent 3 button solution? If so, is there room on the headliner?
4. Does the parking assist system use 4, 6 or 8 sensors? And how does it interface to the screens?
5. Do the OBD II diagnostics get pumped to a really ugly instrument panel (looks like a cheap 1980's Nintendo system)? 
6. Is a 7 inch touch screen large enough to adequately display the information?
7. Where do the compass, temperature, trip computer and map lights get deployed?
8. Is there even room to go with a paddle shift controller behind the dash or inside the tunnel?
9. Does the GPS software have a built in trip computer? If so, how good is it?
10. Is there a reliable vendor and method to update the GPS map and software?

For the parking assist system, I am going with  a 2 speaker, no display, 8 sensor system. One sensor on each corner, and two sensors on each bumper. I plan to deploy the speakers so I can differentiate the front from the rear. The rear sensors activate when the back up lights engage. The front sensors activate when the brakes are applied. The stated range is five feet. Each has an independent controller.

This is what planning is about. In the final analysis, the only place left for the CarPuter was under the driver's side seat. I'm not sure how much space there really is down there. I've started making decisions (without putting a lot of money at risk). None of them are cast in concrete - that's the beauty of building your own car. The thing I like about the decisions I've made is that they are simple, modular and easy to replace.