i want to replicate the Dakota Digital Tire Pressure Monitoring System since they havent made or sold these in years. i have an idea of what to get started with, but i dont know a darn thing about programming or some of the hardware required to make something like this.

here is the idea, a TPMS kit like you see for sale everywhere, but in a 2 1/16" gauge to fit in a pillar or in the rally gauges. it doesnt have to be EL like the Dakota Digital kind. my idea is to have it as a back-lit LCD so you can choose the color of light you want to match your interior lighting. or if you have no taste and have a skew of colors polluting your interior.

some reaserch will need to be done to find the right module and senders. the reciever module and display is what needs to be created. it needs to display all four tires and their pressure down to the 10th. if that can not be found, then skip that. but it should at least have an alert LED to grab your attention that you have low tire pressure on any tire.

here is how i am seeing it can be done so far, TPMS SENSORS >>> RECIEVER >>> 2 1/16" GAUGE LCD DISPLAY.

i was thinking one of those ATMEGA or PIC controllers can be used to change the display signal to work on a small LCD that will fit in a pillar gauge.

the guys over at mp3car have made something similar using an existing TPMS kit. it is made to be displayed in a Windows PC environment on a touchscreen. im going to ask them on their input on this as well. but they might not go for it since its not interfacing with a computer.

here is the only picture i have been able to manage to find of the DD unit.


------------------
First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987 | My Fiero Fuel Economy | MPG Display for OBD I
Youtube Videos of My GT | modernize your fiero with technology!
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
screw paying those bastards. im not going to become rich by paying for things.....

[This message has been edited by americasfuture2k (edited 12-18-2009).]

Link to some examples of the TPMS kits you see "everywhere"?

A quick google search didn't yield anything for me...

http://www.google.com/searc...-8&sa=N&tab=iw&tbo=0

http://images.google.com/im...ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

googling tire pressure monitoring system or TPMS yeilded same results. what where you using for a search? what is my air pressure? lol sorry to be a smart ass, i had to say it

------------------
First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987 | My Fiero Fuel Economy | MPG Display for OBD I
Youtube Videos of My GT | modernize your fiero with technology!
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
screw paying those bastards. im not going to become rich by paying for things.....

I'm thinking I need glasses... jks.

Interfacing directly with the TPMS sensors might be complicated. There is no widespread standard for communication with TPMS sensors. It's a free-for-all.

Hacking into one of those kits with the receiver and display and everything all integrated is going to be next to impossible.

However, I found a company which sells kits with the RS-232 interface, which is an age-old standard.
http://www.advantagepressurepro.com/
There may be others...

Using a microcontroller to display data from an RS-232 connection on the other hand is probably a realistic project for a first-timer.

I can't make any suggestions when it comes to programming language and compiler, or the family of microcontroller.
My experience is limited; I've only played a bit with the Freescale MC9S12 family and QuickBASIC.

For the display, there are those ubiquitous 2 line x 16 character displays; if you look through catalogs (I like digikey.com as an electronic parts supplier for small quanities), you'll probably find many choices for color, LCD or VFD...

one thing i didnt get the chance to o today at work was link the origins for my idea, from the mo3car store and forums. this was created from an existing TPMS and re-engineered to be applied in the sense of displaying on a computer screen.

**i can only link to it since the image is copy written**
http://store.mp3car.com/v/v...photos/COM-090-2.jpg

USB Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Version 2.20 4 Sensor Kit MP3Car.com

here is the designing and all that jazz of the above sold system.
detecting tire pressure MP3Car.com

Custom USB tyre pressure monitoring interface MP3Car.com

------------------
First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987 | My Fiero Fuel Economy | MPG Display for OBD I
Youtube Videos of My GT | modernize your fiero with technology!
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
screw paying those bastards. im not going to become rich by paying for things.....

bump

I recently purchased a Tire Pressure Monitoring system to install in my '86 GT. I like the idea of the 2-1/6" Gauge pod installation. The currently display is about 2x3" not sure if it could be modified in any way. But, I suspect it's worth looking into at the very lease.

A new display will have to be designed that can fit in a 2 1/16s gauge cup. And a gauge cup will need to be bought or made. I'm sure it can be done from some PVC pipe, bit it won't look as professional. But good for a prototype design none the less.

------------------
First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987 | My Fiero Fuel Economy | MPG Display for OBD I
Youtube Videos of My GT | modernize your fiero with technology!
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
screw paying those bastards. im not going to become rich by paying for things.....

[This message has been edited by americasfuture2k (edited 12-20-2009).]

You can cannibalize an old gauge or something, but that's the easy part.

You would need to figure the electronics side first...

yea. first step is buying a TPMS to frankenstein

day bump

late night bump

the following year bump. i want to get this going. but i need EVERYONES help