
I've been working on a project that uses a phone as an analog and digital gauge for wideband, boost (MAP), oil pressure and IAT/CLT temp sensors. It connects via Bluetooth and is meant to replace physical gauges for these four sensors. It's very fast and responsive, querying the sensors 50 times a second to keep up with changing conditions. I've never liked having physical gauges in my car because I'm afraid of advertising to potential theives. But I also wanted to keep an eye on crucial engine processes, especially when I first tore the engine apart, put it back together, and turbocharged it. It's a small peace of mind when I'm ripping around in the e30 to know that the engine is running as it should be. The project has turned out pretty well and I thought there might be potential for other enthusiasts to use it, so I'm asking for feedback from the community.
Here is what the app looks like. You can download it free from Here
Here is what the device that connects the car to the phone looks like (prototype, no soldermask or silkscreen layers).
I'm calling it "Chariot Gauge" since I've done most of my design and testing on an e30. I've started building out a site to house more in-depth information about it here: www.chariotgauge.com. The app is free and I'm trying to keep the price down for the device. I would sell two kits: a DIY kit for $30 that you can build yourself with instructions on how to do it on the site. Total cost with all components would be around $50. The second option would be a fully assembled kit with pigtail for $100 ready to be installed on your car. The device comes with the MAP sensor on the board, you would need to source your own wideband, oil and temp sensors if they're not already on your car. The app is widely configurable for different sensors and sensor resolutions and most should be connectable.
It's currently only available on Android phones. I'd love to port it to iOS but if there's not much interest I'll probably keep it as a personal one-off project and stop development. The app is lightweight and runs smoothly even on old Android phones which can be picked up pretty cheap if you don't already have a few laying around.
My questions are then:
1. Is this something you would be interested in if I started producing them?
2. Is $30 ($50 total) for the DIY kit and $100 for the assembled kit reasonable?
3. Any other feedback on the project? Anything that needs clarifying?
Edit: Also, here's a short video of it in action:
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