Tutorial Driving DIY cluster gauges with GameDash

Thanks, you're a Winner!

This small PWU 12V 1A would be fine
@5$ on DX.com
https://www.dx.com/p/12v-1a-regulated-switching-power-supply-110-220v-94519#.VEvmjBbYncl

Some progress:

the LED are VERY small!
I had to keep the previous LED under a wet tissu to prevent desoldering... when I soldered the next one...


and it's fragile, i will need a round support:


for the first one, I glued it! with bi-components glue

Here is a video!



It's really fine for a first test with a balsa needle, without optimization.

To gain more speed, I'll supply the motors with 10V instead of arduino's 5V

Hi,
are there some news? Did you ever get it working right? Since my dashboard got aircores which are hard to drive, i think about getting some swites. Currenty a guy is selling some here in germany.

Hi! I bought and received some diodes and transistors: I will be able to supply the motors with 10V and see if speed is getting better.

I've look many DIY cluster videos:
most of them are only filming the DIY cluster... no comparison


few have filmed both cluster and game screen, and my results looks good in comparison!

Hello,
thanks for your reply i just got some further steps with my air-cores. I can now drive them 360° and manually by turning a Pot. Very smooth and very fast even on 5 Volt. At the moment i only have Richard Burns Rally and downloaded the new Plugin with gauge output, but can't get it working. It shows me always dash1 dash2 like getting no signal. If i can fix this i'll try to get this workin with game dash.

Servos are easier to setup but do agree you can get smoother movement than they produce.
Not sure if we have the RBR plugin producing data. First make sure you have turned it on via the Game Manager then check the GameDash again.
BTW nice progress Mat keen to see it run , the Porsche dash I was involved in ran well.

If i go in profile manager there is gauge data marked. Maybe i'll install everything new. I tried serves some times ago but wasn't happy with the motion. I made a video from aircores. at the moment it's driven by a little damaged Pot just to show how fast it reacts.

Mabe i've instaalled plugin not right? I just drag and drop it into updater but never had installed one before. No i got some nombers but all are 0

@tombo : great speed indeed! I hope you will be able to get rid off the unwanted spring oscillations

@eaorobbie : is it this Porsche cluster you're talking about? http://www.xsimulator.net/community...with-arduino-controller-help.4667/#post-44459

Hi,
i dont' know exactly what you mean with spring oscillations. They will only occur if it's controlled by Software? Because for now i have absolutly no Problems with Potentiometer. Sounds like you have tried similar things and had bad result?
I think hardest thing for me to do will be that it accepts data from Gamedash and that i got output on game Dash

@tombo : sorry for my bad english, I meant oscillations seen on your video from 0:24s
when the speed is very fast, the needle seems to oscillate at stop

Hi,
haha I think my english isn't any better . But now i know what you mean. If i ad a code where it drives different values, there is no such osscillation. So i hope it get's better when ontrolled via Software. But I'm stillo unable to recieve any Data in Gamedash.

@tombo : have a look at my tutotrial "7segments with Gamedash"
maybe it could help you
http://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/12cm-12v-7segments-gear-indicator-with-gamedash.5747/

Yes i did, i red the game Dash thread many many times but i still cant find the error. All values will stay 0. Maybe i must try another game. Maybe i should try another game instead of rbr. Hopefully dashoutput will work with trial games, because iu don't want to buy a game now

Yep that one and this one, too , total rebuild of internals.

While surfing, i find this. Also based on the gaugette library and using switec steppers. Maybe interesting for someone with access to a 3d printer, beause there are files for the housing avalible.
http://retro-gauge-lab.openxcplatform.com/

I ordered some switecsd too now, because the aircore motors would require too mucch electroniccs to drive. The switec solution seems to be much easier.

@noorbeast : excellent link! I wasn't confident in finding any printer around my location... I found 2: one @3km and another @8 km!
great! thanks for the link

If you want to try or understand how to use the library,
here a first code which is functional with GameDash

Code:

/*
Analogic Dashboard using Gamedash and Simtools
and Switec X27.168 stepper motor
and Arduino with Guy Carpenter's library "SwitecX25"
by RacingMat 10-2014
*/

#include "SwitecX25.h"

// void stepUp();
// void stepDown();
// void zero();
// void update();
// void updateBlocking();
// void setPosition(unsigned int pos);

int TotalSteps = 315*3;  // for example 315 degrees of range = 315x3 steps = 945 steps
byte Rpm;


  // declare MotorRPM with total steps and related pins (4-7)
  SwitecX25 MotorRPM(TotalSteps, 4,5,6,7); // the pins are set up to Output by the library
void setup() {
   
  // run both motors against stops to re-zero
  MotorRPM.zero();  // this is a slow, blocking operation
  //MotorRPM.setPosition(427);
  Serial.begin(115200);
 }

void loop() {
// compiler l'arduino avec le tweak sur la longueur du buffer Serial pour comparer

/*  // update motors frequently to allow them to step
  MotorRPM.update(); */

  // do stuff, call motorX.setPosition(step) to
  // direct needle to new position.
if (Serial.available() > 0)  {
//GameDash send RPM as values between 0 and 254
  Rpm = Serial.read();
  Serial.flush();
  }
 //call motorX.setPosition(step) to direct needle to new position.
 MotorRPM.setPosition(map(Rpm, 0, 255, 0, TotalSteps));
  // update motors frequently to allow them to step
  MotorRPM.update();

}