Project Time, tips and suggestions

kbc749

Okay boys I need some opinions.

I need to come up with a project that I can do for my Electrical Engineering Design class. I was thinking that I can do two things, both of them need to be complex enough that they utilize some form of programming, whether that be FPGA or Microcontroller it doesn't matter it just cannot be "I wired a relay in".

My two ideas are..

1) custom configurable fog light. A plate of LED's placed in the stock fog light location that has configurable formations of lights and blink patterns such as, blinking when pressed, constant on, formula 1 style like can be purchased online, Z shape, inverse Z, solid square, etc.

2) Trying to setup the LED taillights to light more of the lights based on brake pressure, moving from the top down, moving from the bottom up, moving outward from the center etc.

Has anyone attempted either of these (particularly the second one as I don't have a spare set of taillights to experiment on how they are wired currently)? How did you power your microcontroller? I'm thinking a voltage regulator? I could use an RPi as well, maybe use Tunerstudio to monitor brake sensor from ECU? or just steal signal from the brake signal? I'm guessing the ECU monitors brake pressure already?


Any thoughts or recommendations would be much appreciated



UPDATE:

Alright boys and girls,

I've got a progress update for you,

the neopixel matrix that I selected for this project works phenomenally. I have some buck converters turning down the 12 volts from the battery to the 5 volts and 6 amps (max) that I need to run all of the components of this circuit that I have constructed in a test circuit.

The circuit is running an ATMega328p on an innovation board. And functions to inputs from the turn signals, brake lights, caution lights, and reverse light. Each function has several programmable states.

The programmable states are:
-2 modes for turn signals, with a matching caution light response for each mode
-4 modes for brake light/fog light shape
-4 modes for brake light/fog light flash pattern (or solid)
-5 modes for reverse light operation (shape) with flash pattern tied to brake pattern for now for simplicity mostly.
-And a super illegal and will never be used on the road, animation that is red and blue that looks like police lights for car shows because why not.

All of these modes are programmable using the IR remote that is used for my head unit already. Programmed the microcontroller to respond to inputs from the "rear screen" set of buttons from the head unit, which aren't used in a Z.

All I've got left is:
- Bluetooth programmability so that I can update the code on the fly, this would be for if I decided I wanted a new shape, pattern, different colors, more animations, etc.
-Soldering to a innovation board without header pins, I bought two 328P innovation boards and put a header pin on one for testing and will solder directly to the contacts for the final product.
-And the install of course. Size is not going to be an issue so I'm just going to have to make sure I don't shatter the stock lens when I remove it and safely secure everything inside the space inside the housing. Water getting in is my main concern.

Photos of current progress below in attachments, beware there are a few, not the best quality but you get the idea.

KBC

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2010 Black Cherry 370Z Admin 3" intakes, Motordyne LTH, ART Pipes, AAM Catback, Z1 Anti Starve Kit, and some other stuff too