For the true autolover, understanding your vehicle goes beyond just driving it. Knowing what’s happening under the hood in real-time is part of the passion. Maker Paul Slocum gets this, and he’s crafted a brilliant Raspberry Pi project that brings vital car stats to a custom display with a cool, retro aesthetic, perfectly complementing his 1997 Honda. This project seamlessly merges modern tech with classic car vibes, offering any autolover an engaging way to monitor their vehicle’s performance.
Slocum’s system is ingeniously designed to connect wirelessly to his Honda’s OBD2 port. This connection allows him to effortlessly keep tabs on a wealth of data provided by the OBD2 adapter. Beyond just monitoring, the system even integrates music playback, adding another layer of functionality to this impressive dashboard.
The device boasts automatic startup – powering on as soon as the car does. Upon booting, it intelligently searches for and establishes a connection with the Bluetooth LE OBD2 adapter. The custom interface is then presented on a crisp 3.5-inch Waveshare IPS screen, directly interfaced via GPIO. This streamlined setup ensures a clean and integrated look within the car.
Slocum’s software is custom-built from the ground up, with scripts written in C++. He leveraged SDL to create the appealing retro UI graphics and to manage the touchscreen input, ensuring a responsive and visually engaging user experience. Music playback is handled by accessing tracks from a USB drive connected locally, with folders cleverly labeled as “Disc” in the UI, further enhancing the nostalgic feel. While currently using analog audio output from the Pi, Slocum plans to incorporate Bluetooth audio support in the future, expanding the system’s capabilities.
For autolovers eager to replicate this project, Slocum is sharing his work. Follow him on GitHub for updates as he intends to release the code as an open-source tool. You can also find more details and discussions on Reddit. For further inspiration, explore Tom’s Hardware’s collection of Best Raspberry Pi Projects for more innovative creations using the versatile Raspberry Pi.
