iPhone/iPod Dashboard - Winter project

[binlagin]

Hey Everyone!

Ever since I picked up my motorcycle, I've grown tired of gaming...you can't even compare the two! By day I'm a software developer but I've always had an interest in hacking electronics. So while my bike is away for the long winter months(silly Canada!), this is what I plan on doing keep my sanity:

Purpose

The purpose of this thread is to track the the development of an iPhone/iPod dashboard remote for the Ninja 250 2008+.

My plan is to keep this post synchronized in a couple of different places while the project is in a development stage. I'm hoping by using a public forum we all can come up with unique solutions to problems this project will encounter as it develops.

So if your bored and trolling the internet feel free to check this post out and pitch any ideas that you think could help improve the designs.

Introduction


Yea yea... my mad photoshop skillz.

So what is it? It's an iPod dashboard that will slide into the top of your Ninja 250 dial console. This really this could be re-purposed for many different things but this thread will specifically deal with this bike.

Features

I have an unlocked iPhone(2G) and I don't really want to pay the upgrade price to move to a 3GS. To run GPS apps on my iPhone I have opted to mount a blue tooth GPS on top of the dash insert and use GPSSerial to emulate the iPhone GPS on my phone. You could also do this with an iPod Touch to get a GPS enabled iPod Touch .

To keep feature creep to a minimum, I have broken this project into two versions. Version 1 will focus on getting a stable platform of core functionality listed below. Version 2 will allow us to unlock the true potential of the Arduino micro controller(www.arduino.cc).

Version 1 Requirements

• Powered off of the 12v motorcycle battery cigarette adapter.
• Powers 2 USB ports(5v) to charge the: iPhone, BT GPS & Arduino micro contoller
• Secure and water resistant (including external Input/Outputs) iPhone Holder
• Dashboard power off/on switch with LED indicator
• Basic iPod Controls (Play/Pause,Stop, Next, Back)
• Removable
• Lineout for headphones

Version 2 Ideas

• Microphone support (would like this v1.0 if it isn't to hard )
• Gear Indicator
• GPS module on the Arduino to remove the blue-tooth receiver
• Water proof external USB port for friends who need to charge their phones LOL
• Got a cool idea for version 2? Post about it

High Level Design

As mentioned earlier I am a software developer by day so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the electronics and fabrication areas of this project. Fortunately with the power of google, a little hacker elbow grease and community support this will prove to be a good learning opportunity for everyone.

Below is a high level diagram illustrating the various major parts of this system and how I initialled planned them coming together:


High level diagram of the iPhone/iPod Dashboard System

Foam Dash

The foam dash insert will be constructed out of expanding modelling foam. I've never used the stuff before... but I believe it will do the trick. I will line the inside of my dash with 2-3 layers of plastic garbage bags and spray the foam lubricant on the inside of them. I will use cardboard to create a wall blocking the foam.


Cardboard, Lubricated Garbage Bags, Expanding Foam

I will mix the. chemicals up and use a funnel to deliver the goo to the back of the dash. My hope is the foam will expand densely and evenly forward. Check out this vid of the expanding foam in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGNPUvP6pr4 the girl is cute too!

I will then remove the excess foam from the front to the dash and carve a secure slot for the iPhone, Podbreakout connector and water proof bag. Drill appropriate wires and carve out electronics container area.

I will be hardening and weather proofing the foam with epoxy resin. I know this stuff melts some foam... so i must ensure i get the right kind. Any advice in this department would be greatly appreciated! I will then sand and follow up with a flat black spray paint job.

This is really the last step of the project... and the least designed currently. These are just my initial ideas and I'm open to suggestions!

iPhone / Podbreakout Waterproof Mount

The iPhone and PodBreakout Connector will be securley mounted on the front of the of the foam dash inside a sealed bag or case.
The wires leaving this case must also be water tight.

Arduino + iPod Remote Controls

This part of the project is heavily inspired by David Findlay's blog. It details the information required to build an iPod Remote.

Hardware

To control the iPhone with waterproof buttons I will use the open source Arduino(http://arduino.cc/) micro controller via serial connection. My schematics will follow once i get my proof of concept built!

Software

To send the serial commands to the iPhone from the Arduino I will use the iPodSerial library provided by Mr Findlay. Thanks man!

I will post my completed Arduino code when I've got all my buttons hooked up and tested.

Power supply

To power all of the devices in this project I will require two USB ports. The Blue tooth GPS and Arduino boards will be directly connected to the USB ports. The iPhone will then have it's 5v line (pin 18) inserted into the Arduino's 5v line for power and the iPhones pins 25 + 27 grounded via 500k ohm resistor.

To convert the 12v to 5v, I have opted to use a 7805 voltage regulator (http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062599). Pin 1 is connected to the POSITIVE side of the 12v battery, Pin 2 is connected to the NEGATIVE terminal (ground) and Pin3 outputs our delicious 5volt power. Ensure you use a heat sync on the 7805 or else you might end up frying somthing!

Electronics Case

The electronics will be kept in an easily accessible case which will be water resistant. To prevent over heating from the power inverter, I will create some vents which also will be water resistant to help dissipate the heat.

Project Status

Updated: December 06 - 2009
Current Status: Awaiting delivery of the iPod breakout board

Initial design completed. All software required for the Ardrino has been researched and is ready to be implemented as a proof of concept. A proof of concept will just be connected via bread board and should control my iPhone *crosses fingers*.

I have ordered my Podbreakout from www.sparkfun.com and it should be here any day. It was shipped on Nov 25th.

I ran the power inverter for 5 hours today charging my iPhone and powering the Ardriuno controller. I put the power invert in a sealed Tupperware container and it did not generate any noticeable heat. How ever i think vents would be a good idea to prevent overheating on those sweltering days.

Cost to date
- Motomaster Eliminator 100W Power Inverter $34.99
-12V truck bed cigarette adaptor $24.99
- Ipod breakout board + 5v to 3.3v serial converter $20.13

Anyways... sorry for the wall of text. Feel free to post any comments/questions! I will update this thread as I make progress

[mike_sema]

WOW

[tiburonsita]

Double WOW. I look forward to your progress. This should be a lot of fun for ya. Will be fantastic when you are done.

[binlagin]

****THIS POST IS OUT DATED! PLEASE REFER TO THE ORIGINAL POST FOR THE LATEST STATUS****

Thanks guys

It's definitely going to be a challenge lol... here is a pic of the power system proof of concept:


Power system proof of concept

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QV-EuRgCKw

[ninja250]

Looks like my type of project considering I have experience in programming and developing microcomputers and circuitry and an iPhone 3G. lol

I'll be following along.

Might have my own ideas as well.

I tried putting the iphone on the bike tank with velcro but then realized it wasn't visible anymore. (You can see my route GPS from the other day here)

It's on my to-do list for sure! Keep up the good work!

[Alex]

Very cool...

[Plasmatoast]

why bother with the 12v-120v-5v, why not just find a 5v dc-dc adaptor and wire in the usb ( hack open a small usb hub for ease) or you could find a voltage regulator (I believe the easiest to find 5v is 7805 And you would need a heatsink for the regulator).
Does an Arduino require direct cooling?

[ninja250]

I think the cooling fan is for the inverter?

The point of the buttons is so you can use it with gloves on right?

If you cut a small slit on the opposite side of your knuckle in your glove finger you can pop your finger out no problem while not creating much of a point to harm your hand on your glove when it's popped back into the glove in case of a crash.
These are not bike gloves here, but take these for example of what I mean how you can pop your finger out of your bike glove.
You basically put a very tiny slit in the finger of your bike glove. You can obviously reinforce this with stitching to make it suitable for crashing motorcycles. lol

Thus doing away with the buttons and microcontroller.
Now you need a nice dash mount mount and onboard power supply. Minizes the work somewhat?

I think that's what I might end up doing.
Either that or a basic stamp.. on my end because I have one handy. lol

Do you have a pinout of the the Iphone connector for controlling it with buttons or related software?
Serial communication between the MCU and iphone?

[bob706]

Looks like a cool project.

[binlagin]

First off... thanks everyone for the great feed back so far!

Originally Posted by ducducgooseit

May I suggest a manual disconnect in the form of a rocker switch so that the iphone et. al. does not have the chance to drain the battery?

Yes absolutely! In my concept drawing I have included a water resistant rocker switch to prevent exactly this... I just haven't purchases/hooked one yet.

Originally Posted by Plasmatoast

why bother with the 12v-120v-5v, why not just find a 5v dc-dc adaptor and wire in the usb ( hack open a small usb hub for ease) or you could find a voltage regulator (I believe the easiest to find 5v is 7805 And you would need a heatsink for the regulator).

This is a very good point. The main reason why I have started with a power inverter instead of using a a 7805 circuit in the first place is... because I'm scared of frying my equipment due to lack of experience with electronics :P.

I have found this tutorial online on how to create your own 7805 circuit but I'm unsure how I'm supposed to take it's 1 USB output and create 2.

Do I just duplicate the 7805 circuit coming off the 12v line or just use a USB hub?

If I could do away with the power invert completely using my own circuits I would be much happier!

I imagine the heat generated by a 7805 would be alot lower then the comercial power inverter.

Originally Posted by Plasmatoast

Does an Arduino require direct cooling?

Nope... the extra fan was just to dissipate the inverter heat inside the enclosed case.

Originally Posted by ninja250

The point of the buttons is so you can use it with gloves on right?

Acutally... my leather gloves work on my iPhone no problem but I really don't like trying to use the touch screen on the while in motion. Because theres no tactile feeling you are required to look DIRECTLY at the phone, refocus your eyes, reach down and touch the interface and hope it all works. I find this a large distraction and one of the main reason why I feel unsafe using my iPhone while on my bike.

The buttons are going to be large knobby buttons that you can reach quickly and push, mostly with your peripheral vision allowing you to keep your focus on the road.

Originally Posted by ninja250

Do you have a pinout of the the Iphone connector for controlling it with buttons or related software?
Serial communication between the MCU and iphone?

I am still waiting on my iPod Breakout board so I have not completed my exact pin outs and software yet. But all this information information is available at David Findlay's blog detailing how to make an iPod remote.

[binlagin]

Here's the Youtube vid of the above image power system working: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QV-EuRgCKw

[Plasmatoast]

http://www.powerstream.com/dc6.htm could mod that to work or something similar to it, run the 12v off the battery to a switch and a fuse. For the USB, you could cut up an old USB cable and wire it to the converter then just plug it into a USB hub.

If you used the 7805 circuit, it would depend on total current draw if you would need more then one 7805, but with the single circuit the connection would be similar as above.

[ninja250]

Ah, I understand now. Yes, It could be difficult to navigate the iphone while riding.
What are you going to do on the phone while riding? Music?

I think for my purposes (mainly gps and time) I can get away with a mount and onboard power. Then use those two features in a stopped position or at a quick glance. No need to use them while riding.

Other than that it's illegal for me to actually be on the phone in conversation in this state while driving/riding? They also banned texting while driving too and pretty much don't want me touching a phone at all while moving in a vehicle I think.

Regardless, I will be following along and perhaps adding more input here or there. Looks like a fun project. Good luck to ya dude I'll post my mount and power rig later in a separate thread.

[binlagin]

Originally Posted by ninja250

What are you going to do on the phone while riding? Music?

Other than that it's illegal for me to actually be on the phone in conversation in this state while driving/riding?

For the first version of this.. I only want it to control basic music operation(Play/Pause, Stop, Next, Back).

I hate when I'm listening to my iPod on a group ride or even solo when someone tries to talk with me, I can't hear anything. This way i can quickly tap pause/play and continue conversing or what ever.

I would like to be able to add an external microphone to this and an answer button in the cluster... but I think i have bigger fish to fry before i worry about getting the Mic setup. I don't know if the breakout board supports a Mic or if I'd have to figure out a splitter for the top of the phone.

This initial version is very much a platform for eventually anything :P. I could very easily create a "hold" application that could let you accept/reject a call and put them on hold until you where pulled over :P

I just picked up some 7805 supplies... I'll post back with my progress in a bit.

Wish me luck! Hopefully i don't fry anything :P

[Plasmatoast]

Originally Posted by binlagin

Wish me luck! Hopefully i don't fry anything :P

Just test the output before hooking anything up to it should be in the 5-6v range.
what did you come up with for a USB connection?

[binlagin]

Originally Posted by Plasmatoast

Just test the output before hooking anything up to it should be in the 5-6v range.

I setup the 7805 and it does register 5v. So i tried powering my Ardruino... success! It worked!

How ever... when i tried to power my iPhone... it wouldn't do it. Just like my iPhone wouldn't get charged off the USB port of the inverter. How ever it charges perfectly fine on the wall prong USB charger. Off my PC the iPhone charges threw the USB port no problem. I even test'd it's voltage and it read 5v exacly too!

Any ideas on that?

Originally Posted by Plasmatoast

what did you come up with for a USB connection?

I used a USB hub i found in an old PC case

[randomwalk101]

wow...very nice. Can't wait to see the final product.

[binlagin]

After some investigation i have found out why my iPhone has not been charging proper on the USB ports. I'm off to the electronics shop tommrow!

http://tzywen.com/modules.php?name=N...rticle&sid=696

Edit: NEVER MIND! I found some resistors kick'n around and they worked! My iPhone is charging off the 7805 circuit! Lemme clean it up a bit and i'll post a pic!

How ever i think i fried my Ardruino in teh process... *sigh*

[randomwalk101]

becareful with the expanding foam. That thing sticks like there is no tomorrow...if it sticks on your stock parts, it'll be a tough job getting it off.

[binlagin]

Ok as promised heres the cleaned up circuit!



As you can see my iPod breakout board arrived yesterday! I was quite happy. As you can see in the photo I was able to power/charge my iPohone through this new connector i had built. I can even listen to music from it!

Unfortunately as I said earlier... I fried my Ardruino a couple a days ago but I have another one due to arrive on Tuesday. I actually opted to go with the Arduino Nano instead:



As you can see.. this one is MUCH smaller and it will make life allot easier when it comes time to sealing all this up and ensuring it's going to survive some rain! Thats a MINI usb connector on the end of that little card!

I've got some videos of the construction process of the build. I will post those up later!

[Snake]

Very cool project. The updates are great.

[binlagin]

Got some good news! The proof of concept has been PROVEN!!!!

My Arduino nano arrived today and I've successfully been able to stop/play my music with physical button!

I will clean up what I have now and post a follow up video for everyone to see

[binlagin]

Hey everyone as promised heres the proof of concept video:

Link to original page on YouTube.

Over the next couple of days I will be updating my first post to reflect the current state of the project.

[kevlarorc]

this is a really cool project. I wish I had the patience to deal with all of that circuit-building...and planning.

[Timm3h]

It is really cool to see in person.

I also tried my iPhone 3Gs on it and it works! except for the charging... stupid Apple locking things down with every version.

I believe the controls still worked in GPS mode too!

[rage42]

I have an Ipod touch 2g, and I just got the TomTom car dock for it. The dock has gps built in, so I can listen to music and get gps on it. I'm not so worried about external controls, or changing music tracks, random should be good enough for me. The dock handles 12v in, and power conversion, so I don't have to worry about that.

All I want is to mount the touch to the bike, with the car dock attached, and run a line for power. The power, and line out jack is easy enough to figure out, but I'm not very crafty with making mounts. But I like the way your foam idea is looking.

Have you tried to make it yet?

I was originally thinking about a slim as possible, openable plastic enclosure to waterproof the touch/dock, something quick enough that I could tap in some changes at stop lights...but I don't know how I could mount something like that, or put together something for those screw holes.

I'm planning a 2000 mile round trip ride late this summer that this would be great for.

[camaroz1985]

You could try making a metal bracket to mount to the fairing then mount the Tom Tom mount to it (sorry don't know what the Tom Tom mount looks like).

Here is what I did for my GPS.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15442

If the mount you have uses a standard bolt pattern you could get a ram mount and enclosure for it.

[rage42]

That looks doable. The dock is definitely made for a car, it has a suction cup backing and everything, I would just have to strap it down somehow.

Here's a pic of the TomTom Car Kit

It's hard to tell the dimensions from the pic, but with the touch docked folded up and usable, its smaller than your gps.

Would have to look in to ram mounts.

[Timm3h]

I would be scared of the plastic breaking.

Back on topic.

I think binlagin is molding a a piece for it to snap into above the speedometer. It currently fits like a glove. I like what you have done camaroz1985 as it will allow for a firmer mounting and more room.

[rage42]

I'd love to see the molding when he's done, and any general steps, I might copy it.

The foam sounds like could be worked with to make space for the dock + ipod. The buttons are tempting too, but since I require the dock for gps to work, I wouldn't be able to use them without hacking the dock.

[ninjabrewer]

Now this is an interesting project. Can't wait to see the final conclusion. I have always had an interest in doing the electronics projects but was never able to get any to actually come to fruitation.

nb

[binlagin]

Video update:

Link to original page on YouTube.

So it's been a week or two since I've posted an update but don't worry... I've been able to make allot of good progress since then.

I've been able to remove the 7805 Voltage regulator completely from the project(woah.. this is the 3rd power overhaul of the project?).

The reason why I removed it was because it was generating a fair amount of heat and I didn't like this. So I decided to scavenge an old iPod FM Tran-smiter I found kicking around my house and it contained a circuit which could convert a 12vs source to 5v without heat or wasted energy.

Next update was that I added 3 more buttons to the rig. Unfortunately I had troubles getting the iPhone to skip songs forward and backwards properly... but I ONLY listen to full albums front to back anyways... so skipping back and forth is no good to me anyways. I decided to try the volume commands and they worked like a charm!

I have found more commands to control the menu system from a mechanical knob type input... so I'm going to look into that! Maybe even come up with a water resistant knob of some sort.

Last but certainly not least is that I've proven not only can I get a blue tooth GPS unit to work on the iPhone 2g... but that my buttons work INSIDE the TomTom software! I can use all the buttons while using the GPS navigation system!

There is still alot of snow out here in Ottawa but the system is almost ready to be taken out for a test drive in my car!

The weather was hovering around zero today so I was able to pull my bike out of storage and spray the foam insert. This is going to take about 12 more hours to dry so I will post updates and photos as soon as it's done! I also went to home depot and picked up some fabrication supplies to aid in constructing the dash insert and electronics case.

Anyways... time for bed! I'll probably come back tomorrow and write even more!

The next major accomplishment was the proof that my

[ninja250]

On my laptop now so can't hear the sound or finish my GMR videos just yet from yesterday, but that's cool you have the buttons working to control the iPhone like that. Also cool that you can get into and control the GPS.

I thought about powering my iPhone on my bike from my FM transmitter as well but have to hack it up and extend the cables still. The transmitter won't fit my iPhone cradle mount unless I cut up the cradle. Also have to mount the cig lighter socket too which seems to be huge and bulky but I want it for accessories.

Keep up the good work. I how hard and tedious this stuff is. Time consuming is an understatement.

[Timm3h]

My thoughts are that any app will work with the ipod commands, as the ipod is one of the few things that can actually run in the background. I am looking forward to seeing how the foam turned out.

[ninja250]

You can run any app in the background if you jailbreak and unlock the iphone and download the program/app called "backgrounder" through Cydia. Including GPS.

You should see how fast I can drain power from my iPhone running the video camera and the GPS at the same time. lol

Also, that's how I get the videos on my bike! Hacked "Cycorder"
Amazing quality for phone. These things are simply amazing.

[Timm3h]

I realise that and I want to d it, just havent found a good resource for a 3Gs with 3.0 firmware.

What iPhone are you using in your vids?

[ninja250]

3G
Forgot the firmware version but I don't update it because I don't want to have to redo the hackjob and lose all my good apps.

I'm missing out on all the good iphone updates. I have to figure out how to update my hacked client or whatever it is running the OS now without losing all my stuff. I think there's a way to do it but almost not worth the loss to try. Too much good stuff on it currently.

If you haven't already, might try searching youtube for the latest jailbreak or maybe revert to a previous software version.

Edit:
Will this one work? Says 3.0.1 firmware for 3G and 3Gs

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Ken08Ninja]

Originally Posted by ninja250

I'm missing out on all the good iphone updates. I have to figure out how to update my hacked client or whatever it is running the OS now without losing all my stuff. I think there's a way to do it but almost not worth the loss to try. Too much good stuff on it currently.

I installed PkgBackup, it's suppose to keep your Cydia info in your contacts. After syncing your contacts, it should reload all your Cydia apps.

[binlagin]

Foam insert update!

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ninja250]

Oooh, you're at the fun part.
Building the actual hardware unit
I love stuffing lots of electronics into small spaces.
Nice work deleting the breakout board too. I need to get a pinout and try that one day.
Way too much going on though never enough time.

I installed PkgBackup, it's suppose to keep your Cydia info in your contacts. After syncing your contacts, it should reload all your Cydia apps.

Nice!
I knew there was some way to get around losing all your stuff when you update but wasn't sure!
Will have to check that out. Thanks!