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Jun 13, 2012 17:06:02 GMT
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Drawing up some new circuitry for the Arduino to interface correctly with the car. Actual, real calculations!  Spent a few hours getting that drafted (in green ink on notepad paper is the best way) Built the circuit  Which incidentally does what it's supposed to Dragged the test equipment out onto the kitchen table this morning as I had a late start to cover someone off-shift  Only had a few minutes to play about but it looks promising. More detail upon request. Contains squiggly-amps. --Phil |
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Jun 13, 2012 20:50:24 GMT
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Darn... You're good at this... You even have the right tools...
Are you an electronic engineer by any chance?!?! If yes, can you help me with an Apexi SAFC that worked an now doesn't??? Just lights the buttons...
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Jun 13, 2012 21:03:01 GMT
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Ha, no. I'm not an electronic engineer. I work in a telephone exchange though. I do this as a hobby, keeps me busy  --Phil |
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;D Went did oil change on the wife's daily yesterday, stuck the fan on it to cool it off some.  Got the GTA opened up and plumbed in:  Set up the computer with the new board:  It did something quite unlike the car- it worked first time:  Having cooked soup and bread, and consumed it with wine, I'm not sure I'm currently up to the task of translating the circuit onto the little breadboard on top of the Arduino tonight, so that'll be a task for tomorrow, I think. The aim is easy-to-build on a budget and with readily available parts. Getting there. Brakes have gone on the back burner again, too. --Phil |
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Jun 19, 2012 21:30:50 GMT
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It's really nice to see someone trying to sort out the electric gremlins of these cars! By the way, I saw an Alliance drop-top a few days ago, which is pretty rare since it was never officially sold in France. Kinda paradoxical isn't it!
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That's surprising, though I did see an album of pictures on t'interweb of a whole bunch of Alliances that were being driven around France, so I know a handful made it over. On to this evening though. I started with a small blue board full of holes  A breadboard of working circuit  Which got translated onto the board full of holes  Still have to trim all the legs off the back and solder it in but that's pretty compact. I've made a few adjustments here and there since I pictured it but that does leave space for other things to be put on the board- if it is to drive stuff like panel meters then it'll need trimpots to be attached to the pins closest to the empty space. Progress is being made again. SWMBO even said I can buy my brakes. For now, I'll just put this thing together, which is a bit smaller than a packet of cigs.   --Phil |
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Last Edit: Jun 20, 2012 1:56:21 GMT by PhilA
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Jun 21, 2012 22:39:56 GMT
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Just placed an order at Rock Auto.
2 track rod arms
2 track rod ball joints
1 brake master cylinder rebuilt
2 parking brake cables
1 rear hydraulic hose I forgot about
2 rear brake cylinders
I've probably forgotten something but that should get the car rolling, turning and stopping.
Ready for inspection.
Eee.
--Phil
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Jun 22, 2012 21:24:46 GMT
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Just placed an order at Rock Auto. 2 track rod arms 2 track rod ball joints 1 brake master cylinder rebuilt 2 parking brake cables 1 rear hydraulic hose I forgot about 2 rear brake cylinders I've probably forgotten something but that should get the car rolling, turning and stopping. Ready for inspection. Eee. --Phil So what will we all do with our lives when we don't have this thread to follow 'cos you finish this thing?  |
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Jun 22, 2012 22:49:40 GMT
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So what will we all do with our lives when we don't have this thread to follow 'cos you finish this thing? I'm not sure it'll ever be finished, to be honest. Best way, eh? --Phil |
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Had a bit of free time tonight so I sat down at the desk here and scratched my head a bit and tried to remember just what the hell I'd been thinking wiring this thing up. Got all busy with the soldering iron, and voila, thirty minutes later we have this:  Which up front looks like this, annotated helpfully in Paint:  The bits in the green square are the regulated power supply. The car is powering this, and the little board is expecting no more than 12V input. This bleeds off any extra volts that may try to find their way in. The purple bit is the signal coming in from the car. It goes into the black blob on the right. the blue line is turned on and off by the purple bit in the black blob- important to note that although they get close, they never touch- the blue bit is all nice and happy and computer-voltages, the purple one is all the voltages that make the car happy. They aren't exactly compatible, so they're separated there. Net result? Powered up and connected:  If it wasn't working this much, then the lights wouldn't both be on. Result. Need to order some connector plugs, and I'll be ready to roll. --Phil |
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Jun 23, 2012 18:59:42 GMT
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Coo. My spares arrived this morning.
It's too hot out to go do the brakes right now though.
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Jun 23, 2012 21:58:22 GMT
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Neil
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,485
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Jun 23, 2012 22:17:29 GMT
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I love this thread, I love the GTA. I've followed the thread since the very start, but I don't think I've commented on it... I'm in awe of you; Your patience, knowledge, skill, eveything. Jeez, most people don't put this much effort into a car costing 10 times as much. The last few pages have been interesting, but I must confess I'm more than a little lost! My hat is well & truly off to you, sir!
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Don't hold your breath, we have some potentially very wet (though not much cooler) weather on the way over the course of the next week. Not looking forward to that, really. Next weekend I'm working so probably won't see a lot of time on the car. Doubt tomorrow will liberate any time either. Did see that Radio Shack carry one of the Molex connectors for a couple bucks so might give that a whirl. -Phil |
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I love this thread, I love the GTA. I've followed the thread since the very start, but I don't think I've commented on it... I'm in awe of you; Your patience, knowledge, skill, eveything. Jeez, most people don't put this much effort into a car costing 10 times as much. The last few pages have been interesting, but I must confess I'm more than a little lost! My hat is well & truly off to you, sir! Why thankyou. I do appreciate the comments a lot. I know this thread isn't all welding and paint and angle grinders and massive accomplishment in the space of an afternoon- there are people on here who do that much better than I, do I leave them to it I figure someone took the time to design this. I'm determined to understand it. If what I do entertains people then all the more reason to do it. If it enlightens or inspires by any amount, better yet. -Phil |
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I agree wholeheartedly with Neil. Also, i'm fan of the GTA-looks. It looks like a beefier Renault 9.
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iant
Part of things
Posts: 155
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Good progress on this since I last looked in! Well done. Makes interesting reading!
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Jun 24, 2012 10:18:46 GMT
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I'm also in the process of trying to "read" an air mass sensor with a pic controller. I have zero experience. The goal is to create some piggy back system which allows me to hook it onto the MAP input of a programmable management system. I have not much hope that I succeed, but hey, at least I'll learn something along the way (I hope).
Sorry for the thread hijacking, but this thread inspired me to go and have a try.
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Good progress on this since I last looked in! Well done. Makes interesting reading! Ha, I'm glad someone thinks so  I've not been updating it too much, because it's mostly computer-y bits and not much car. It was 36C out this afternoon- decided against doing anything because it's too hot in the sunshine. The breeze is even hot. Clingy and cloying, with the humidity blown in from that storm over Florida. Car still looks like poop on the outside, and I've had the rear interior out of it for too long. Each time I go visit it I promise myself I need to repair the driver's side window.. but I can't bring myself to pull it apart. The driver's side rear tyre is even holding air right now. Don't know why, last time I pumped it up it went flat. I'm going to try push to get it done on the brakes front- I can't begin new policy on the car with the insurance when there's a storm in the Gulf of Mexico- the underwriters shut down. --Phil |
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I'm also in the process of trying to "read" an air mass sensor with a pic controller. I have zero experience. The goal is to create some piggy back system which allows me to hook it onto the MAP input of a programmable management system. I have not much hope that I succeed, but hey, at least I'll learn something along the way (I hope). Sorry for the thread hijacking, but this thread inspired me to go and have a try. Good on you! PICs are fun to play with Good luck! --Phil |
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