User:Dross4565/enes100/My Work 2

Write problem/project Goal
restarted car hack project. this time we want to build MPGuino (arduino that reads mpg from any vehicle).

My First Task
research mpguinos, learn what they are, how they work, how to set up arduino to make it a MPGuino. Learn how to solder wires, where to put wires on arduino to MPGuino faceplate. What wires to solder on car to connect to arduino.

Summary of actual work over first weekend
Researched how the MPGuino read the MPG in a car. Started getting the wires and taking apart the computer screen. Helping build the MPGuino by soldering the computer screen and plugging wires into the screen to get it to read.

Week1 Narrative
Started to assemble the MPGuino using the website help MPGuino Assemble. and started learning how the arduino read the MPG from the vehicle using this website MPGuino Workspace.

My Second Task
Research more options with mpguino, learn what else we can do with it instead of just building the software. Start soldering car wires and attach arduino to computer screen monitor.

Summary of actual work over second weekend
searched for other projects that were used with the mpguino. found project that could tie car hack one project [|Car Hack 1] into this project. Started back up with controlling the fuel injection module within the car using arduino and OBD connector.

Week2 Narrative
Researched different options/projects used with the mpguino that we could use instead of just building software and reading of the car's mpg. Which is lame. Found that you can install red and green led lights to computer screen being used with mpguino to signal whether the mpg for the car is the same, better, or worse than the initial depending on which lights on the screen light up. Here is the link to that idea: LED Lights for MPGuino. In seeing this, I immediately was reminded of this group's first car hack project in trying to write programs through the arduino to control the engine of the car. [|Car Hack 1] So, what if I could write a program to control the fuel injection module within the engine of are vehicle using the same arduino that would read the MPG of the vehicle then signal whether the MPG is better than the initial or if I wrote the wrong program and made the MPG worse? This will allow any engineer to write his/her own program within the arduino and attempt to better the MPG than the previous program. Competition between engineers is love. While farthering the project, I can make the project everlasting and make it into a "game". write the wrong MPG code, get a red light on the computer screen. Write the right code, get just the green light on the computer screen. Write a program that gives the same result as the previous program, both the red and green LED lights come on the screen.

My Third task
continue creating the programs using the project from the group's first project to try to control the fuel injection module in the vehicle. Write the code to signal the LED lights to come on at a certain point on the computer screen and help solder the arduino wires to add the LED lights to the computer backscreen and to build the MPGuino.

Summary of actual work over third weekend
Couldn't solder the wires to change the LED lights on the computer screen because didn't have the opportunity to meet with group members to get a the materials in one place, seeing as I wasn't in the possession of the computer screen at the time. So tried to work on fuel injection module and codes for the LED lights.

Week3 Narrative
Because I did not have the possession of the printer screen going to be used in our project I had to improvise, but first I started to create codes with the arduino program using LED Codes has a outline/guideline. First, i had to order the spare lcd shield LCD Shield so I only experiment with the coding in the arduino to use for our actual LCD screen. The actual LED shield attaches directly to the arduino while the LCD screen we are using for this project we soldered on using wires. I also began fiddling with the arduino to control the fuel injector for the car we are using. First, I had to order the fuel injector and the ssr to control it to be able to connect it to the arduino. SSR order Toyota Corolla Fuel Injector but as u can see the fuel injector for the car used in this project was expensive so I went to the junkyard to grab one for $10 out of totaled vehicle.

My Fourth task
Now that I have all the materials needed. Going to start experimenting with the codes to keep the fuel injector opened for as long as I want to so that I could have my final result similar to this video Arduino with fuel injector. I also want to perfect the turning on and off of the different lights within the LCD shield for the arduino to display the increasing or decreasing of the MPG the vehicle has received after uploading the codes to control the fuel injector from the arduino through the OBD to the ecu to the fuel injector within the vehicle. I will try to post videos of my attempts rather they be successful or failures.

Summary of actual work over fourth weekend
Received fuel injector and SSR, connected both to arduino. Started writing codes for both the fuel injection valve and for the LCD monitor on the arduino.

Week4 Narrative
Tested the codes for the arduino to the fuel injector using the same codes for the arduino light structure in order to make easier the timing of how long I wanted the fuel injection to be opened when acceleration on the car's gas pedal has been pushed down. I took the idea from the motor experiment we did when first being "experienced" with the arduino in our engineering class. I also tried to play around with the lighting within the LCD screen Multicolor LCD arduino after installing a multicolor LED light as the backlight. Now trying to get the LCD to signal a red or blue light depending if the MPG is better than the original MPG or not using this as a Tutorial. Gotten to the point where I could make the lights behind the LED light up, but haven't gotten to test if lights will light up when I wanted them to. Now in the process of rewiring the MPGuino to the SSR and the fuel injector using the fuel injection program and the lighting program at the same time.

Complete Team Page
Car Hack 2