Telemetry

[chadjmccolm]

Context

We want to send the car's data to a server and display it on a webpage to reduce the amount of information clogging up the driver's display and allow for easier data logging.

We have previously purchased parts for this:
https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/rocketm/
https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanostationm/
https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/airmax-omni-antenna/

The data will be sent via the MQTT protocol to a server created by @BrendonEarl.

The server is powered by NodeJS. The data will likely be sent by an Arduino running an MQTT client like this one.

The flow will be as shown here:

Outcomes

• Create a link between the car and the server
• Setup a MQTT server
• Configure the Arduino to read CAN and send via MQTT over Ethernet
• Create a web page to view the data recieved

Constraints

We should use the technology we've already purchased.

[SilverFarmer]

With regards to testing the telemetry system, I have been making progress with a HIL simulation. Essentially the MABX will be wired up to a dSPACE simulation platform and receive signals in real time that it would normally see on the car. If we wire up the telemetry system as shown above, we could test and validate its implementation without requiring the car to be running. ETA is mid January.

[chadjmccolm]

Arduino in the above schematic will be done instead with Raspberry Pi which will also power the dashboard. What is displayed on the dash is up for debate but I think what we really need is:

• rpm
• speed
• area for warning lights (overtemp, etc.)

Everything will be sent to the MQTT server using a python library and the dash will also be powered the same Python program.

This also opens up the possibility of sending voice data back and forth for the driver to communicate with the pit. This year, we likely won't have time to do this but it's a good future plan.

[chadjmccolm]

Here is my idea for the dash. Working on building the GUI currently. I've decided to use Python because it has great libraries for MQTT and CAN communication.

So far the pre-reqs for getting this running on the RPi are:

• python 2.7
• pyside

The program will run in fullscreen by default and the Pi should be configured to run this program on boot.

pyside can be installed with pip with the commend pip install pyside

[chadjmccolm]

I wrote a summary of the telemetry system for the Whiton Fund which is available here

Good resource for future reference.

[chadjmccolm]

A fuel and charge level indicator will be placed on the UI on either side of the current information or maybe below it. Haven't decided yet. The libraries will be switched to PyQT and python 3 to correspond with the CAN library I want to use, python-can. The QML file controlling the GUI will likely remain the same, the only changes will be to the python application itself.

[bndnio]

@chadjmccolm with regards to the display: I'm not sure if you were previously aware of this, but part of the motivation for the telemetry system was so that we could simply the dash and no longer use the display as it was hard to see on bright days. While it does look super sexy, it wasn't super functional when racing. We thought a bright LED array would be more noticeable as a tach.
Grayson previously had a design, which should be on grabCAD or the drive somewhere, for a new dashboard. Not that you guys should definitely drop the screen, but it may be work exploring

[tmurias]

@BrendonEarl The dash design Grayson and I worked on last year is in the Electrical/2016-2017/Dash folder in the drive. I was going to change some parts of it this season but put it on the back burner since I'm spending all of my time on the AMS, and since Chad wants to combine the dash with telemetry I figured we'd just abandon it. It's still there (and pretty much complete) if we change our minds, but it might be nice having the dash and telemetry combined. As long as the new LCD will be bright enough and we only display the really important stuff, it should be fine.