Car Modding becomes high tech
07-05-2017 | 10:06 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 251
Car Modding becomes high tech
Reading through general car forums, it seems a lot of people lamented the switch from all mechanical/carborated engines to fuel injected electronically controlled engines and the associated "computerization" of vehicles as being more complex, and more difficult to modify. And for years, that has held generally true. This forum is evidence of that - I don't see many "real" mods on here, outside of updating cosmetic things like painting bumpers, swapping out lighting, etc.
However, it looks like that is about to change. I found this awesome device: https://www.macchina.cc/ - The Macchina M2. What it does is it connects to your car's CANBUS and allows you to intercept CAN messages and send your own. For those unfamiliar, the CAN bus is a modern car's computer network, and allows all of the various sensors to talk to each other. You can read RPM, fuel level, engine temp, and even do things like lock/unlock and remote start your car by sending messages on this bus. The Macchina M2 allows you to program a device to do whatever you want on the bus. It is SO MUCH more than one of the ELM bluetooth dongles, as this allows you to write to the bus and use complex logic to respond to complex scenarios without a laptop connected.
For example, one of my major annoyances with the Maxima is in it's ICC. When the ICC system detects traffic, it slows the car down to a stop, and after completely stopping for 2 seconds, it disengages and releases the brake. This is a HUGE safety issue - if you are not paying attention, you could potentially roll into the car in front of you. Using the M2, I could potentially detect the ICC disengaging, and continue to hold the brake until the brake pedal or accelerator is tapped, then release it allowing normal operation (or potentially re-engage ICC automatically).
Another example is the FEB or lane collision avoidance system - in my opinion, the alerts are not nearly loud and attention grabbing enough. I would like to detect when Sonar indicates a car is in the next lane, and the turn signal is activated. When this happens, I can detect the event from signals on the bus, and I could play a much louder sound to indicate a potential collision. I could even modify it to use TCAS alerts from a Boeing 737 and have the car yell "TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC!"
There is so much possibility here, it's hard to say the limits (for example, Nissan might not expose sonar data on the bus). But if all the right data is accessible, the possibilities are endless.
In my opinion, this is the new car modding - re-programming your car and working with it's sensors in ways the original designers never envisioned. And the best part is, it's just a small dongle, and to return the car to stock, all you have to do is unplug it. Gone are the days of getting dirty and spending hours hunched over the engine bay - now all changes can be done from your office desk, and wirelessly beamed to the car.
I just ordered one, and should have it in a few weeks. If I am successful in my efforts, I plan on posting a demo video showing how it works.
However, it looks like that is about to change. I found this awesome device: https://www.macchina.cc/ - The Macchina M2. What it does is it connects to your car's CANBUS and allows you to intercept CAN messages and send your own. For those unfamiliar, the CAN bus is a modern car's computer network, and allows all of the various sensors to talk to each other. You can read RPM, fuel level, engine temp, and even do things like lock/unlock and remote start your car by sending messages on this bus. The Macchina M2 allows you to program a device to do whatever you want on the bus. It is SO MUCH more than one of the ELM bluetooth dongles, as this allows you to write to the bus and use complex logic to respond to complex scenarios without a laptop connected.
For example, one of my major annoyances with the Maxima is in it's ICC. When the ICC system detects traffic, it slows the car down to a stop, and after completely stopping for 2 seconds, it disengages and releases the brake. This is a HUGE safety issue - if you are not paying attention, you could potentially roll into the car in front of you. Using the M2, I could potentially detect the ICC disengaging, and continue to hold the brake until the brake pedal or accelerator is tapped, then release it allowing normal operation (or potentially re-engage ICC automatically).
Another example is the FEB or lane collision avoidance system - in my opinion, the alerts are not nearly loud and attention grabbing enough. I would like to detect when Sonar indicates a car is in the next lane, and the turn signal is activated. When this happens, I can detect the event from signals on the bus, and I could play a much louder sound to indicate a potential collision. I could even modify it to use TCAS alerts from a Boeing 737 and have the car yell "TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC!"
There is so much possibility here, it's hard to say the limits (for example, Nissan might not expose sonar data on the bus). But if all the right data is accessible, the possibilities are endless.
In my opinion, this is the new car modding - re-programming your car and working with it's sensors in ways the original designers never envisioned. And the best part is, it's just a small dongle, and to return the car to stock, all you have to do is unplug it. Gone are the days of getting dirty and spending hours hunched over the engine bay - now all changes can be done from your office desk, and wirelessly beamed to the car.
I just ordered one, and should have it in a few weeks. If I am successful in my efforts, I plan on posting a demo video showing how it works.
Last edited by jgilbs; 07-05-2017 at 10:10 AM.
07-06-2017 | 09:18 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 251
That's a good question, but unfortunately I am not sure. If you can, it would involve writing a change to a configuration/calibration register somewhere. Modifying the brake pedal is easier as there is already an actuator (used for cruise control/FEB) that you can control - I don't believe there is a similar actuator for steering. If there is, that would be really cool, because it means you may be able to bolt on some type of autonomous driving capability! However, I doubt this is possible on the Maxima as there is really no need to programatically control the steering on a stock Maxima.
07-06-2017 | 09:44 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 251
Now that I think about it, you can change the steering response via the Normal/Sport mode buttons. Perhaps there is a way to do this. Now the only question is if the functionality is exposed via the CAN bus.
03-15-2018 | 02:49 PM
#8
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6
I agree with the issue of it disengaging the brakes, but not for safety, more for comfort in start stop traffic. It could come in handy to have a brake hold feature like the new civics. I was so jealous when I found out my Sister's Civic LX has brake hold, but my Maxima with all of it's gadgets and electronic safety equipment still can't hold the brake after it comes to a stop lol.
03-19-2018 | 05:51 PM
#9
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,906
Reading through general car forums, it seems a lot of people lamented the switch from all mechanical/carborated engines to fuel injected electronically controlled engines and the associated "computerization" of vehicles as being more complex, and more difficult to modify. And for years, that has held generally true. This forum is evidence of that - I don't see many "real" mods on here, outside of updating cosmetic things like painting bumpers, swapping out lighting, etc.
However, it looks like that is about to change. I found this awesome device: https://www.macchina.cc/ - The Macchina M2. What it does is it connects to your car's CANBUS and allows you to intercept CAN messages and send your own. For those unfamiliar, the CAN bus is a modern car's computer network, and allows all of the various sensors to talk to each other. You can read RPM, fuel level, engine temp, and even do things like lock/unlock and remote start your car by sending messages on this bus. The Macchina M2 allows you to program a device to do whatever you want on the bus. It is SO MUCH more than one of the ELM bluetooth dongles, as this allows you to write to the bus and use complex logic to respond to complex scenarios without a laptop connected.
For example, one of my major annoyances with the Maxima is in it's ICC. When the ICC system detects traffic, it slows the car down to a stop, and after completely stopping for 2 seconds, it disengages and releases the brake. This is a HUGE safety issue - if you are not paying attention, you could potentially roll into the car in front of you. Using the M2, I could potentially detect the ICC disengaging, and continue to hold the brake until the brake pedal or accelerator is tapped, then release it allowing normal operation (or potentially re-engage ICC automatically).
Another example is the FEB or lane collision avoidance system - in my opinion, the alerts are not nearly loud and attention grabbing enough. I would like to detect when Sonar indicates a car is in the next lane, and the turn signal is activated. When this happens, I can detect the event from signals on the bus, and I could play a much louder sound to indicate a potential collision. I could even modify it to use TCAS alerts from a Boeing 737 and have the car yell "TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC!"
There is so much possibility here, it's hard to say the limits (for example, Nissan might not expose sonar data on the bus). But if all the right data is accessible, the possibilities are endless.
In my opinion, this is the new car modding - re-programming your car and working with it's sensors in ways the original designers never envisioned. And the best part is, it's just a small dongle, and to return the car to stock, all you have to do is unplug it. Gone are the days of getting dirty and spending hours hunched over the engine bay - now all changes can be done from your office desk, and wirelessly beamed to the car.
I just ordered one, and should have it in a few weeks. If I am successful in my efforts, I plan on posting a demo video showing how it works.
However, it looks like that is about to change. I found this awesome device: https://www.macchina.cc/ - The Macchina M2. What it does is it connects to your car's CANBUS and allows you to intercept CAN messages and send your own. For those unfamiliar, the CAN bus is a modern car's computer network, and allows all of the various sensors to talk to each other. You can read RPM, fuel level, engine temp, and even do things like lock/unlock and remote start your car by sending messages on this bus. The Macchina M2 allows you to program a device to do whatever you want on the bus. It is SO MUCH more than one of the ELM bluetooth dongles, as this allows you to write to the bus and use complex logic to respond to complex scenarios without a laptop connected.
For example, one of my major annoyances with the Maxima is in it's ICC. When the ICC system detects traffic, it slows the car down to a stop, and after completely stopping for 2 seconds, it disengages and releases the brake. This is a HUGE safety issue - if you are not paying attention, you could potentially roll into the car in front of you. Using the M2, I could potentially detect the ICC disengaging, and continue to hold the brake until the brake pedal or accelerator is tapped, then release it allowing normal operation (or potentially re-engage ICC automatically).
Another example is the FEB or lane collision avoidance system - in my opinion, the alerts are not nearly loud and attention grabbing enough. I would like to detect when Sonar indicates a car is in the next lane, and the turn signal is activated. When this happens, I can detect the event from signals on the bus, and I could play a much louder sound to indicate a potential collision. I could even modify it to use TCAS alerts from a Boeing 737 and have the car yell "TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC!"
There is so much possibility here, it's hard to say the limits (for example, Nissan might not expose sonar data on the bus). But if all the right data is accessible, the possibilities are endless.
In my opinion, this is the new car modding - re-programming your car and working with it's sensors in ways the original designers never envisioned. And the best part is, it's just a small dongle, and to return the car to stock, all you have to do is unplug it. Gone are the days of getting dirty and spending hours hunched over the engine bay - now all changes can be done from your office desk, and wirelessly beamed to the car.
I just ordered one, and should have it in a few weeks. If I am successful in my efforts, I plan on posting a demo video showing how it works.
05-23-2018 | 08:41 PM
#11
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,664
