50 Awesome Auto Projects for the Evil Genius

by Gavin Harper

Overview

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.




The Evil Genius format is the perfect "vehicle" for 50 incredible automotive projects that are compatible with any car, no matter what make, model, or year. Focusing on low-cost, easily obtained components, the book lists the items needed to complete each project along with a troubleshooting and repair section.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071458238
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	09/30/2005
Series:	Evil Genius
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	10.72(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.33(d)

About the Author

Gavin Harper is an amateur hobbyist, member of a number of classic car clubs, and devoted British car enthusiast. His current "fleet" includes a 1983 Austin Mini and a 1979 MG Midget much to his family's displeasure. Gavin is currently studying with the Open University in the Honors program toward a bachelor of science technology and with University of East London toward a master of science in architecture with a focus on advanced environmental and energy studies. He holds qualifications in IT, engineering, and computer-aided design. Gavin is a Science and Engineering Ambassador for the SETNET group and is actively involved in promoting science, engineering, and technology in schools.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Introduction	xvii
Chapter 1	Instrumentation	1
Project 1	Constructing a Digital Gauge	1
	You Will Need	1
	Tools	1
Project 2	Adding a Lamp Failure Monitor	4
	You Will Need	4
	Tools	4
	Circuit Operation	4
	Construction	4
	Introducing ... The LM391x Series of ICs	5
	So How Do We Go About Building a Digital Dashboard ...	6
	Using the LM3915/6 Effectively in Your Own Designs	6
Project 3	Constructing a Simple Voltmeter	7
	You Will Need	7
	Tools	7
Project 4	Constructing the Mixture Meter	8
	You Will Need	8
	Tools	8
	Calibration Procedure	9
	Troubleshooting	10
Project 5	Installing an EGO Sensor	10
	You Will Need	10
	Tools	10
	One-Wire EGO Sensor	11
	Two-Wire EGO Sensor (ISO-EGO Sensor)	11
	Three-Wire EGO Sensor (HEGO Sensor)	11
	Four-Wire EGO Sensor (ISO HEGO Sensor)	11
	Troubleshooting	11
	Out-of-Car Testing and Inspection	11
	In-Car Testing and Inspection	12
Project 6	Building an Expandable VU Meter	12
	You Will Need (Per Channel)	12
	Tools	12
Project 7	Building a Digital Tachometer	13
	You Will Need	13
	Tools	13
Project 8	Adding a Voice Enunciator	14
	You Will Need	14
	Tools	14
Chapter 2	Comfort Features	17
	Electric Door Mirrors Explained	17
Project 9	Installing Electric Door Mirrors	18
	You Will Need	18
	Tools	18
Project 10	Installing Electric Windows	20
	Type 1 Aftermarket Window Kits	21
	Type 2 Aftermarket Window Kits	22
	Type 3 Aftermarket Window Kits	22
	You Will Need	23
	Tools	23
	Mechanical Installation	23
Step 123
Step 223
Step 323
Step 424
Step 524
Step 624
Step 725
Step 825
Step 925
Step 1025
	Electrical Installation	26
	Troubleshooting	26
Project 11	Installing Heated Seats	27
	You Will Need	27
	Tools	27
	Troubleshooting	29
Project 12	Installing a Lumbar Support	30
	You Will Need	30
	Tools	30
	Installation Instructions for a Front-Mounted Bladder	31
	Installation Instructions for a Rear-Mounted Bladder	31
	Installation Instructions for a Seat Pouch or Pump	31
	Installation of Wiring	31
	Troubleshooting	32
Chapter 3	Intelligent Functions	33
Project 13	Installing an Automatic Head-lamp Switch	33
	You Will Need	33
	Tools	34
Project 14	Installing Automatic Dip-Beam Lights	35
	You Will Need	35
	Tools	35
Project 15	Installing Simple Intelligent Wipers	36
	You Will Need	36
	Tools	36
Project 16	Constructing a Rain Sensor	37
	You Will Need	37
	Tools	37
Project 17	Installing Advanced Intelligent Wipers	38
	Principle of Operation	38
	You Will Need	39
	Tools	39
	Locating the Sensor	40
	Electrical Installation	41
	Troubleshooting	41
	Resetting the Raintronic	42
	Reinitializing Raintronic	42
	Advanced Intelligent Wipers in Action!	42
Project 18	Installing Cruise Control	43
	Safety and the Cruise Control	44
	You Will Need	44
	Tools	45
	Electrical Installation	46
	Troubleshooting	49
	Entering the Diagnostic Mode	49
	Testing the Resume/Accelerate Button	51
	Testing the Brake Switch	51
	Looking to the Future	53
Chapter 4	Security and Safety	55
Project 19	Adding High-Level Mirror-Mounted Indicators	55
	You Will Need	55
	Tools	55
	Troubleshooting	57
Project 20	Adding Puddle Lights	58
	You Will Need	58
	Tools	58
Project 21	Installing a Total Closure Module	59
Project 22	Installing Central Locking	60
	You Will Need	61
	Tools	61
	Installing Central-Locking Motors	61
	How It Works	62
Project 23	Installing Heated Washer Jets	62
	You Will Need	62
	Tools	62
	Installation	63
	Hydraulic Installation	64
	Electrical Installation	64
	Operation	64
Project 24	Building a Homing Device	65
	You Will Need	65
	Tools	65
Project 25	Installing a GPS Vehicle Tracker	66
	You Will Need	66
	Tools	67
	Mechanical Installation	67
	Electrical Installation	67
	Software Installation	67
	Software Configuration	68
Project 26	Installing a Reversing Camera	69
	You Will Need	69
	Tools	69
Project 27	Installing a Rear-Obstacle Sensing System	70
	You Will Need	70
	Tools	70
	Operating the ROSS	73
Project 28	Constructing Dome-Light Dimmer Delay	73
Chapter 5	A Computer in Your Car	75
	Car Computer Basics	75
	AutoCom ACEX C3	76
Project 29	Installing the AutoCom ACEX C3	76
	You Will Need	76
	Tools	77
	Building Your Own Car PC	78
	Mini/Nano ITX	78
	Processors	79
	Memory	80
	Motherboard Options	80
	Case Styles	80
	Case Controls, Buttons, and LEDs	83
	You Will Need	84
	Troubleshooting	84
	Constructing Your Own Case/Modifying a Standard Project Case	84
	Motorbike PCs?	87
	Other Car Computers for Consideration	87
Chapter 6	Power Supplies	89
	Split-Charging Systems	89
Project 30	Installing a Split Charger	90
	You Will Need	90
	Tools	90
	How the Circuit Functions	90
	Inverters	91
	DC-to-DC Power Supplies	91
	Startup and Shutdown Controllers	92
Project 31	Connecting an External Device to an OPUS Power Supply	93
	You Will Need	93
	Tools	94
	BIOS Settings	94
	Operating System Settings	94
	Electrical Installation	95
	Operating the Power Supply	96
	Troubleshooting	97
	ATX Power Connection	98
Chapter 7	Display Technologies	99
	Display Technologies	99
	Liquid Crystal Displays	99
	How LCDs Work	99
	Vacuum Fluorescent Displays	100
	How VFDs Work	100
	Display Formats	100
	Alphanumeric Displays	100
	Adding a Text Display to Your Car PC	100
	Autoroute	190
	Microsoft MapPoint	191
	Other Programs	191
	Epilogue	193
	Appendix A	195
	Appendix B	199
	Index	201