VECTRA B - MID + modified radio CAR400

[Vermes]

You can find designs of building in a transmitter to radio CAR400 in order to equip the radio in USB port. There is also an opportunity to display your own data such as voltage, temperature inside the car, engine rpm – in line intended for RDS on a MID display. These two solutions can be combined together in one device, and this article tries to explain how this can be done.

Assumptions of the project:

• MID display handling (display messages in RDS line – temperature, voltage in the installation, information whether the transmitter is on)
• built-in FM transmitter in radio CAR400
• USB port as a power source for such as a phone
• the steering wheel buttons to control the built-in gadget

The main electronic component of the circuit is Atmega32 with Bootloader to provide the easiness of changing the software that can be developed . RS232 port is connected to the USB socket, so the socket you create is a multifunctional one. It can be the source of music tracks, USB devices power supply, and a port for software actualization.

Handling consists of activation of the steering wheel buttons as non-standard buttons, holding down for a few seconds the button switching the source to a cassette in place of which there is the transmitter and PCB with the processor.

After the activation, the welcome message “# Vectra #” is displayed and then the voltage in car installation. After that, pressing the button will cause change of information displayed into the temperature inside the car, and then again the voltage. Buttons “+” and “-” are used to switch on and off the transmitter, what is indicated by displaying the icon of a note on the display. Buttons on the left side of the steering wheel: “right” and “left” are for switching the tracks of the transmitter. Atmega sends code from the remote to the transmitter. The last button of the steering wheel is exit from the buttons handling and return to their factory functions.

As you can see in the picture, the USB port was integrated into the plug under the traction control button. SD card slot is in the cassette box.

Standard buttons have different functions than originally. CPS resets the processor, buttons of rewinding the cassette are now the buttons for switching the tracks, the eject button is now the pause button.

When you want to know how to control MID, check out these websites:
LINK
**broken link removed**

And do not forget your own measurement.

Pictures:




And video:

Link to original thread (useful attachment) - VECTRA B - MID + zmodyfikowane radio CAR400