When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Evo How Tos / InstallationsPost or link to your detailed how to / installation articles in here. If you have any questions regarding the how tos, feel free to post them in the Request sub-forum.
I engineered a solution to have EvoScan operate automatically on an integrated computer through any HDMI input capable head unit. I also created professional looking EvoScan custom gauges and a gauge layout to work with it. Maybe others can benefit from my work. Pictures and links to full instructions and files are below.
Note: You could deploy this solution if you wanted to run other types of content from a computer; for example, to re-flash your ECU. You can also grab the gauges content for EvoScan to use for your own custom layout.
Project Goals:
1. To run EvoScan on my Kenwood DMX1037s floating head unit screen via its HDMI input and design a professional looking gauge layout (AKA dashboard) that automatically starts in full screen.
2. The EvoScan dashboard shall provide me with Air Temp, Coolant Temp, Flex %, AFR, Boost, Throttle, MPG, Battery, RPM, Knock.
3. The solution will automatically startup and shutdown with little to no human intervention.
4. Even though I will be on the HDMI input for my head unit, I do not want to lose the ability to stream audio from my phone.
The Solution:
When I start my car, power is provided to a Raspberry Pi via an ignition power source. I also tie this to a switch so I can decide if/when I want to use this equipment or not. When the Raspberry Pi starts it sends a command to power on the Mini PC and the Mini PC automatically loads EvoScan to my custom gauge layout and starts the logging. When I turn the ignition off, the Raspberry Pi has a battery pack to temporarily keep it running, it detects the loss of power and sends a proper shutdown command to the Mini PC and then powers itself off.
I have broken this into two categories, Manual and Automatic. You could remove the Raspberry Pi equipment if you wanted to reduce complexity/cost and then manually power on/off the Mini PC but be mindful that you shouldn’t remove power from a computer without a proper shutdown first.
That is a nice setup and a big monitor. I was originally thinking that a double DIN could do it. what are you thoughts on that, and something more bargain based in a head unit like.
What are the pitfalls if you are just really going for the monitor and HDMI input.
Alternatively could you just have the mini PC and get a monitor, and not have a head unit at all. Audio out from the PC could run an amp to speakers?
Again, thanks for bringing this topic back from the dead.
That is a nice setup and a big monitor. I was originally thinking that a double DIN could do it. what are you thoughts on that, and something more bargain based in a head unit like.
What are the pitfalls if you are just really going for the monitor and HDMI input.
Alternatively could you just have the mini PC and get a monitor, and not have a head unit at all. Audio out from the PC could run an amp to speakers?
Again, thanks for bringing this topic back from the dead.
Looking over the unit you listed, it seems to have a Micro HDMI input but I would presume it would still work since its an HDMI input nonetheless. Most of the head units advertise their HDMI inputs for "mobile phone screen sharing" but it should work with any HDMI output so long as you don't attempt to send a resolution that your head unit can't support. The head unit I used, DMX1037s, has a resolution of 1280x720 (AKA 720p) so my gauge layout is sized to this dimension, and I set my Mini PC resolution to that as well.
If I am reading the details on that model correctly, it might support 1920x1080 so you will want to edit the "Evo-Cluster.xml" file to increase to the size of your resolution so it fits full screen. Since my artwork was all targeting 720p, you will get a little pixilation since you are upscaling but at a screen that size, I seriously doubt you would notice this at all.
I forgot to mention that most head units will have a parking brake sensor that only displays an HDMI input if you have the parking brake on. From my experience, Kenwood units you just need to ground the parking brake sensor wire and BAM it thinks the parking brake is on all the time. If you have other brands; for example, Alpine, you might need to get a parking brake bypass or cheating device.
If you really desired you could output this to a 25" inch TV then use an aux or headphone output to send to your head unit but at that size, you will probably notice more pixelization
I kind of wish I would have thought ahead and started my artwork at 1920x1080.
As I make improvements/adjustments I will be sure to edit the files, make a comment, and update any links in my original post. I already fixed a typo in one of the labels on the gauge template and I tonight I'm going to edit the PDF to note that most head units will require a bypass to their parking brake sensors or they will not be able to watch anything on the HDMI input unless they are parked.
I ran into a situation where if you leave the inline switch for the Raspberry Pi in the on position and then turn your ignition on and back of quickly, the Mini PC was left powered on and failed to shutdown automatically. I believe the following occurred.
- The Raspberry Pi started up when it received power from the ignition. Even though the ignition was shut off, it continued to boot using the power from its batteries.
- The Raspberry Pi sent the command to start the Mini PC after it finished booting but then it quickly triggered the shutdown script because it noticed it was no longer getting power from the ignition source.
- The Mini PC was not quite finished booting up so when the Raspberry Pi sent the shutdown command it did not complete that action and remained powered on.
I believe the solution will be simple. I will be editing the "autoshutdown.py" script to send a shutdown command to the PC, wait another 90 seconds then send a second shutdown command to the PC and shut itself down. I think the PC will have booted by that time and the problem is solved. If you install a switch between the ignition and the Raspberry Pi, and you do not leave it in the "on" position all the time, you will not likely hit this either. I'm working on that fix now and will have files replaced shortly.
This looks fantastic! It's like a refined version of what I tried back in 2019. Writing a batch file that the OS followed on startup helped me get everything opened up automatically. So glad I did that HVAC conversion since then... lol
That is soo awesome. we need to build more stuff like this. the power on ignition requirements are some of the hardest to meet. If there are any features or options i can add to EvoScan to make this easier.. hit me up on facebook.com/hamish.ahern
This looks fantastic! It's like a refined version of what I tried back in 2019. Writing a batch file that the OS followed on startup helped me get everything opened up automatically. So glad I did that HVAC conversion since then... lol
Since the developers of EvoScan program were smart to include the ability to load a gauge layout on startup via providing it as an argument, and we can start logging with a keyboard command, we have all the necessary pieces to run this automatically. I accomplished this part of the step by using a PowerShell script but I suspect you did something similar in a batch script.
Feel free to grab the EvoScan.ps1 file from the programs section of my shared links if you wanted to see how I did that part on my setup.
Last edited by WalkerWakaWaka; Mar 12, 2023 at 09:08 AM.
That is soo awesome. we need to build more stuff like this. the power on ignition requirements are some of the hardest to meet. If there are any features or options i can add to EvoScan to make this easier.. hit me up on facebook.com/hamish.ahern
I’ll ping you over a PM in the forums. I stopped using Facebook a while back. All I have left is a shared account with my wife in FB. 😁
I have uploaded a new revision of my Evoscan/Evoscreen solution dated 3/26/23. If you are using my previous release, and you desire to use a resolution larger than 1280x720, I recommend downloading my new revision. My original post has been edited to offer the new links.
- You now have the option of using a Gauge Layout of 1280x720 OR a completely reworked (high definition) 1920x1080 version.
- A few more background options have been added to the images folder. You can pick a BG that replaces the bottom car image with a Mitsu logo instead.
If you would like me to tweak the BG artwork for your personal use case, send me a PM with what you have in mind.
Let me know if any of you build a similar setup as I would love to see what you come up with.
Happy moding!
I've wanted something like this forever but didn't know how to implement it. It would be awesome to replace the gauge cluster with a touch screen digital dash using this method. Something like the stand alone ecu companies offer. A poor man's FT700plus https://www.fueltech.net/pages/ft700
I've wanted something like this forever but didn't know how to implement it. It would be awesome to replace the gauge cluster with a touch screen digital dash using this method. Something like the stand alone ecu companies offer. A poor man's FT700plus https://www.fueltech.net/pages/ft700
The only problem I foresee with using EvoScan as a primary gauge cluster is that you will want it to refresh faster than every 1 second. I believe that is a baked in limitation of EvoScan.
I engineered a solution to have EvoScan operate automatically on an integrated computer through any HDMI input capable head unit. I also created professional looking EvoScan custom gauges and a gauge layout to work with it. Maybe others can benefit from my work. Pictures and links to full instructions and files are below.
Note: You could deploy this solution if you wanted to run other types of content from a computer; for example, to re-flash your ECU. You can also grab the gauges content for EvoScan to use for your own custom layout.
Project Goals:
1. To run EvoScan on my Kenwood DMX1037s floating head unit screen via its HDMI input and design a professional looking gauge layout (AKA dashboard) that automatically starts in full screen.
2. The EvoScan dashboard shall provide me with Air Temp, Coolant Temp, Flex %, AFR, Boost, Throttle, MPG, Battery, RPM, Knock.
3. The solution will automatically startup and shutdown with little to no human intervention.
4. Even though I will be on the HDMI input for my head unit, I do not want to lose the ability to stream audio from my phone.
The Solution:
When I start my car, power is provided to a Raspberry Pi via an ignition power source. I also tie this to a switch so I can decide if/when I want to use this equipment or not. When the Raspberry Pi starts it sends a command to power on the Mini PC and the Mini PC automatically loads EvoScan to my custom gauge layout and starts the logging. When I turn the ignition off, the Raspberry Pi has a battery pack to temporarily keep it running, it detects the loss of power and sends a proper shutdown command to the Mini PC and then powers itself off.
I have broken this into two categories, Manual and Automatic. You could remove the Raspberry Pi equipment if you wanted to reduce complexity/cost and then manually power on/off the Mini PC but be mindful that you shouldn’t remove power from a computer without a proper shutdown first.
Revision: 03-26-23
\
I had been working on my statement of purpose for weeks and was struggling to make it stand out. I decided to seek professional help https://www.sopservices.net/writing-...ng-management/ and found a website that offered to write it for me. The process was easy, and I was able to provide the writer with information about my academic and professional background. When I received the final product, I was impressed with how well my voice was captured and how my accomplishments were highlighted.
