MP3Car.com - FB Documentation and Tutorials

HVAC temp actuator

jjohnston — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:53:38 GMT

I am working on using the Fusion Brain to control the HVAC in my car. The one last thing I have left to figure out is, the temp control. I did some looking and found I should be able to use the actuator from an Audi A6 (which I just ordered)(the actuator, not the car) to allow the FB to move the temp cable. My question that I don't quite understand is...

How do these actuators work? Do they use a timed on/off function. Like does the actuator get power for X secconds which moves the temp cable, or is it more based on voltage, (x volts out is one setting, y volts out is another). My gut says its timing, but need to know for sure, or need direction of where I can find out. lol I tried to see if I could find a schematic of the electrical etc from a 2004 A6 but didn't find much out...

How to Code for FuseGL using the power of C# [EXTREMELY USEFUL DOCUMENTATION]

2k1Toaster — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:14:36 GMT

FuseGL is the software used to control the Fusion Brain that is provided by me at Fusion Control Centre.

The most powerful and unique feature of FuseGL software that took over 2 years to get working is something that nobody will ever see. But what it allows is for you to write code using Microsoft's .NET language of C# that controls the Fusion Brain and other aspects of FuseGL without having to re-invent the innards every time. It also allows a community to grow by sharing these code files (*.cs extensions). Once you write one, it will become easier. And by using Microsoft's power tool, Visual Studio, it is almost like using telepathy after getting down the basics. So even though it is not required, I highly recommend it and will direct this tutorial as if you have downloaded it. You can use Notepad if you prefer, but you loose all the really cool features that Visual Studio has to offer. The biggest such power is "Intellisense" which automatically starts to fill out what you are typing as you are typing. This is something you should do on your development PC, and then when finished move to your CarPC or Home Automation PC. There is no harm to have it on any computer, but it is a hefty installation from Microsoft at 2.4GB of disk space and about 200MB worth of internet downloads.

So first things first, you will need to download FuseGL from my website. All the links are the same, but packaged either raw or in an archive format. Your choice which one you choose.

EXE [18.8MB]: fusioncontrolcentre.com/FuseGL/FuseGL.exe
RAR [11.1MB]: fusioncontrolcentre.com/FuseGL/FuseGL.rar
ZIP [11.4MB]: fusioncontrolcentre.com/FuseGL/FuseGL.zip

You will need at least version 1.0.0.469 of FuseGL for this to work which most people should. The best way to tell the version number is by looking at the version tab under the properties of the exe. Open a windows explorer window and browse to the executable's location. Then right click and choose "Properties" from the list (usually on the bottom):

Then go to the "Details" tab, and look under "File Version":

1.0.0.470 is up to date, so we can use it. Another way to check is to run the EXE. After it loads and the display appears, close the program and look for the file FuseGL_Trace.txt made in the applications root directory. The first line will look something like:

Code:

Fusion Control Centre -- FuseGL {1.1.0.470}

If your version is old, then allow it to update. Connect your machine to the internet, and run FuseGL. Wait a little bit after you launch it and you should see a little popup window saying there is an update available:

Let it download automatically. It will then close the application, update, and then re-launch itself. Then check the exe to make sure the version number is correct.

You will also need 1 other DLL [FB_USB_2011.dll] that is bundled in the exe, but you will want separately. You can download that here: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/F...B_USB_2011.dll

The other important tool you need is Visual Studio C# Express. You can download Visual Studio 2010 C# Express for FREE from this page: http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudi...d-2010-express

If you want the direct link and do not want to find it yourself, then click here: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9709939

This will download "vcs_web.exe":

Then run that exe and it will start loading:

Eventually this window will pop up to start the installation of Visual Studio 2010 C#:

Read and accept the license terms. If you don't except the license terms, you will have a very painful learning curve in another tool suite:

You do not need any of the optional components, but they don't hurt. It is up to you, I chose to deselect them:

Let's you know it is a big download at 158MB and will take 2.4GB of disk space. It is totally worth it. I would keep the installation folders default, it keeps it easier in the future for plugins if you so want them:

It will then start the download and installation process. It will probably take 20+ minutes on an average computer:

After it downloads, it will begin installing:

You will more than likely need to reboot your machine in the middle of installation. Follow the prompt:

Wait wait wait... You did reboot right? If you are like me, you take reboot warnings and requirements as loose suggestions and ignore them completely. Yes you actually need to reboot. If you do not see your starting splash logo, you didn't do it right. Reboot all the way. Yes it is painful but you need to do it. Sorry:

It should just pick up your installation where it left off:

Eventually it will finish installing:

Now run the program:

The first time you run it the splash may stay a while and you might see a setup of your initial workspace:

Now you are ready to start coding. This is where you should start if you revisit this tutorial later with everything already installed. I HIGHLY recommend actually typing in the code, not copy and pasting. This will let you see what the intellisense is doing and you might get better ideas. You can read the meta data and so on and gain experience rather then just going through the motions and remaining confused.

So make a new Project. Go to "File" then "New Project" from the top menu bars:

Make sure that "Visual C#" is chosen as your template and then choose "Class Library" from the pane on the right. Name it something more useful then the default of "ClassLibrary1.cs". I'm naming mine HVAC_Control_Example

Eventually you will get something like this:

This is the default class view where you will be able to code. Right now it defaults to a generic class name and adds some default "using" statements that it thinks you might like or need. Lets change that class name to something more meaningful like "HVAC_Example". Left click to select "Class1.cs" from the Solution Explorer, the pane on the right.

Then right click and select Rename from the menu:

Remember to keep the *.cs, this is IMPORTANT! You will notice how Visual Studio is smart and asks you if you want to rename other things. Say yes please Bill Gates:

Notice in the code area that "Class1" has been changed to "HVAC_Example". It has happened in other areas too that we won't go into as it is not too important. But just accept it and like it:

Now we need to add references. One reference to FuseGL itself, and another to a DLL that FuseGL uses that you downloaded earlier (FB_USB_2011.dll). Left click the "References" tree node in the Solution Explorer, then right click, then choose "Add Reference" from the drop down menu.

My exe and dll are located in a folder called "FuseGL" on the desktop. So select "Browse" from the tab, navigate to that location and then add those files. You can add them individually or select multiple files like any windows explorer window by holding shift or control to select groups and multiple files.

After they add you will see them in the References tab in the Solution Explorer if you expand the tree

Now they exist in our project. This tells our code that we may or may not reference these files. But if we do, you can look for them in the locations we selected (my Desktop/FuseGL folder). If you move the location of the references, you will need to change the reference location. Now we can use these by typing in full class names. That is not always convenient, so lets add some using statements. These are like shortcuts. So if your file had "a.b.c.d.1.2.e" you would have to say that whole thing every time you wanted to reference it. But sometimes you might just want to say "2.e". In that case your "using" statement would go down from "a.b.c.d.1". It is like a little shortcut to save on typing. Some Visual Studio plugins resolve these automatically like ReSharper which is worth the money if you do this all day long like I do. So to begin with you should have at least these using statements already:

Code:

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Text;

These are found on the top of your code (they must go at the top of the file before anything else other than comments, like copyright stuff):

Now lets add these:

Code:

using FB_USB_2011;

using FuseGL.GUI;

You may notice a couple things. First, caps are important. FuseGL is not the same as fusegl. So typing is important. If you mistype something you will see angry lines like these:

This means you have an error. It will also show up in the error window. But we can't see that because it is not enabled by default. Lets enable it. Go to View, Other Windows, Error List

Now you will see the Error Window below like this:

Notice how it shows the description of the error, what file it is in, what line it is on, and even the column of the character the error starts with... Pretty impressive for a compiler. If you have never done this before, you may not realize just how glorious this is. In the old days, even a few years ago if you had an error it may compile but then just not work. Now it will tell you many ways. You can get the description by just hovering over the angry lines in the text as well.

Another thing you may have noticed is that if you typed "FuseGL" properly, as soon as you hit the "dot" (.), a window popped up. This is intellisense that I was talking about earlier.

This is where the meat and potatoes is. You can learn everything you need by poking around these menus. You cannot type in "FuseGL.Zebra". Well you could but you would get an angry underline, and a compile error so nothing will work. You know that you can type in "FuseGL.Configurator", "FuseGL.FusionBrainOnline", "FuseGL.GUI", "FuseGL.Input", "FuseGL.Logic", or "FuseGL.Update" and that's all. You don't get this from Notepad. So you could type in the same thing and have it work in Notepad, you wont get this great map that narrows it down from anything you can possible type on a keyboard to these 6 options. It makes coding so much easier, safer, and faster!

So something that is periodically good to check (and Visual Studio does it automatically for you too) is to make sure your code still works after you make some changes. You can tell this by performing a "build". We won't actually use the output that the compiler makes, but if it builds here, it will work in FuseGL unless you have a logical error. But syntactically it will be correct. You know you are missing a semi-colon somewhere (something Visual Studio checks for even) or put a bracket in the wrong spot. So go to Debug, then Build Solution from the top menu bar:

If it works, and you are on a fast computer, the only indication that it worked is the tiny little "Build Successful" message in the bottom left corner of the window. If you have a slower PC, you might see it say building with a progress bar, but once it is done this is what will remain. If you made a coding error and something bad happens, the Error List we made display before will show you the lines and descriptions of the errors. Keep in mind that in general you may have an error that masks other errors. So it may show 1 error because you have 1 really bad error. When you fix that, then you have 10 errors. It could not find those 10 errors before because that 1 bad error was preventing it from knowing. So only when you have 0 errors, do you actually have no errors. 1 error means, you have at least 1 error.

My Fusion Brain Project, need some help.

jjohnston — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:15:51 GMT

I have a FB v6. I am going to use it to control my Air in my car. There are a few things I need help figuring out how to make work.

1) Fan Speed - I currently have digital outputs programmed to control relays for fan speed. My problem is, I need outputs 1-4 to only allow 1 on at a time. If I touch the Fan Low button, I want it to turn on and display a different button background when on. If I press it a 2nd time I want it to turn off and have the image go back to the off image. In addition if Output 1 (fan low) is on, and I press Output 3 (fan high) I would like output 1 to automatically turn off since another output is on...

2) Temp Control - I am going to program my temp control as up and down buttons, but I need to figure out how to have those buttons link to a text output, so as I turn the temp up, I want numbers 60, 61, 62 etc to go up and down (showing non accurate temp, but to give a rough idea of increase or decrease of temp setting)

3) Embedding programs - Is there a way to have a completely separate program display in my fusion brain window? like web browser, or email, etc.

Any help and guidance anyone could provide is greatly appreciated!

Coding Variables for multi buttons 1 on all others off.

jjohnston — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:29:51 GMT

I have the v6 FB.

I have outputs 1-4 set to control relays. I only want 1 of them on at a time. SO... I would like to figure out how to set it up to allow for that. So if output 2 is on, and I press the button on the screen which would turn on output 4, I want it to somehow know output 2 is on, so it will turn that off before turning output 4 on... if that makes any sense.

I wasnt sure if in FuseGL I would add them as buttons or variables, and if variables, how do I do that, because all that shows up in FuseGL under variables is ".../"

FuseGL Manual - Work in Progress

Grrrmachine — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 15:17:15 GMT

I got my Fusion Brain v6 from Nick last week. It's been two years since I played with a Brain, and that was a v3 working with MDX, so this new Brain and its software is a completely new thing for me. I'm not a coder at all, so I need to document everything I do with the Brain to make sure I know what to do later. For that purpose, here's a Basic Guide to getting your Fusion Brain v6 working with FuseGL.

I'll comment on any bugs I find along the way in another thread here. As I learn new things and FuseGL develops, hopefully this thread will grow in the same way.

Attached Files

FuseGL Manual - Getting Started.doc (908.0 KB)

Need help to control HVAC system

jjohnston — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 01:37:44 GMT

I am looking to buy a fusion Brain and program it to control my HVAC in my car (old car 1991). Does anyone have a turtorial that can help, or can anyone point me in the right direction of how to start? I have never done anything like this before...

Control fan speed with PWM and dependent on temp

rEegLer — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:43:48 GMT

I thought I'd start a new topic for this.

2K1 pointed to this as a solution for using PWM to control fan speed but could someone point me in the right direction to get the fan speed so it changes based on the ambient temperature in my computer case?

Quote:

Hardware wise, you can just hook it up directly. Power it off of the pins, and the ground is switched, modulating the speed.

Programming wise:

Software PWM:

Hardware PWM:

need help with mdx/using my FB

kylekonvick — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:39:54 GMT

I'm new to this i have absolutely no experience with this. My friend introduced me to the fusion brain and we're trying to make it work. using mdx i cant even figure out how to make a button. i've been lurking the site for hours reading and reading. can someone help me make a button using mdx just to turn on a relay using my FB. thank you my email is kylekonvick@gmail.com

How to use the MOSFET Power Board

2k1Toaster — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:58:10 GMT

Pins 1 and 2 are connected together, and need to be supplied with the same voltage as what you are switching. Pin #4 controls the MOSFET on the left when grounded, and pin #3 controls the MOSFET on the right when grounded.

The Fusion Brain works with switched grounds. So when you connect the FB to the MOSFET board, connect the + side to the "bottom" pin and the - side to the "top" pin. The drains of the MOSFET are on the outside bottom 4 pins, and the sources are the middle two.

For best operation, the sources should be tied to ground, (it needs to be the same ground as the Fusion Brain). Then your load gets power normally, and the ground of your load is connected to the drain pin on the MOSFET. So when the Fusion Brain turns on an output, the pin is grounded, and the MOSFET allows current to flow through the power source, to the load, to the MOSFET, and to ground completing the circuit and turning on the load.

Looking for some sample configs light sensor

mrxb06 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:04:17 GMT

I'm Looking for some sample config files to do some very basic functions.
1. make a photo sensor trigger a relay when reaching a certain light level ( for automatic headlights)
2. use various voltage inputs trigger different relay outputs ie 1.5v triggers relay 1, 2.5v trigger relay 2, 3.5 relay 3

uninstall the software

partgypsy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:17:50 GMT

I like the products and the software, BUT
I find it a bit eager of the developers that this software includes an automatic updater. How do I turn off this "feature"
It is just a tad disturbing that when I tried uninstalling the software, the "updater" is still running. Can I trust this software not to be involved in spyware/malware? I like updates to be an option.

can't run configurator

scott_fx — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:57:24 GMT

Hey guys,

trying to test out the software before my purchase. I'm currently running windows vista (blah) and logged in as the administrator.

after a fresh install and reboot i try to run configurator and i get the following error:
"MDX Configurator does not have the neccessary permissions to write the registery. Please close the program and run as an administrator"

i hit ok and get:
"FCC Uber MDX Configurator has stopped working"
and it asks if i want to check online for a solution or close the program
and here are the details:

Code:

escription:

  Stopped working



Problem signature:

  Problem Event Name:        CLR20r3

  Problem Signature 01:        fcc uber mdx configurator.exe

  Problem Signature 02:        1.0.0.247

  Problem Signature 03:        49aa2039

  Problem Signature 04:        mscorlib

  Problem Signature 05:        2.0.0.0

  Problem Signature 06:        471ebc5b

  Problem Signature 07:        3404

  Problem Signature 08:        15a

  Problem Signature 09:        System.UnauthorizedAccess

  OS Version:        6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6

  Locale ID:        1033

i'm stumped, any help?

Rotate Images, Logic Builder, Counters

keyvan — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:13:40 GMT

Hey Nick, I just got the Fusion Brain a few days ago. This thing kicks ***, great job, it's smaller than I imagined and is just really well designed. The software must have taken a really long time to develop because it's VERY thorough and VERY well thought out (The board too! Awesome work Tim). Bravo to you both. My dad is a Ph.D. in electrical engineering with over 120 patents and even he is drooling over the fusion brain. I showed him the graph (Voltage/Time) and the multi-image and he was wondering if it's possible to have a graph that is Voltage/Voltage for 2 separate inputs (potentiometers)... kinda like an etch-a-sketch. He says if I can figure that out he has a lot of applications for it or something. Anyway

Right now I'm playing with multi-images and just all the different ways to display my data, however I cannot get rotate images to work. I drew an arrow in photoshop that I intended to rotate, per your post at this thread: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/fusi...-brain-66.html

But I don't know where to add the code (where is this "Skin file" ?) Even still, I think the configurator should be able to let me add in the rotate image through the software. Is it broken right now or something? When will it work again because I'm going to be using this for some gauges.

Thanks!

Also, there are 13 analogue inputs on my fusion brain, how come in the software I can only choose from ports 0-9? What about the other 3 ports available?

How to Add a Temperature Sensor and Convert to Fahrenheit

2k1Toaster — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:31:59 GMT

http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/t...orial_skin.swf

That is the direct link to the tutorial swf file.

Flash Player 7 or higher is needed

Fusion Brain Version 4 Manual

greenman100 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:11:20 GMT

http://www.mp3car.com/products/FB_4_Manual.pdf

07 Scion tC Steering Wheel Control Guide

stealinfool — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:17:51 GMT

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I was thinking that once people have successfully completed an install that is vehicle specific, maybe it will be of use to have a section for it.

Anyway, on with the show.

Steering Wheel Controls for (07) Scion tC
==================================================
NOTE: Different years may have different color wires, but the locations and values should be the same. YMMV

Finding the wires
First, we need to find the white plug containing the SWC wires. You can safely eliminate the possibility of it being the power plug or the speaker plug. This should only leave one (or two if you have the iPod controls).

This is the plug. The Orange, Green, and Pink wires are what we need. Notice the three wires are basically separate from the rest.

You'll be needing to splice in those wires. At this point you have the option of either cutting them or merely tapping into them so that you may use the stock radio later on. I chose to leave the plug functional, so I stripped a bit of the wire away and soldered some wires to give me slack.

Finding the resistance
For this you may follow Solution D, but keep in mind that we have three, count em 3 wires. This means that the VOL+, VOL+, SEEK+, and SEEK- are on one wire (pink) and MODE is another (green), with orange being common (ground).

Again, the colors may be different for each years. Here is a link to some wiring diagrams [scionlife.com]

In my case, just over 100kOhm was the highest I recorded for either. This makes purchasing simple, as one pack of resistors should work. That being said, I happen to have some other values lying around and tried them out.

My final configuration that has given me the best separation of voltages is this:
Pink (VOL+, etc) gets 5k and green (MODE) gets 100k. Why this works I honestly don't know. :lol:

5k:

100k:

3 Pin wires w/resistors all pretty:

The 5k resistor gets soldered in between your +5VDC from the FB output and the FB input. (Red and black wires to make it easy) Solder the Pink wire to the input side as well. Same for the 100k, but use the Green wire. The copper braided wires get grounded to wherever your PC or FB are grounded.

And now the software side of things
I now get these values in MDX:

On SWC1 (Steering Wheel Control Analog port 0)

No press: ~4.89v
VOL+ 0.91
VOL- 2.04
SEEK+ 0.00
SEEK- 0.39

On SWC2 (Steering Wheel Control Analog port 1)

No press: ~2.50
MODE 0.00

COM objects work now for RR. Make sure you have the latest FCC and Configurator.

Code:

EDIT: Code updated. Also as a reminder, your values for voltages may be different. You may also modify the auto average, delta vote times, etc to your liking. This is currently working for me, though I need to tweak a few more things on the NEXT track. Good luck, and please feel free to ask questions.

Installing Device Drivers Version 3

2k1Toaster — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:22:00 GMT

http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/t...onstration.htm

Turn on a Light Bulb using Road Runner Fusion Brain and Road Runner Fusion Document

Batmaninls — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:46:07 GMT

I have been working on turning on a light bulb using RR, FB and RRF as many know.

I wanted to give back to all that helped me out. I have created a document to help others like me out. I will be more than happy to update any part that you all feel is incorrect but I did go through it twice and I used it to set up mine.

Hope someone finds it use full.

Do you want to use RR, FB and RRF to turn on a light bulb?

Open the attached pdf and get started..

Thanks to all
Troy

Attached Images

Integrating _a_Fusion_Brain.pdf (383.9 KB)

What am I Doing Wrong?

Batmaninls — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:34:18 GMT

Oh help me..... lol I have to be close....

I'm posting the images to show what I'm doing... I can get the FB to turn on... and I get the LED light to turn on but it will not close the relay.... or open it... but I think it starts open first.... (sorry I'm sure a relay's starting postion)

Any way I have to be close... I'm just not getting something or not doing something correct... Please advise...

Thanks
Troy...

Also I want to thank h3rk for all his help today... We got to be close man...

I took off the other two wires to the light bulb...and the power...

Attached Images

MDX - Temperature Sensor Walkthrough

2k1Toaster — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:13:16 GMT

Ok there are 2 ways. First way use the wizard and be done with it. Or do it manually in the configurator. If you do one, then you don't need the other.

As for the markings on the board, those are pin header numbers. Nothing to do with the analogue inputs themselves. They follow what is in the manual and what is shown on the virtual brain:

===============================================

Now to make a config with a temp sensor the easy way using the wizard:

You have to actually select your Fusion Brain from the connected ones or do it manually, but it would be easier for you by clicking the blue button. Also if you want a debugging screen, check the virtual button.

Save in MDX's root directory, and overwrite the one there (or rename the old one and use this new one).

That is it. The images, the text labels and the functions are all done for you.

FAQ - Digital Inputs

greenman100 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:08:15 GMT

Many people have asked about using our digital inputs. The header is as follows:

input---5vDC - edge of board
input---5vDC - edge of board
input---5vDC - edge of board
input---5vDC - edge of board

in order for the input to work correctly, a ~1,000 (1k) ohm resistor needs to be attached between the input pin and ground point on the board. You can use the ground on the analog pin headers. This will hold the pin low until it is raised high by a switch attached across the input pin and the 5vDC pin.

International Setting Issues

yellow99 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:17:05 GMT

Ive had some email contact with Nick and he found out what the problem was.

It had nothing to do with the way i configured my FusionConfiguration.xml.

The problem was that my regional settings where set on dutch. And here in the Netherlands we use a , instead of a . for a decimal symbol.

Ive changed this in the regional settings and now everything is working fine.

For those who have the same problem bellow is a screenshot of what you need to change in your regional settings:

Thanks Fusion Control Centre :whoo:

Wizards or Walkthroughs?

Grrrmachine — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:10:45 GMT

Just downloaded the UberMDX package and it blew me away! Big chunky buttons, clear screen layout, easy button labels.... simple, I thought.

Only once I start clicking buttons, I seem way over my head in a matter of seconds. Of course, its not easy when the Help buttons don't work (is that just my install?) but really, if you're not a programmer it's not easy to get a feel for the software. Im sure it's intuitive (the layout is great) for those who know what they want to do, but if you have no idea what Boolean Logic is to start with, then not knowing whether you need a NAND or a NOR gate on the page is useless, funky drag-and-drop interface or not. What IS a function? How do I use it? What will the results be? What's a Monitor Type Error?

What this means is that adding functions have left me out of my depth. I have no Fusion Brain to start with, so I know Im limited in what I can make the software do, but maybe something like a demo session, or walkthrough to dumb it down for us regular guys would help.

Or am I being even more stupid, and there is one already that I haven't seen?

How to add a Digital Output instance to your configuration file

2k1Toaster — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:20:00 GMT

Tutorial found here in html form: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/F...config_004.php

Copy Pasted below as of June 7th, 2008. For the most up to date version use the html website.

================================================== ========================

A Digital Output instance is what allows the Fusion Brain to turn on and off outputs. This requires that you have already added a Fusion Brain instance to your configuration file.

Click the "Add Digital Output Instance" icon on the top toolbar.

After clicking the "Add Digital Output Instance" icon, a window will popup similar to the one shown to the right.

The "Name" field is where you type a unique name to refer to this Digital Output instance. This must be unique and case does not matter. This is the name that MDX uses to refer to the specified output port on the specified Fusion Brain instance.

The second field "Connected To" is where you assign this Digital Output instance to a Fusion Brain instance. As you can see, it automatically populates the dropdown box with the names of the Fusion Brain isntances in the current configuration file.

The third field "Port" is the zero-indexed number of the channel to control. Each pin on the physical Fusion Brain has a specified port number. This port number is what you put in this field. When this Digital Output instance is turned on, the output on the specified Fusion Brain at the specified port and consequently specified pin will turn on as well, and when turned off the port/pin will also be turned off.

The last field of "Default State" sets whether or not this specified Digital Output is on or off when the program starts. Some instances such as remote amplifier turn on signal should be set to on with the default.

You can view, edit, and delete all Digital Output instances by double clicking the Digital Output Instances icon in the icon list manager.

As you can see, the Digital Output isntance we just added is now in the icon list manager confirming it was added successfully.

How to add a Fusion Brain instance to your configuration file

2k1Toaster — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:42:52 GMT

Tutorial found here in html form: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/F...config_003.php

Copy Pasted below as of June 7th, 2008. For the most up to date version use the html website.

================================================== ========================

One of the most important steps in creating a working configuration file, is to get a Fusion Brain instance into your configuration file. Without doing this properly, MDX will not be able to communicate with your Fusion Brain no matter what. So this is definately important!

Click the "Add Fusion Brain Instance" icon on the top toolbar.

After clicking the "Add Fusion Brain Instance" icon, a window will popup similar to the one shown to the right. The "Name" field is where you type a unique name to refer to this Fusion Brain instance. This must be unique and case does not matter. This is the name that MDX uses to refer to connect I/O channels to the Fusion Brain. The second field "ID" is the unique machine identification code. This code is automatically generated by the Windows operating system and refers to a specific hardware device. You can either type in the ID manually or automatically search for it. To find it manually go to your Device Manager, and select "Da Fusion Brain". Under "Driver Details" there will be "Hardware ID" or "Instance ID" and this full string starting with "USB\VID..." is what needs to go in the "ID" field of this Configurator popup. It is much easier to assign it automatically. To do this click the Search icon.

If there are no found Fusion Brain devices attached to the PC, you will get the following error message. If you feel this message is in error, verify that the blue power LED on the Fusion Brain is illuminated and is connected to the computer via a USB cable of no longer than 2 metres. If this mesage persists, first try to unplug the Fusion Brain and reinsert it into a different USB port. If this still doesnt work, restart the computer. If it still doesnt work, then please reinstall the drivers and try again.

If there are Fusion Brain devices connected to the PC, the Configurator will show them in the popup. To select one of them left click the instance ID you want. For instance the only instance ID connected here is "4&28731668&0&2". Please note that your number will not be the same as this. It is a unique random number that is generated on the system level. It will have the same form with the numbers and ampersands in the same positions more than likely, but that ends the similarities between this example and what you will experience.

If you have multiple Fusion Brains on the same computer, there will be multiple ID's shown. To determine which is which, click the identification icon (bottom left) and it will flash the LEDs of the selelcted Brain. If you connect or disconnect a Fusion Brain while this screen is open, you can rescan the computer and update the list by clicking the refresh icon (2nd from the left on the bottom).

After you select your ID, click the checkmark icon to accept it. If you do not want to accept the ID, click the x icon to cancel.

You can view, edit, and delete all Fusion Brain instances by double clicking the Fusion Brain Instances icon in the icon list manager.

As you can see, the Fusion Brain isntance we just added is now in the icon list manager confirming it was added successfully.

How to use a configuration file created by the Configurator with MDX

2k1Toaster — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:50:47 GMT

Tutorial found here in html form: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/F...config_002.php

Copy Pasted below as of June 7th, 2008. For the most up to date version use the html website.

================================================== ========================

Very simple tutorial on how to get your work from the Fusion Control Centre MDX Configurator to the Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition software to be utilized by the Fusion Brain.

First complete your configuration file. Make sure it contains graphical elements so you can see it, as well as Fusion Brain instances and the appropriate I/O channels. For help setting these items up, please refer to the other tutorials linked to on the main help page found by clicking the "Help" tab on the top of any page.

When ready to save your configuration file, click the save icon on the top toolbar.

After clicking the save icon, the save file dialogue prompt will appear. This is a standard Windows dialogue box and can be navigated as any other.

Notice the default file name and extension. The XML file "FusionConfiguration.xml" is the only file that MDX looks for when opening. You are free to name the file anything you want for archival purposes, but it must be named "FusionConfiguration.xml" for Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition to read in and parse all the configuration information. After choosing the correct saving directory and entering the correct filename, click "Save" in the bottom right of the save dialogue box.

After saving, confirm that you see this popup. If this becomes visible and fades away, it means that the file was successfully saved to the specified location. If an error message appears, please follow the instructions in the error or look in the help section found by clicking the "Help" tab at the top of any website page.

Now to navigate to where you installed Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition. If you allowed for the default paths from the installer you will find it is "[root]:\Program Files\Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition\MDX\" as shown to the right.

There you will see current configuration file. Notice how it must be in the same root directory as the main program's *.exe file. This cannot be changed. The Configurator automatically saves all dependencies neatly into the directory "Content" which contains images, functions, and fonts. Copy the file you saved previously to this location. Since the file will have the same name, either rename the current configuration file first, or archive it as a backup. The new file will overwrite it.

Alternatively, you can save the confguration file directly from the Configurator to this location and it will overwrite the current file saving you trouble of copying the file.

And by double clicking the icon for Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition you will open up the program. The screenshot on the right is a screenshot of the skin shown in the first image in the configurator, now running in MDX itself. The text labels are brought to life, the multi-images at the top are working to show the current gear position, and communicating with the Fusion Brain.

Quick overview of the Fusion Control Centre MDX Configurator

2k1Toaster — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:17:51 GMT

Tutorial found here in html form: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/F...config_001.php

Copy Pasted below as of June 6th, 2008. For the most up to date version use the html website.

================================================== ========================

When you first open the Configurator, you will see something like the image on the right. The toolbar on top, then the left top pane is the icon list manager, bottom-left is the textual readout, and the right hand pane is where the logic and the graphical areas are.

These are the file option icons. From left to right: new configuration file, save current configuration file, open existing configuration file. When you start the Configurator, it automatically creates a new base by clearing everything. If you want to return to this empty configuration file click the "new configuration file" icon. To save the current configuration to the harddrive, click the "save current configuration file" icon. This will save all images, fonts and functions referenced in the current configuration to the save location as well creating a fully standalone configuration. To open a configuration from the harddrive, click the "open existing configuration file" icon. Loading of a new file takes longer the more complex it is. The more images contained in the file the longer it will take to load. While the configuration file is loading, do not click around. There will be some windows that pop up. Depending on your system they may say "Not Responding" but they are working underneath. If you click the underlying forms you will probably freeze the application.

This is the delete icon. It is used to delete individual instances from the icon list manager. Click and drag an item in the icon list manager releasing it over the delete icon. A confirmation dialogue will appear and if you select "yes", the item will be permanently deleted. There is no undo function.

These are the global properties icons. The left icon is the general properties. This is where you set the authour name and minimum version needed to run the specified skin file. The right icon is the graphics properties. This is where the display properties are set including the size the configuration file is designed for, the size you want to display the configuration file at, the type of border around the application, and the minimization properties of the program.

These two icons toggle the right pane between graphics and logic mode. The left most icon switches the pane to graphics mode where you can add, edit, and delete graphic pages. The righter icon switches the pane to logic mode where you can add, edit, and delete logical "if/then" statements.

This is the icon that allows you to add new Fusion Brain isntances to the current configuration file. To edit or delete existing Fusion Brain instances, use the icon list manager.

This is the icon that allows you to add new I/O isntances to the current configuration file. To edit or delete existing I/O instances, use the icon list manager. The icon on the left is for adding Digital Outputs while the icon on the right is used to add new Analogue Inputs.

This icon brings up an area to edit the programs 4 main timers. Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition uses a Logic timer, GUI timer, Input timer, and Output timer. Each can be set independantly. The value you enter is in milliseconds and represents the time between firing the events. So a value of 1000 means 1000 milliseconds between firing or 1 second.

This brings up the Fusion Font creator and editor. This creates an XML file from an image of characters that can be used by Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX to show text. The main program cannot display TTF's like Arial or Times New Roman or things like that. You must convert them to an image, and parse them with the utility found by clicking this button.

This is the logging icon. Use this to add a new logging instance to the current configuration file. To edit or delete existing logging instances, use the icon list manager.

This is the function icon. Use this icon to add or edit functions. A function is an external XML file that is read into the main program on load. It can be referenced many times and is easy to share without sharing the whole configuration file. For instance all of the Fusion Control Centre sensors have functions that can be referenced easily in logic if/then nodes.

This is the variable icon. Use this to add a new variable instance to the current configuration file. To edit or delete existing variable instances, use the icon list manager. Variables are used for many things including advanced output states, animations, storing evaluated functions (making the voltage into temperature to use in a text label for instance), and many other reasons. A variable can be a number like 1, 2, 3, 0.12345 and so on, or a boolean meaning true or false.

This is the help button. It will bring up available help. The help database is constantly building and is updated through the MDX Updater program that all MDX software receives its updates through.

This is the icon list manager. This is where you can edit or delete instances of objects you have already created. By double clicking any of the items you navigate to its property. If it is a root node, as all in the image on the right are, then it will display all the objects of that type in that window. To delete an object drag it to the delete icon above and release. A confirmation dialogue box will appear to confirm you want to delete the object. There is no undo.

This is the read-only text readout of the current configuration file. This is an exact copy of the contents created in the save-to file, and what is read in by the main program.

It is read-only so you cannot make changes to the text and have them effect the current configuration file. However it is useful if you want just a snippet of code for some reason and dont have the full configuration file to load into the Configurator.

This is the right pane which can be switched between the graphics mode and logic mode. Graphics mode is where you create, edit, or delete graphical pages and logic mode is where you create, edit, or delete logical if/then nodes.

FAQ Requests

2k1Toaster — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:14:31 GMT

Have a basic question or something that confused/confuses you about the Fusion Brain, its cooresponding software, installation (software side) or whatnot? Post here and it will become a FAQ on our website here: http://fusioncontrolcentre.com/Fusio...g/faq_help.php

Finished:

General FAQ
What is the Fusion Brain?
What do I need to get started?
Will the Fusion Brain work without a PC?
What is the difference between digital and analogue?
Can I use more than 1 Fusion Brain on a computer?
Will the Fusion Brain work with USB 1.1?
Do I need to be a programmer or rocket scientist to get this thing to work?
I'm interested in being a distributor, what do I do?

Software FAQ
What do I need to run Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition software?
Why is it called MDX?
Will the software run on a 64-bit Operating Systems?
Will the software work using a mac or under linux?
So what makes Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX so special?

Hardware FAQ
How do I power the Fusion Brain?
What needs to be connected to the computer for the Fusion Brain to work?
Do I need to run the Fusion Brain off of a regulated power supply?
LED/Output Port# vs. Physical Pin locations
What does the Fusion Brain read in its analogue input ports?
What is the acceptable voltage range for the Fusion Brain's analogue inputs?
What is the maximum sample rate for the inputs?
How precise are the analogue input ports?
What is the available current from the Fusion Brains' digital output ports?
What is the maximum cable length for an analogue input?

Shipping and Payment FAQ
How much is shipping?
Do you ship internationally?
I am having Papal Express problems while checking out
Why can't I pay using an international (non-US) credit or debit card?
How long does it take between ordering and receiving my goodies?

In Progress:

Pending/Suggested:

Interfacing custom software with the Fusion Brain

2k1Toaster — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:00:30 GMT

The Fusion Brain interfaces with the computer using USB. To get the datastream to start flowing, you must initialize the device first, then you can send and receive data packets, and when you are done with the device you must free it.

The data packets are 64 bytes in length, and information on the encoding of the byte stream can be found here: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/docu...-protocol.html

Fusion Control Centre Source -- Yep, all of it!

2k1Toaster — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:24:21 GMT

UPDATE:

Ok, here is the directory source files for the main MDX program, the MDX Configurator, the MDX Updater, and the FusionUSB.dll that we use to talk with the Fusion Brain. Folders are ordered by date, and project solutions and everything are all inside.

If you have a good contribution to the source, email us and we can put it into the next release.

Everything is open source here!

SOURCE: http://www.fusioncontrolcenter.com/MDX/Source/

Fusion Brain Setup FAQ

2k1Toaster — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:41:35 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by TundraScout

Newbie with a working FB! Great product guys...

I have a couple questions and some constructive criticism (ment to be taken as being helpful):

1) It took about 2 hrs of trial and error to get it to work, but it is working. Would you guys care for some assistance in building a single PDF'd manual complete with troubleshooting guide and advanced users section? There is a ton of information on this forum and it would help IMHO to capture the hard info in one reference location, not to mention keeping happy customers happy (like me:D) and saving you time from having to help people with "The simple stuff".

My issues thus far include:
Identifying which software is esential, (just to get it to work).
Identifying the order of file installation
Identifying Files that needed to be modified (when, why and how)
Terminology consistancy - Multiple references to the "Hardware ID" - but what is really needed is the "Instance ID" ( that one ate up most of my install time)

2) On of the outputs (The lightbulb) cycles on and off rapidly when turned on with the default software configuration. If you decrease the rate with the "LED SPEED" button, it crashes the program. Is this a known issue, is there a fix, or is this just unique to me?

3) I bought a temperature sensor with mine, and I have not found a "sample" setup to display its input value. When the next software version is released, could you put that in as a "Getting Started" helper?

I'd like to help out as I think this is awesome.

What kind of volume can you produce these boards at? i.e. if I need 100 of them in a week, can you make that happen? A friend of mine is thinking of creating a production product based on it.

Thanks Again,

TS

We will take all the help we can get! PDF manuals are on the list... Believe me! :D We just have had no time at all. Anyone willing to write a manual gets extra brownie points!

We can provide high quality images of the board/sensors to anyone willing to help us out there. I will try to make this as detailed as possible for reference.

Now to help with your issues:

Quote:

Identifying which software is esential, (just to get it to work).

I can definately see how this would be confusing. The current version is MDX. However the configuration program for this is still being developed. (by me :)) Right now all the important stuff is definately coded in. Things such as text, fonts, and rotational images are not programmed in right now.

Here is the installer program:

EXE (97,215Kb): http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/M...0Installer.exe
RAR (93,574Kb): http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/M...0Installer.rar
ZIP (94,925Kb): http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/M...0Installer.zip

Those links will never change, I just continue to update the file. Included in the installer is (a) The main MDX program that controls the Fusion Brain (b) the MDX Configurator program which will set up all your inputs, outputs, graphics, ect... (c) the MDX Updater which will continuously check for updates since it is technically still beta, and download the updates (c) the .NET 2.0 Redistributable package which is required for all of those programs to work since they are written in C# which is a .NET language (d) and the DirectX 9.0c redistribuatable package which is required for the main MDX program because the graphics is handled by DirectX now which is one of the major changes from Version 2 (Currently latest version on the website).

Also includes some sample skins, and importantly functions for all of our current sensors (including the thermometer).

Quote:

Identifying the order of file installation

Drivers then program. The program requires the drivers be installed allready to communicate with the Fusion Brain.

The current drivers are the Microsoft WinUSB Drivers:
ZIP (12,913Kb): http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/MDX/Drivers.zip

These drivers are compatible with Windows XP and Vista. It uses the WinUSB drivers, which came out last february after the release of Vista even. So if you have a new copt of Vista, then it should be a very fast install because all it has to do is register that the Fusion Brain is connected. However if you have Windows XP or Vista that came out between Summer 2006 and February 2007 you will need to install the WinUSB CoInstaller which these drivers do automatically. So the install will take longer. These drivers are very very generic Microsoft written drivers so you actually only need to install the big piece one time for the life of your operating system's install.

The software includes the dll files it needs already, so those hardware drivers and the installer package are all you need to go from the box to using it. :)

Quote:

Identifying Files that needed to be modified (when, why and how)

The file "FusionConfiguration.xml" is the only file that needs to be modified. It contains all the settings for I/O ports, logic control, graphical interface and required external files. That is it! :D You can use the configurator to modify this file (I always suggest keeping a backup just incase) or you can edit it manually in any XML editing program as it is a standard XML file. If you need help with syntax, please email us or post a question in our Software subforum here on mp3car.com and we will help you out as fast as we can. The configurator however does pretty much everything right now.

Quote:

Terminology consistancy - Multiple references to the "Hardware ID" - but what is really needed is the "Instance ID" ( that one ate up most of my install time)

Actually this is a Microsoft problem... Windows XP and Windows Vista use different terminolgy. Vista uses Instance ID I believe. XP uses Hardware ID I think. At least this was true as of early 2007. However no more do you have to dig around there. Use the configurator, and it will automatically identify your connected Fusion Brains. Things have improved greatly since Version 2! :D

=====================================

Ok, now for the rest!

As for the LED speed crashing it, I have never heard of that before. Perhaps the timer value is set too high? Anyways, drop version 2. Download MDX. Version 2 is pretty much dead and will be abondonned as soon as this new configurator is finished.

For the temperature sensor, there is now a function for this in MDX. Just attach an analogue input to the function and put the output through a variable-set to output. Really easy now! :D

And if you need over 20-ish or 30-ish, then we need to order more from our manufacturer, which can take 2 to 4 weeks depedning how busy they are, or if any delays come up. For instance from our last sale, we ran out so we ordered more and it took about 3 weeks. We also offer volume discounts for large orders.

Documentation - All Sensors

greenman100 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:48:56 GMT

Triple Axis Accelerometer
Freescale MMA7260

Datasheet

Current Sensor
Allegro ACS754-050

Datasheet

Photosensor:
Updated 14/04/2009
TAOS TSL12S
Datasheet

Temperature Sensor:
Microchip MCP9701A

Datasheet
Also has a 1uF noise filtering capacitor rated at 105 deg C. Advise removal or replacement of capacitor for >105degC

IR Distance Sensor
Sharp GP2Y0A02YK
Datasheet

Ultrasonic Distance Sensor
Maxbotix EZ1 (Shipment Pre March 2008)
Datasheet
Maxbotix EZ0 (Shipment Post March 2008)
Datasheet

Volume Control (Rotary):
10kohm Pot

Volume Control (Linear):
Alpha Model RA4545F-20G-15LC-B50K-C
45mm travel 50Kohm
Datasheet

MDX- Temp sensors

2k1Toaster — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:31:59 GMT

Download the attachment and put it in your functions folder (well unrar it to your functions folder)

Make a Brain, make an Analogue to your temp sensor, make a variable (numeric).

Then make the following if statement:

Then make a multiimage follow the variable like this:

If you want to use h3rk's arc, then (you might need to rename the first 10 files to 001, 002, 003, 004... and so on if you havent already.

Then open the auto import from folder icon, set the max and min temps you want that arc to represent and click open. Then save and save the whole thing and there you go.

For the text label use the code above but put your variable name in it. The example uses the variable called "Variable_OutsideTemperature".

You also need that font file in the required such as:

Code:

with the appropriate font file in the location it says. You should have this font in that spot because I include it in the download.

Code:

Attachment 49067

Attached Files

functions.rar (1.2 KB)

MDX -- Linking multiple Outputs/Votes to a single Display Button

2k1Toaster — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:54:23 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Is it maybe possible for you to walk me thru in creating the variable links to trigger 2 outputs with one image.

1) Create a FB Instance
2) Create a Digital Output Instance. If you want to switfch 2 outputs, make at least 2 DO Instances.
3) Create a Variable Instance with initial value 0
4) Create a Display Button with Downwards Vote of changing the previously created Variable instance to +1
5) In the logic section, create a new IF/THEN instance
5b) Layout "If variable-get is equal to 1" and attach to the output node
5c) In this logic's then statement, create votes for changing however many or whichever Digital Output Instances you want to turn on or off.
6) Create a new IF/THEN instance
6b) Layout "If variable-get is greater than or equal to 2" and attach to the output node
6c) In this logic's then statement, create a vote for changing however or whichever Digital Output Instances you want to turn on or off (Generally opposite as above, but by no means is that required). Also create a vote to change this variable to 0
7) Save
8) ????
9) Profit

Tutorial - Air Ride Suspension

greenman100 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:04:48 GMT

Hardware

So far, the only sensors we have data for are the Dakota Digital sensors.

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.c...rod/prd124.htm

Code:

150psi, 1/8-27 NPT



PSI                R typical        R max                R min

0                10                13                5

14.5                31                35                27

29                52                56                48

43.5                70                74                66

58                88                92                84

72.5                106                111                101

87                124                129                119

101.5                140                150                130

116                155                170                145

130.5                170                185                155

145                184                214                154



Maximum 435 psi for 2 seconds only.

Operating Temperature:  -13F - +212F (to +248F max. 1 hour) on

connecting thread.

Then, all you need to do is hook the air ride sensor up like so, knowing that the body of the sensor is grounded.

As far as software, Nick will be along shortly to do that bit.

Tutorial - Anti-Thump Amp Delay For Carputer Boots: Version 2 & MDX

greenman100 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:29:53 GMT

DEPRECIATED

See Post #2

Documentation - Hardware User Manual

greenman100 — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:47:09 GMT

http://fusioncontrolcentre.com/Fusio...r%20Manual.pdf

Documentation - Installing Version MDX

greenman100 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:58:09 GMT

Prerequisites:

Windows XP with Service Pack 1
Microsoft .Net 2.0 or later
Windows Installer 3.0
DirectX 9.0 or later

Our Drivers (Windows XP Version)
http://fusioncontrolcentre.com/Tempo...areDrivers.zip

When you plug in the Fusion Brain, you should see a screen like this:

Pick "No, not this time" and click next.

Pick Install from a list or specific location [Advanced]

Click Browse, and choose the folder where you unzipped the drivers you downloaded.

It should look like this while installing.

All finished!
If you get this error:

you forgot to install .Net 2.0 or later.

If you get this error:

you forgot to install DirectX 9.0 or later.

You should be done!

Tutorial/Documentation Requests

greenman100 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 07:23:04 GMT

Want to know how to do something? Post in this thread and we'll do a writeup.

Finished:
Installing Version 2 Software/Drivers
Steering Wheel Controls
Voltage Divider
Anti-Thump Delay
Installing MDX Software/Drivers

In Progress:
Hardware Manual re-write

Pending/Suggested:
Air Ride Suspension
Basic HVAC

Tutorial - Steering Wheel Controls

greenman100 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:03:24 GMT

Steering Wheel Interface Tutorial

So, you want to hook up that new Fusion Brain to your steering wheel controls, eh?

First, let's review a bit about electricity. There are three aspects that are particularly important:

Voltage - electrical "push", like pressure in a pipe (measured in AC or DC volts)
Current - electrical "quantity", like flowrate in a pipe (measured in amps)
Resistance - electrical "restriction", like a blockage in a pipe (measured in ohms)

And some mathematical prefixes:

(u) - micro - 10^-6 - .000001
(m) - milli - 10^-3 - .001
(k) - kilo - 10^3 - 1000
(M) - mega - 10^6 - 1,000,000

Then, get your wiring diagram for your car, and locate the steering wheel wire(s).

Now that we have that squared away, get out your multimeter. You have a multimeter, right?

Set that baby to DC volts, as shown in the picture. If your meter doesn't have auto-scaling, set it to 20Volts DC.

If you have one steering wheel wire, follow these steps

Turn the car's ignition to on. (not running)
Connect the negative terminal of your meter to ground. (it's the black probe, as can be seen above) make sure you use a good ground. If you use a poor ground, all your measurements will be bad. A good source for ground is the ground/negative wire feeding the brain in your car.
Connect the positive terminal to the wire you found earlier with your wiring diagram.
Record the voltage (if any) for no buttons pressed, and each button individually.
If you get voltages in the range of 0.5volts to 5 volts, proceed to solution A.
If you get voltages in the range of 0.5volts to 12 volts, proceed to solution B.
If you get voltages less than 0.5 volts, proceed to solution C

If you have two steering wheel wires, follow these steps

Turn the car's ignition to on. (not running)
Connect the negative terminal of your meter to ground. (it's the black probe, as can be seen above) make sure you use a good ground. If you use a poor ground, all your measurements will be bad. A good source for ground is the ground/negative wire feeding the brain in your car.
Connect the positive terminal one of the wires you found earlier with your wiring diagram.
Record the voltage (if any) for no buttons pressed, and each button individually.
If you get voltages in the range of 0.5volts to 5 volts, proceed to solution A.
If you get voltages in the range of 0.5volts to 12 volts, proceed to solution B.
If you get voltages less than 0.5 volts, repeat steps 3-6, but connect positive terminal to other steering wheel wire
If you do step 7 and still get no voltages, proceed to solution D.

Solution A
You don't need anything at all! Just connect the steering wheel wire (the one connected to the positive terminal of your meter earlier) to the input on the brain (the outermost pin, away from the center of the board) You're done!

Solution B
Congrats! All you need is a voltage divider.

Here is a simple voltage divider:

Vin is what you want to measure, Vout goes to the input pin of the brain (towards the edge of the board) and the symbol at the bottom indicates ground. R1 and R2 need to be selected on a application by application basis.

This formula will help select R1 and R2. For the Fusion Brain, it is a good idea to keep R1 and R2 under 1k-ohm.

We will assume 15vDC maximum, to allow headroom for voltage spikes.

Vout = 100/(200+100)*Vin
5 = 1/4*20

so the voltage divider, with a 200ohm R1 and a 100ohm R2, would have a scaling factor of 33%, meaning we could measure up to 15vDC without overloading the brain... perfect for car applications.

Installation of voltage divider:
Use the diagram above, but connect your steering wheel wire (the one connected to the positive terminal of your meter earlier) to Vin, and connect Vout to the input on the brain (the outermost pin, away from the center of the board) You're done!

Solution C
Solution C is a bit more complicated. Basically, your steering wheel system is the one wire resistive type. We need to find out what the maximum resistance is. The Fusion Brain cannot measure resistance directly, so we must put the steering wheel into a voltage divider configuration, similar to above.

Set your meter to a resistive scale. Generally, 20kohms is a good place to start.

Turn the car's ignition to on. (not running)
Connect the negative terminal of your meter to ground. (it's the black probe, as can be seen above) make sure you use a good ground. If you use a poor ground, all your measurements will be bad. A good source for ground is the ground/negative wire feeding the brain in your car.
Connect the positive terminal one of the wires you found earlier with your wiring diagram.
Record the resistance (if any) for no buttons pressed, and each button individually.

Take the highest resistance recorded, and go to radioshack and buy a similar value. For instance, if the highest resistance was 44kohms, you'd want to buy a 47kohm resistor. That resistor you bought becomes R1 in the following figure:

And your steering wheel is R2. The internals of your steering wheel are already connected to ground, so connect the steering wheel wire to the input of the brain and one side of R1, and connect the other side of R1 to the +5vDC pin on the brain's analog input header (towards the center of the board). You're done!

Solution D
Solution D is even more complicated. Basically, your steering wheel system is the two wire resistive type. We need to find out what the maximum resistance is. The Fusion Brain cannot measure resistance directly, so we must put the steering wheel into a voltage divider configuration, similar to above.

Set your meter to a resistive scale. Generally, 20kohms is a good place to start.

Turn the car's ignition to on. (not running)
Connect the negative terminal of your meter to one steering wheel wire.
Connect the positive terminal the other steering wheel wire.
Record the resistance (if any) for no buttons pressed, and each button individually.

Take the highest resistance recorded, and go to radioshack and buy a similar value. For instance, if the highest resistance was 44kohms, you'd want to buy a 47kohm resistor. That resistor you bought becomes R1 in the following figure:

And your steering wheel is R2. Connect one steering wheel wire to ground, and the other the steering wheel wire to the input of the brain and one side of R2. Connect the other side of R2 to the +5vDC pin on the brain's analog input header (towards the center of the board). You're done!

Once finished, fire up the fusion brain, and make a skin that measures the input you hooked up. Press each button individually, and record the voltage the brain reads. They should range over 0-5vDC. If you'd like, you can use the Fusion software to control other programs with your steering wheel buttons. For information on that, please refer to our software documentation.

Tutorial - Voltage divider - Measuring Voltages greater than 5vDC

greenman100 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:41:20 GMT

Often times, there is a need to measure a voltage greater than 5volts.

As long as the ground of the device we want to measure is the same as the ground of the Fusion Brain, we can use a voltage divider. WARNING: If the grounds are not the same, damage can be done to the Brain.

Here is a simple voltage divider:

Vin is what you want to measure, Vout goes to the input pin of the brain (towards the edge of the board) and the symbol at the bottom indicates ground. R1 and R2 need to be selected on a application by application basis.

This formula will help select R1 and R2. For the Fusion Brain, it is a good idea to keep R1 and R2 under 1k-ohm.

Example
Lets say you want to monitor the voltage in your car:

We will assume 20vDC maximum, to allow headroom for voltage spikes.

Vout = 100/(300+100)*Vin
5 = 1/4*20

so the voltage divider, with a 300ohm R1 and a 100ohm R2, would have a scaling factor of 25%, meaning we could measure up to 20vDC without overloading the brain... perfect for car applications.

Documentation - Installing And Configuring Drivers - Version 2:WindowsXP

greenman100 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:31:14 GMT

You will need the following:

.NET 2.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Our Drivers (Windows XP Version)
http://fusioncontrolcentre.com/Tempo...areDrivers.zip

When you plug in the Fusion Brain, you should see a screen like this:

Pick "No, not this time" and click next.

Pick Install from a list or specific location [Advanced]

Click Browse, and choose the folder where you unzipped the drivers you downloaded.

It should look like this while installing.

All finished!

Now we need to tell the software where to find the Brain. Right-click "My Computer" and go to Properties, then Device Manager.

Click the [+] next to FusionControls, then Right click and go to properties.

We will be putting everything after "USB\" into the Fusion software.

Open the folder containing the Fusion software:

Open the FusionFormDynamic.skin file using notepad, and change the part that is highlighted to match what we found 2 steps ago. Note that if you change the port the brain is plugged into, you will need to change this value again.

Low Level Interface Protocol

2k1Toaster — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:37:19 GMT

Version 4:

Code:

*******************************

* FUSION BRAIN V4 BYTE STREAM *

*                             *

* Deterministic Difference:   *

*     PID Suffix: E           *

*                             *

*******************************





**** ID CODE ****

Version 3a: VID_04D8&PID_000A

Version 3b: VID_04D8&PID_000B

Version 3c: VID_04D8&PID_000C

Version 3d: VID_04D8&PID_000D

Version 4:  VID_04D8&PID_000E





**** STREAM ****



Bytes

  [00-31] Digital Outputs 00 through 15

  [32-57] Analogue Inputs 00 through 12

  [57-59] Not Used Now, Maybe in future

  [60]    Number of Streams to Receive

  [61]    Initialize/Watchdog byte

  [62]    Hardware Version

  [63]    Firmware Version



Bits 0bMxxxxxxL | M = MSB and L = LSB

  Digital Outputs

    2 bytes per output

    [PPPPPPPS][TTTTTTMM]

      P = Value of PWM

        ([7bit Value + 1]/128)% duty cycle

        Details of full period to be determined later

      S = 1bit state

        0 = Off

        1 = on

      T = 6bits of Timer to shutoff --> [Evaluated Units in Seconds]

        If 6'bTTTTTT is 0, then shut off immediately on disconnect

        If 6'bTTTTTT is between 1 and 10 inclusive, then wait [6'bTTTTTT] seconds after disconnect

        If 6'bTTTTTT is 11, then wait 30 seconds after disconnect

        If 6'bTTTTTT is 12, then wait 60 seconds after disconnect

        If 6'bTTTTTT is 13, then wait 90 seconds after disconnect

        If 6'bTTTTTT is greater than 14, then wait ([6'bTTTTTT] * 10) seconds after disconnect

      M = 2bit Output Mode

        2'b00: Normal Full-Off or Full-On Operation Mode

        2'b01: Pulse Width Modulation Operation Mode

        2'b10: Yet to be determined

        2'b11: Yet to be determined

  Analogue Inputs

    2 bytes per input

    [index][index + 1] = [000000Mx][xxxxxxxL] | M = MSB and L = LSB

  Number of Streams to Receive

    1 byte

    [NNNNNNNN] | N = Number of streams to receive

      If [8'bNNNNNNNN] is 0 (default) then receive 1 byte and send 1 byte

      If [8'bNNNNNNNN] is greater than 0 then receive 1 byte and send 1 byte [8'bNNNNNNNN] times

        Each of these "extra" byte streams received may not coorespond with the details of this byte stream outline

        Each of the "extra" byte streams sent back to the PC may not coorespond with the details of this byte stream

  Initialize/Watchdog Byte

    1 byte

    [000000IF] | F = Flipping Bit and I = Initialize Bit

      F = Instead of flipping a bit in every digital output, flip 1 bit constantly

      I = Needs I high to turn anything on, just like default behaviour of byte[61] now

  Hardware Version

    [MMMMLLLL]

      M = Major Version. Currently Version 4, so MMMM = 0100

      L = Minor Version. Currently Version 0, so LLLL = 0000 

  Firmware Version

    1 byte

    [????????]

Version 3:
Ok, the credit goes to Brain Wendt who was kind enough last July to ask me all sorts of questions and compile this excellent document on the low level protocol. I think he is planning something big with his own software so he has been in the dark recently, but thank him for this

Attached Files

Fusion Brain.doc (101.0 KB)

MP3Car.com - FB Documentation and Tutorials

HVAC temp actuator

How to Code for FuseGL using the power of C# [EXTREMELY USEFUL DOCUMENTATION]

My Fusion Brain Project, need some help.

Coding Variables for multi buttons 1 on all others off.

FuseGL Manual - Work in Progress

Need help to control HVAC system

Control fan speed with PWM and dependent on temp

need help with mdx/using my FB

How to use the MOSFET Power Board

Looking for some sample configs light sensor

uninstall the software

can't run configurator

Rotate Images, Logic Builder, Counters

How to Add a Temperature Sensor and Convert to Fahrenheit

Fusion Brain Version 4 Manual

07 Scion tC Steering Wheel Control Guide

Installing Device Drivers Version 3

Turn on a Light Bulb using Road Runner Fusion Brain and Road Runner Fusion Document

Suggested reading to better understand graphical interface

What am I Doing Wrong?

MDX - Temperature Sensor Walkthrough

FAQ - Digital Inputs

International Setting Issues

Wizards or Walkthroughs?

How to add a Digital Output instance to your configuration file

How to add a Fusion Brain instance to your configuration file

How to use a configuration file created by the Configurator with MDX

Quick overview of the Fusion Control Centre MDX Configurator

FAQ Requests

Interfacing custom software with the Fusion Brain

Fusion Control Centre Source -- Yep, all of it!

Fusion Brain Setup FAQ

Documentation - All Sensors

MDX- Temp sensors

MDX -- Linking multiple Outputs/Votes to a single Display Button

Tutorial - Air Ride Suspension

Tutorial - Anti-Thump Amp Delay For Carputer Boots: Version 2 & MDX

Documentation - Hardware User Manual

Documentation - Installing Version MDX

Tutorial/Documentation Requests

Tutorial - Steering Wheel Controls

Tutorial - Voltage divider - Measuring Voltages greater than 5vDC

Documentation - Installing And Configuring Drivers - Version 2:WindowsXP

Low Level Interface Protocol