Custom USB tyre pressure monitoring interface

**jonessc** · 10-14-2007, 01:37 PM

**Robby BMW** · 10-14-2007, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by turbocad6

as I see it, you've got a few options...

1) release the code, allow others to build this as an open source project, problem there is not everyone could even do this, even with all the info provided, and surely someone else would build several of these & ultimatley sell them thereselves, so someone else is capitolizing off your work....

2) the boards are simple enough & the components are pretty cheap, you could probably put a kit togeather for a few bucks each, then offer them for sale at a price that would make it worthwhile for you. you could lock down the pic code & anyone that wants this can just order it from you. it would be up to you how involved you wanted to be, weather you offer fully assembled kits, or just a few unassembled components & instructions... I'm sure you could duplicate the pic & board without any kind of significant investment..., the rest depends on how active you want to be with this...

3)take on a partner that is already active in developing stuff.... & maybe either sell the idea to them, or earn a commision on each unit sold... or ??? the 2 most likely candidates that come to mind is mp3car themselves, or maybe nick & tim might want to integrate this with the fusion brain? (that would be awesome btw

)

4) I'm sure there are other options, but ANY option that will allow this to get out there & have many benifit from your awesome development would be a really cool thing... I've wanted tire pressure monitoring on my pc for a long time now, as I'm sure many many others would too,

I guess you won't get rich on this without huge efforts on your part, I guess as a hobbiest you shouldn't expect to get rich on something like this anyway, but it would suck to see someone else make money on this without any kind of restitution to you either, whatever you decide, best of luck to you, & please, whatever way you decide to approach it, get this out there somehow.... we NEED this!!!

My approach would be to leave this as an open source project with the exception of the the PIC that I could provide, at a symbolic price, with the firmware already inside(just to reward me the time spent to develope it). I'm not interested in make money selling the whole device.
However, I think that the real problem now is that currently if someone would make this device is forced to buy the same expensive TPMS kit that I've used in my project.
The best thing would be to make an agreement with the manufacturer in order to buy only the tire sensors and a receiver module ready to be applied on my hardware, or best, to entrust to him the whole build of the preassembled device. Certainly this would be more cheaper.
So if someone are interested in do this, is free to use my project, my only request is to leave me the sales of the PIC with the firmware inside.
Otherwise if someone is interested in self made it, I can sell to him the programed PIC.

**Dj-[NRG]** · 10-14-2007, 02:15 PM

why not make ask the seller of the tire pressure kit if there could be a lower price if we buy more at a time? i think there would be enough people who want it to get a nice reduction... maybe you could make a poll? you bought the kit for 200 euro? and i have no idea how much the other parts cost you need to modify the kit, but maybe you could somehow make a complete kit, ready to connect and sell it for 250 euro? or maybe less, i don't know?

so, maybe when you get a price from the seller, you could add your own parts and work to it, make a poll, and see how many people are willing to pay it...

Greetz

Dj NRG

**Serfio** · 10-14-2007, 06:03 PM

sorry for the italian but I can't esprimere tutta la mia ammirazione in inglese....il tuo lavoro è FANTASTICO!!...Complimenti veramente, se riesco ad avere un kit sarò il primo ad acquistare il tuoi pic...Complimenti ancora!!

Who is the manufacturer?..someone can contact it?...my english is worse.
If we could obtain the tire sensors and a receiver module as robby said....

**lostreception** · 10-14-2007, 07:35 PM

subscribed sweet

**richyrich** · 10-15-2007, 06:44 AM

I have sent Robby a PM ...im sure he has been getting plenty about this!!

I might be able to sort out getting just the sensors from a manufacturer... I used to work at a F1 company and have some contacts.

I have been wanting to get this into developement for years but never had the opportunity!

By contacting the manufaturer's/suppliers and getting just the sensor's, Im sure i could knock up a seperate PCB board that controls it and is a straight RF-USB converter so that would illiminate the need to buy a whole kit and "hack it up".

Just an idea mind.... id be willing top take some of the developement of this (as having previous experience)

Rich

**maddop** · 10-15-2007, 07:52 AM

Subscribed.

**Robby BMW** · 10-16-2007, 10:29 AM

Added more photos and description in the first post.

**Sal R.** · 10-16-2007, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by shotgunefx

Subscribed!

Does the one you have, have the option for the remote display? I think it was the 2nd gen of it that had this and the first had the lcd integrated. I wouldn't be surprised if it communicated with the lcd head via serial communication. I've been meaning to check it out forever but my money/time has been taken up elsewhere.

update
Check out this thread. Maybe ask pastypyro how he made out. It appears to use a serial comm chip for communicating with the display.

Yeah, I have the 2nd gen w/ the remote display. I've pm'ed the guy, but from the looks of it, he hasn't posted since 06.

Even if he divulged this info, still way over my head in terms of putting it together.