Thread: HVAC Control on Car PC through Serial Port.

wow! sounds great so when can we take a look at the software! need any testers?? what car have you done this for?? will it work on any car?

You can't bit-bang the LPT port with a USB-LPT adapter easily.

We had issues using the LPT port for our window/doorlock controller, and we solved it using our DSSC. We don't provide power to the board until after the PC has booted. Hell, it's one of the reasons we designed the DSSC to have that functionality.

That said, your probably better off just going USB and cutting your losses and doing a redesign. Parallel ports are a dying breed, and it's not wise to develop a product for dying technology.

Just my .02 cents...

Originally Posted by bergeron76

That said, your probably better off just going USB and cutting your losses and doing a redesign. Parallel ports are a dying breed, and it's not wise to develop a product for dying technology.

Yeh, like lots of abit boards dont' have parallel ports now days The port is also too big on the motherboard, and no one wants to run more cables through their car.

I am actually using a parallel relay controller board to do the same thing, except set temp., but have the problem of the a/c starting up on odd occasions when the PC is booting. If yours gets around this, I'll certainly give it a go and can use the relays for other gadgets.

Keep us posted

For a USB product to go on production, the biggest one off cost would be buying the USB vendor ID and would cost something like $1,500 - $2000.

I can understand why some shy away from USB, unless of course its for personal use.

whats a USB vendor ID?

If you go to a USB device property in device manager. On the details tab you see the VID_xxxxPID_xxxx.

This is the manufacturers VID (vendor ID) and PID (product ID). This is required to be unique so windows can load the approriate driver automatically. The product ID is the product for that vendor ID, so a vendor can have up to 65635 products.

Heres the VID/PID list >>>

http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids

hmmm im asuming you would have to have a digital A/C unit?

i have an 05 altima, that has knobs.