Well, I spoke with the president of the company and he answered all my questions. This was the missing link I needed for my project! I will start working on the design side and put up a page on the project when I have time (it will be between now and the end of the year before I can devote any serious time to it though). The design plan so far is as follows:
1. Microcontroller to interface the PC with all the inputs needed for the instrumentation. This will be modifiable using code.
2. "Generic" VB program to accept data from the microcontroller and display the gauges as well as process user inputs for controls.
3. Flash graphics and routines to actually draw the gauges.
4. A dedicated PC to run the system.
The instruments will have three screens. The main screen will display speed, tach, turn signals and certain indicators as well as messages to the driver including trip computer info. The left screen will be a gauges module and display fuel economy. The right screen will be a Vehicle Information Center with a diagram of the car, warnings and indicators, tire monitor for all four tires and a digital compass. The system will interface with a second CarPC running entertainment/GPS, etc. to display vehicle maintenance reminders and data as well as redundant trip information when the passengers need to see it.
The main carputer can have a backup speedo and other critical indicators in case the cluster PC crashes while driving. A touch of the screen and your info will be there until the main unit comes back online. This will cover the bases -- unless both units crash at the same time!
The design work for all this has been done for a while now, but building it will take a lot of work and time!
