Automotive Engine Controller with PC User Interface

CSE 476/498 Final Presentation

Jason Dougherty

Overview

• What went right

• Demo status

• What went wrong

• Pros/cons of working alone

Accomplishments

• Successful implementation of CAN protocol on MPC555 development board

• Configuration of physical CAN bus and PC interface via USB port adapter

• Real-time graphical display of ECU data via CAN bus and USB port

Things I Learned

• CAN protocol - from physical layer to application layer

• Visual Basic - a different programming model

• Ports - USB, CAN, parallel, serial

• Embedded development - target configuration, debugging, CodeWarrior IDE, hardware interface, C vs. EC++

Tradeoffs

• Visual Basic - limited capability vs. short development time

• Simulate an engine and use available sensors

• Building embedded code from scratch vs. modifying sample projects

Demo Day

• Stream engine data on CAN bus from 555 dev board to PC

• Display data graphically in real-time on PC

• Calibration interface for ECU

• ?? Measure engine speed and stream real data ??

It’s Not a Throwaway!

• Solid foundation for continuing development

• The most unique feature is functional - high-speed data acquisition over CAN

• Full functionality in 10 weeks was never envisioned

Pitfalls

• Sourcing an appropriate dev board - MPC555 not widely available

• Sourcing automotive sensors - specifications tough to find

• Bad hardware

• Ambiguous, incomplete, or erroneous documentation

Still More Pitfalls

• Learning curve with new things - is it me or the machine?

• Timescale of a 10-week project vs. timescale of the rest of the world

• Foreseen vs. unforeseen

Flying Solo

• Pro: Minimal communication overhead

• Pro: Minimal organizational overhead

• Pro: Focused design rather than design by committee

• Con: No one to present a different perspective

• Con: When you’re stuck, it’s pretty lonely

Questions?