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Work in progress

Smart Gauge
CAN Checker and
Gauge Pod 1.0

Air vent gauge pod and companion app

  • Compatibility
    Audi TT Mk2
  • Display
    1.85″ round touch display
  • Data
    CAN bus; OBD* and GPS via the app
  • App
    Android with Android Auto support
    Coming soon to the Google Play Store. iOS app to follow later.
  • Printer
    Bambu Lab H2D
  • Material
    Extrudr DuraPro ASA
  • Concept
    Planning, 3D modelling, software and app by IBEX

* with an ELM327 OBD-II adapter

Gauge Pod
3D View
Features
App
How it came about

It started with one number.
Oil temperature.

For the quarter mile I needed the oil temperature in view at all times, because the launch control only works once the oil has reached 80 °C. So a small round display went into an air vent, reading the value straight from the car's CAN bus. But the CAN data offered a lot more than that, so the display grew: oil, coolant, revs, gear, g-forces, Haldex, consumption, and a set of themes, because it should look cool too. Then came timed runs with GPS, from there OBD, and with it the idea of an Android app that works in other cars as well. The last step so far: the app on the Android Auto screen.

The Gauge Pod 1.0

The pod replaces an air vent of the TT and keeps the original aluminium trim ring. Display carrier, housing and the carrier plate for the electronics are printed in ASA. What you see here is the first prototype; a few small adjustments are still needed before the final gauge pod.

View the gauge pod in 3D

Click to view, drag to turn, scroll to zoom. Explode takes the pod apart, Assemble puts it back together.

Pages & features

One glance.
All you need.

The Smart Gauge CAN checker: any value the car sends over the CAN bus can be shown on the 1.85″ round touch display. Reading the CAN bus directly is much faster than an OBD adapter talking to a phone over Bluetooth. The values update smoothly and come straight from the car's control units (ECU), so they are accurate and reliable. The gauge only listens and never sends anything to the car. A logger records the CAN bus to the microSD card for analysis on the PC, and a built-in demo drive runs through every page without a car. The page follows your finger right away, even straight after start-up.

Sport

Revs with shift light, calculated gear, throttle and estimated power.

Shift light per gear

The gear number flashes red at your shift point, with its own value for every gear. Set it by hand, or let the app work it out from your power curve. No flash in sixth.

Power

Horsepower and torque live, worked out from the engine torque the ECU reports, with the peak values on the sub-page.

Temperatures & warnings

Oil and coolant on a split scale plus outside temperature. The revs turn orange if you rev hard on a cold engine. Full-screen alerts override every page.

Oil pressure warning

A full-screen OIL PRESSURE – STOP NOW alert in solid red the moment the car reports low oil pressure.

Timed runs

0–100, 80–120, 100–200 km/h, 1/8 and 1/4 mile, with result tables and best times saved. Launch control is detected automatically.

Lap timer

Every lap with its delta to the best lap, plus a lap list with best lap and top speed.

Driving dynamics

G-force dot with trail and peak values, Haldex coupling at the rear axle.

Trip

Current and average consumption on the main page, range and fuel level on its sub-page.

Navigation

Turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps on the phone: next turn, distance, street and arrival time.

Turn-signal glow

A green glow around the display pulses in time with the indicators.

Doors & lids

Below 5 km/h a top view shows which door, boot or bonnet is open.

Dimming

Follows the instrument lighting of the car, so it never dazzles at night.

Start-up

The IBEX logo with a glow and one of six transitions, or a random one each time. Add your own start-up image too, like my TT here.

Themes

All 11 themes, from a clean standard face to cyberpunk, synthwave and glass, chosen on the CAN Checker or remotely in the app.

* All previews except Themes are shown in the Standard theme, with sample values.

Themes

11 themes. 62 styles.

Tap to change pages, long-press to reset the peak values, and pick the look on the CAN Checker or remotely in the app.

Standard themeAnalog themeCyberpunk themeHyperdrive theme80s Digital themeGlass themeSynthwave themeBenetton Retro themeTabby themeGriffin themeFlame theme
See all 62 styles↗
The app

Any car.
Any screen.

The Smart Gauge APP works in any car: with the Smart Gauge CAN Checker, with an OBD adapter or with just the phone and its GPS. Race timer, laps, dyno, car check and Android Auto.

Coming soon to the Google Play Store. iOS app to follow later.

Explore the Smart Gauge APP↗

Work in progress.

The final pod is almost there, the app keeps growing. More to come.

More projects↗