Nikkei News releases info on CAN Bus future for 86/BRZ/FR-S...

[Homemade WRX]

^^^that was my thought. It's actually pretty fun to play with for a little DD setup.

[NorCalRider]

The more I think about this the more my mind starts turning. The simulations you can run on stock parts vs new aftermarket parts before buying them. You could buy all the right parts the first time out, rather then wasteing money on parts the you find out later didnt work or sent you backwards.

[Fallin2Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Want.FR-S

Does that mean I can remote control my 86 from parking lot entrance and drive it directly to the entrance so that I don't have to go all the way up, just like that in the 007 movie?

Wishful thinking, though.

WEEELLLLLL they did mention that the car has electric power steering.... I think we're catching on to something Eh, Eh???!! *nudges with elbow*

[Neutral_Eyes]

You mean you guys haven't installed the 240hp firmware yet?

[mike2100]

Originally Posted by Neutral_Eyes

You mean you guys haven't installed the 240hp firmware yet?

Originally Posted by old greg

I wouldn't hold my breath for anything better than 1Hz on the GPS (ie. don't bother). Position and speed will need to come from an accelerometer based maths channel IMO.

Check out Harry's LapTimer:
http://gps-laptimer.de/Home.html

The iPhones sensors are quick and accurate enough to give lap times accurate to 0.1 sec. I don't know if the app takes advantage of the phone's accelerometers though.

I'm finding it hard to not hold my breath for the exciting possibilities. In the world of powerful smartphones, apps, and social networking we all have a good idea of the technical possibilities. Hopefully this aspect of the car is also designed by passion, and not by committee.

[old greg]

I was talking about the onboard nav system at that point.

[C4RBON]

Just to make it clear, all these parameters they are talking about are already transmitted on the CANbus, today, in the cars you are all driving (provided they are newish, of course). What they are doing is telling us what it all means. CAN messages are very obscure.

Just by looking at a message you can't tell what the data means, there aren't any parameter names attached in the message. Each CAN message does have a 'specific parameter number' (SPN) attached to it, which is transmitted on the bus, and Toyata knows what it all means. It looks like Toyota is going to tell us what SPNs correspond with specific parameters (at least the ones they want to tell us, there are thousands of SPNs).

There are already SAE standards for this stuff. There are standard SPNs allocated for specific parameters. Things like throttle position and engine speed will have already been standardised. If you had a copy of the standard (they aren't free though), you could already make a GTR-esque gauge cluster. You could already record the data and look at it on your computer. You could already send that data to your friends.

Toyota is just making it easier (and cheaper) for normal (read 'not engineers') people to do the above mentioned things. This may create a niche market for gauge clusters, dataloggers, and other as-yet unthought-of applications. You most likely won't be able to reprogram anything over CAN. Giving that kind of control out would be a nightmare for the lawyers and the engineers.

As a side note for everyone fearing big brother's black box: just about everything you fear the black box could do is technically possible. Some data recording is already done today, though for the manufacturers' benefit. If this is something that keeps you up at night, we have elected representatives for a reason; use them. Worrying and complaining on the internet won't change anything.

Disclaimer: I work with J1939, my preferred flavor of CANbus. Not used in cars, but in off-highway and construction equipment.

[Homemade WRX]

Originally Posted by C4RBON

Just to make it clear, all these parameters they are talking about are already transmitted on the CANbus...

...Each CAN message does have a 'specific parameter number' (SPN) attached to it, which is transmitted on the bus, and Toyata knows what it all means....

...There are already SAE standards for this stuff. There are standard SPNs allocated for specific parameters. Things like throttle position and engine speed will have already been standardised...

Spot on. OEM's have specific codes that they can use for their specific parts/functionality and they aren't published.

You most likely won't be able to reprogram anything over CAN. Giving that kind of control out would be a nightmare for the lawyers and the engineers.

What I thought they were originally saying and I instantly thought
the nightmare that would cause with idiots popping engines and the EPA/CARB/Euro screaming bloody murder

Disclaimer: I work with J1939, my preferred flavor of CANbus. Not used in cars, but in off-highway and construction equipment.

Likewise but 1587 as well and for over the road use.

Dare I guess you work for Cummins?

[C4RBON]

Originally Posted by Homemade WRX

Dare I guess you work for Cummins?

John Deere Power Systems. Although many of my coworkers were lured away from Cummins...

C4RBON

[Homemade WRX]

That was going to be my next guess

<--consulting at Volvo/Mack

[switchlanez]

^Do you guys have an idea of the mechanism that would sync up and remap your position on a real life track to a virtual reproduction of the track (aka GT5)? I would think GPS antennas but can't believe that for some reason and is there even a standard for that?

[Homemade WRX]

Originally Posted by switchlanez

^Do you guys have an idea of the mechanism that would sync up and remap your position on a real life track to a virtual reproduction of the track (aka GT5)? I would think GPS antennas but can't believe that for some reason and is there even a standard for that?

Yeah, you could use GPS to map your past locations with a logger. We actually use that for datalogging in the motorsports world, as it's become kind of the standard.
As for something off the shelf to work...nope, never looked into it.

[Matador]

Probably could be a way to map local tracks into R-Factor...........