Car Diagnostics

The final product is a vehicle diagnostic that will oversee the systems of a car and ensure that it is working properly. It consists of an Arduino connected to 5 different circuits that simulate systems of a vehicle. The systems are temperature, simulated with a temperature sensor; fuel level, simulated with a potentiometer; system voltage, simulated with a potentiometer; oil pressure, simulated with a potentiometer; and speed, simulated with signals from a Hall effect sensor and spinning disk. The Arduino monitors the inputs from each of these systems and displays them on an LCD screen. If any system is outside normal parameters it will utilize a warning light, buzzer, and message on the screen to alert the user to the problem.

In order to monitor the inputs and detect operation outside of normal parameters the Arduino was programmed in the Arduino integrated development environment, a platform similar to C. Eight functions outside of the setup() and loop() functions were used to monitor the systems, detect abnormal operation, and alert the user to a problem.

After completing the product, it was capable of reading and displaying the output of the temperature, fuel level, system voltage, oil pressure, and speed of the vehicle. If any of the systems operated outside of normal parameters the device was able to warn the user and alert him or her to which system needed adjustment.