Oil and Grease Free

Despite my lack of updates, I have not been idle on my Cobra project. I have mostly been working on the 'cleaner' aspects of the job, concentrating on some of the electronics I will be using. First off, I finished the Megasquirt auxiliary board and since it was a two layer (top and bottom copper) layout, I have had it made by one of the many PCB prototyping houses. This was recently delivered:

A quick check in the enclosure with the vehicle connector in place:

Now all I need to do is solder it up and give it a test!

In addition, I have been developing the vehicle electrical system and have decided on at least trying to build my own electrical modules. These will cover the instruments, direction indicators and heating controls. So far I have identified the use of a Picaxe Programmable Integrated Chip (PIC) as supplied by Revolution Education. These have a simple BASIC programming laguage and are used for a whole host of projects, mostly by hobbyists. This system will allow me to control the blower and heater solenoid valve, flash the indicators and drive instrument stepper motors, and display information such as miles covered and ambient temperature. A lot of work will be required to get these moduiles up and running, but I think they will be worth it in the end.