Planning my device

Hello! New here and could use some help.

Right now in my cart i have the 4G/LTE Telematics unit and I am hoping to use it as a complete dash for my 2008 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner race truck. I am not super familiar with code or Raspberry Pi functionality but I understand cars and trucks diagnostics.

My needs for it is to run an HDMI cord to a 10 inch ELCROW 2k touchscreen monitor and have it display RPM, Speed, Gas level, Engine temp, battery voltage and Engine fault codes. Will I need to do anything special to achieve this or should that all be pretty plug and play?

My wants for it are to run a yellow/video RCA cord to the monitor and be able to switch the screen to a reverse camera at the touch of a button. Also, with the 4G unit, can i download new maps for off roading/desert racing and have it show me my location in real time like a GPS unit? I am often very isolated so what kind of antenna would I need to give me the strongest signal possible?

Thanks for any advice and i look for to joining the community!

Here is the monitor I am considering, would I have any troubles with it or can the rpi handle touch screen?

I’m not sure if the RPi needs any additional drivers to work with the touch screen but you may need to find an alternate power source. I’m also not sure what power requirements the monitor requires and if that amount of output is provided by the RPi’s USB ports using the telematics unit.

Also the typical AutoPi installation does not utilize the GUI if I recall correctly. So you need to allocate more of the RAM to the GPU and install the desktop/GUI you plan to use.

I am currently looking at building at tablet interface to the autopi via wifi. With the cost fo cheap tablets I reckon it is a reasonable option

Any other thoughts appreciated

I have been trying to create a computer for my truck. Here is the thing you will run into with Autopi that you may not have yet realized. Autopi only functions with an Internet connection via cellular connection. Yes, it will connect with wifi, but where are you going to get a wifi connection out in the middle of nowhere in your Taco during a race…or even a cellular connection, for that matter. I spend a lot of my time on the road in the western US, where cellular coverage is spotty. Again, Autopi will not function like you are hoping without a cellular connection to the Internet. Actually, it will function, but it will simply save data until it gets a connection, then upload it. You have to be able to call up the my.autop.io ip address on a computer to be able to access the information. They have not yet created any functionality offline, as far as I know.

I bought my Autopi DIY dongle several years ago, pre-ordered before they finished their Kickstarter drive. Still haven’t been able to get it up and running. I really didn’t want to have to pay for a data line through my phone provider, so I have been trying to do it via wifi…just barely get enough signal from my home system out in my driveway to connect. Still haven’t been able to get it to update. My assumption is that it is made for living in a densely populated area in northern Europe, where cellular connectivity must be a fact of life, not for our western states, where you often have no connectivity at all between population centers.

You might look at OpenAuto Pro as an alternative. If you have an Android phone, it will give you the functions you have mentioned, including real-time GPS.