Maker’s Dashboard

A. LED Matrix Tachometer

Materials: Arduino + OBD-II TTL adapter + LED matrix
Cost: $100
Monitor your engine’s RPM and improve your manual shifting precision with a breakout LED tachometer.

B. Car Diagnostic Display

Materials: Raspberry Pi + TFT shield + OBD-II Bluetooth adapter + Bluetooth 4.0 adapter
Cost: $130
Get an inside look at real-time technical data from your vehicle by transmitting it from your car’s OBD-II port to a dedicated dash display and a Raspberry Pi.

C. Parking Obstacle Sensor

Materials: Arduino + ultrasonic sensor + LCD screen
Cost: $80
Update an older car with an Arduino-powered ultrasonic parking sensor that provides both visual and audio cues to gauge the distance of objects from your bumper.

D. In-Car Entertainment System

Materials: Raspberry Pi + 7″ TFT monitor + wireless keyboard
Cost: $100
Use a Raspberry Pi and monitor to put an in-car entertainment system in your dashboard, or entertain passengers in the backseat.

E. Sniff Out Control Area Network Codes

Materials: Raspberry Pi + PiCAN board + OBD-II shell and pins
Cost: $100
Beyond your car’s basic diagnostic data is a CAN system that controls everything from the buttons on your steering wheel, to your windshield wipers. Curious minds can use a Raspberry Pi to glimpse the code that connects all the elements of their vehicle’s electrical systems.

F. Create a Custom OBD-II App Interface

Materials: Smartphone or tablet + OBD-II Bluetooth adapter + app
Cost: $30 (excluding smartphone)
OBD-II compatible apps for smartphones and tablets not only offer a convenient way to tap into your car’s data, they’re also highly customizable and can take advantage of mobile hardware features such as GPS for speed mapping.

G. Dash-Mounted USB Outlets

Materials: Panel-mount USB charge port (12v)
Cost: $25
Tidy up the tangle of charging adapters in your console by installing a dedicated pair of USB outlets.

H. Wireless Phone Charger

Materials: Wireless charger + 12v to 5v adapter
Cost: $50
If your phone supports wireless charging, do away with cable clutter altogether by embedding an inductive charging pad in your console.