Introducing DashIt: Supra - Dashboard app for the GR Supra - Work in progress

[Eplejus]

I've been using the hidden menu in the instrument cluster to check oil and coolant temps for quite some time, but got tired of having to go through the button combination every time.

I looked into a few alternatives, including P3, CanChecked etc, but wasn't too keen on the price for those units.
I never really liked the look of the dashboard gauges in Bootmod3 or BimmerLink either.

So I thought, why not make something myself?

I spent six years working in IT before moving into my current job, and I also have a formal education in the field. These days I work with automated logistics systems, where we do some SQL programming and build dashboards for collecting, processing, and displaying data.
So while developing an app is something new for me, working with code, databases, and live data isn't exactly unfamiliar territory.

The original plan was to keep things extremely simple. Just a single screen with maybe 7–8 gauges showing the essentials, like boost, oil temperature, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and so on.
But as I kept working on it, I started adding more and more features, and before I knew it, the app had grown way beyond what I originally planned.
What was supposed to be just a few gauges for my own use has now turned into a full app with diagnostics, service resets, EPB service mode, battery registration, and a bunch of other features. So I figured it might be useful to other GR Supra owners as well.

So, I present to you all: DashIt: Supra (yes, it's a pun on "Da Shit" )

Link connection screen:

Customise everything. Each gauge has its own settings: range, warning and red zone, needle and ring colour, scale marks, glow, alarms, recorded peaks, refresh rate and your own title. The gauge can follow the car’s Comfort/Sport mode.

Full screen mode:

Layout and customization:

Battery health monitoring and battery registration are also supported.

If you replace the battery with one of a different type or capacity (Ah), you'll still need to code the car accordingly. However, registering a replacement battery with the same specifications as the OEM one already works perfectly.

I'm looking into adding battery coding as well, but I want to be absolutely sure it works correctly before making that feature available.

Electronic parking brake (EPB) service mode with step-by-step guidance.
The app checks the vehicle's sensors to confirm the parking brake is released before retracting it.

Service reset screen:

Fault code scanner that scans all the car's control modules, not just the DME like most cheap generic OBD scanners. It reads BMW-specific 6-digit fault codes with descriptions. I still need to do some work on getting the freeze-frame data to display correctly, but everything else is working as intended

The BMW Z4 G29 lets you bring up a G-force display in its infotainment system, while the GR Supra doesn't have that option.
So I decided to add one, inspired by the one from the GR86.

Drag Meter / Acceleration Timing

Still a work in progress. Testing against RaceBox and Dragy shows around 2% deviation, even after GPS calibration. I'm aiming for less than 0.5% before I'm happy with it. All measurements use the vehicle own sensors. The phone's GPS is only used for speed calibration. Gear changes in this example show wrong values, but thats already been fixed

Ethanol Blend Calculator

Reads the car's current fuel level and calculates the required ethanol blend. I've also got it working with my flex fuel sensor, but that's still a work in progress.

I can't guarantee that ethanol content readings will be available when the app is finished, as the fex fuel sensor rely on reading a RAM address that varies depending on the ECU software/ROM version.

These are just some of the features I've been working on, and there's still plenty more I haven't shown yet. The app is still a long way from being ready for release, though.

For connectivity, it supports ENET over Wi-Fi or cable, so any ENET compatible OBD adapter should work, for example MHD Black/Red, Bootmod3, Thor, xHP, Kies, vLink, etc.
It uses BMW-specific Mode 22 DIDs rather than the slower, generic OBD-II Mode 01 PIDs.

All the screenshots were taken in simulated demo mode using metric units, but don't worry, imperial units are already supported too.
The same goes for the drag meter, which supports feet, miles, metres, km/h, mph, etc.

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[Eplejus]

Shows the function of the comfort/sport mode. This can be activated/deactivated.

 

[supra_kat]

That is really cool!! Is it available in the App Store ?

 

[Eplejus]

That is really cool!! Is it available in the App Store ?

No, it's still under development.
I started this thread to show what I've got so far and hopefully get some feedback and suggestions for features to add.

 

[Funkjaw]

Should name it DaSHIT

 

[Supradawg]

Wow. Amazing, will support when it comes out. best of luck

 

[puckshaw]

Looks great! Will it support CarPlay? How’s the lag? Looking forward to playing with it.

 

[Razors Edge]

If it can use CarPlay, so all the gauges project onto the large screen, icing on the cake! Nice work sir.

 

[eurocl9]

Nice work, definitely interested!

 

[Eplejus]

The app is currently being developed for Android, but iOS/CarPlay support might come later.
I'd need to get an iPhone for testing and cover the Apple Developer subscription fee, so it's something I'll consider further down the road.

 

[Eplejus]

Looks great! Will it support CarPlay? How’s the lag? Looking forward to playing with it.

For now, Android only. iOS/CarPlay may come later.

Lag is practically nonexistent. During testing, I usually see DME response times of around 30–40 ms, which means the app can potentially read updated sensor values from the DME around 25–33 times per second.

 

[Davo307]

So using this app on your Android and then casting it to the infotainment screen is the way to go

 

[Eplejus]

So using this app on your Android and then casting it to the infotainment screen is the way to go

Yeah, that might work for now. Actually, you just gave me an idea I'm going to try out!

Edit:

So, it does work, but there are a few limitations.

1) Miracast support

The infotainment system only supports Miracast for screen mirroring. That's fine if you have a compatible Samsung, LG, Sony, Huawei, Xiaomi or OnePlus phone.
Unfortunately, Pixel users are out of luck, since Pixel phones only support Google Cast, which the infotainment system doesn't support. I use a Pixel 8 for everyday use, luckly I had a old Huawei phone I could test with.

2) Lag

I noticed a delay of around 1–1.5 seconds between what's happening on the phone and what appears on the infotainment screen. That's fine for slower gauges like oil and coolant temperatures, but pretty much useless for fast changing values like boost and RPM.

3) Screen mirroring

It mirrors the phone's screen exactly, which also means the phone screen has to stay on. If the phone screen turns off, the infotainment display goes blank too.

 

[Davo307]

Yeah, that might work for now. Actually, you just gave me an idea I'm going to try out!

Edit:

So, it does work, but there are a few limitations.

1) Miracast support

The infotainment system only supports Miracast for screen mirroring. That's fine if you have a compatible Samsung, LG, Sony, Huawei, Xiaomi or OnePlus phone.
Unfortunately, Pixel users are out of luck, since Pixel phones only support Google Cast, which the infotainment system doesn't support. I use a Pixel 8 for everyday use, luckly I had a old Huawei phone I could test with.

2) Lag

I noticed a delay of around 1–1.5 seconds between what's happening on the phone and what appears on the infotainment screen. That's fine for slower gauges like oil and coolant temperatures, but pretty much useless for fast changing values like boost and RPM.

3) Screen mirroring

It mirrors the phone's screen exactly, which also means the phone screen has to stay on. If the phone screen turns off, the infotainment display goes blank too.

Damn, the lag part sucks. I wonder if it can be slightly reduced? And leaving the phone on isn't great. It was an idea at least!

 

[Eplejus]

Damn, the lag part sucks. I wonder if it can be slightly reduced? And leaving the phone on isn't great. It was an idea at least!

I doubt it. From what I've read, that kind of delay seems pretty normal with screen mirroring.
I believe the same goes for CarPlay, too.

I might still add it as a feature, though, with a warning that it works best with slower temperature gauges .
I still think it's better to just use the app on the phone with a phone mount. That's what I had in mind from the start anyway.

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