GPS activated linear actuator

Good Day and Hello,

I'm trying to figure out how to control a linear actuator motor with any adruino board with GPS module.

It seems everyone uses the GPS modules for robots, I'm looking to create adaptive aerodynamics for my car that activate at a certain speed

I want to use either one or two linear actuators to fold down a front air damn at the front of the car as well as shutting some of the radiator off at speed.

I am still a little new with adriuno controllers and looking for advice on hardware and maybe some programming pointers. I program industrial computers as a day job but in ladder logic which is similar, but different enough to confuse me sometimes.

If by chance there is someone that has done something similar, please point me in the direction.

Thanks Again,
PlasticTech1

plastictech1:
I'm looking to create adaptive aerodynamics for my car that activate at a certain speed

Have you got written approval for this from your automobile insurer?

If not, don't do it.

...R

plastictech1:
Good Day and Hello,

I'm trying to figure out how to control a linear actuator motor with any adruino board with GPS module.

It seems everyone uses the GPS modules for robots, I'm looking to create adaptive aerodynamics for my car that activate at a certain speed

I want to use either one or two linear actuators to fold down a front air damn at the front of the car as well as shutting some of the radiator off at speed.

I am still a little new with adriuno controllers and looking for advice on hardware and maybe some programming pointers. I program industrial computers as a day job but in ladder logic which is similar, but different enough to confuse me sometimes.

If by chance there is someone that has done something similar, please point me in the direction.

Thanks Again,
PlasticTech1

Some things are left untouched. Given your posting, this sounds like one of those.
altering the aerodynamics of your car will cause you nothing but headaches, heartaches and legal nightmare.

first your car insurance will probably be null and void given that you are altering a major element of the vehicle's design and the insurance company is not going to insure that change.
second, with vehicle insurance being null and void, that leaves you on the hook financially and legally.
you are not a professional vehicle designer and the court's may look on you as being grossly negligent in altering the vehicle. All bets are off if the vehicle is involved in a fatal vehicle accident.

There are ideas some are good ideas some are bad ideas.
Then there are the really good ideas and the really bad ideas.
Then there are the extremely good ideas and the extremely bad ideas.

your's falls into the extremely bad idea.

no different then some one putting a body kit on their car or a spoiler, or even a brush guard on a truck.

I really didnt think I would be getting drilled for an idea that is different from the normal projects people do.
Whats so different about people building 3d printers that can catch fire and burn a house down?

plastictech1:
Whats so different about people building 3d printers that can catch fire and burn a house down?

I dont think if you build electronic stuff at home you need to inform your insurance company. But then house insurance is not compulsory anyway.

If you make custom modifications to a road going vehicle you almost certainly need to inform (and get approval of) your insurance company. And vehicle insurance is normally compulsory.

So very different really.

well i guess i am on my own with this one and by the way your home has insurance too

plastictech1:
by the way your home has insurance too

You cannot know that of course, but it does.

Nothing in the small print of the home insurance, which I have of course studied in detail, excludes my 'hobby'.

My vehicle insurance on the other hand is very explicit, if there are any 'custom' modifications I need to inform them.

This is all so obvious.

well i guess the Arduino community wont help me with this one ill figure it out on my own

plastictech1:
no different then some one putting a body kit on their car or a spoiler, or even a brush guard on a truck.

Some of those things may also invalidate the insurance.

...R

For one I live in the States and I live in a state that doesn't do emission testing or any inspections at all i have never heard of anyone that has ever gotten in trouble with their insurance for modding vehicles for economy or other reasons check out www.ecomodder.com what I AM going to do is pretty relaxed compared to "altering windshield angles" or "complete belly pans." I have NEVER been to a forum that the members will just slam an idea for a reason that only I am liable for. go on a diesel forum and ask how to remove emissions equipment from a brand new truck and without question they will tell you how to do it, and wont say anything about the EPA laws.
I am very dissapionted.

srnet:
I dont think if you build electronic stuff at home you need to inform your insurance company. But then house insurance is not compulsory anyway.

Sure is if you have a mortgage on the property.

Paul

Today, emission testing is checking for missing emissions components or ones that have been tampered with. Then using the vehicle's own computer to see what emission values are present. Not like 25 years ago when they connected sensors to the tail pipe and measured the emissions. Perhaps most of the time it is just computer checking. It will know if you have tampered. But, you don't have to worry about that. Have I got a story to tell, but to get to the point.

Since you are new to Arduino, divide your learning into 1) Learn what to use for GPS and how to program for it. 2) Learn how to program for and use the linear actuator you are going to use.

Only you know what the requirements are for each. Be sure your GPS can return a speed quickly enough for your program can react quickly. Be sure your linear actuator is also quick enough to do what you need. And that includes retracting.

When you fully understand each program and device, then you can plan how to put them together. There are plenty of tutorials and samples available.

plastictech1:
no different then some one putting a body kit on their car or a spoiler, or even a brush guard on a truck.

Whatever you decide to do, please do not take anyone else with you if you literally crash and burn.

an old adage states:
Stupidity is not a crime but sometimes it is a capital offense.

goes with the other famous adage:
What are a redneck's last words?
"Hey watch this!"

i just want to take gps derived speed and move an actuator it doe not have to be fast or that accurate. just deploy when you exceed speed X and retract when you fall below speed X.

I wont be doing anything illegal with it and come to think about it my twin turbo iroc z Camaro with a full tube chassis, front exit exhaust, bead lock rear wheels no original safety or emissions equipment that is street legal with all lights, wipers, power windows, radio, heater, even the rear window defrost. has 1650 hp and has had basic insurance for 30 years and i have never had a problem with the "legality" of modifying a car from stock, even though that car is only an original body nothing else.

These little arduino boards have a million uses, I would like to try one, and IF anything happens it will be my sole responsibility to face the man.

I am only asking for a few pointers you dont have to do the entire project for me

And the redneck comments are funny as hell

The thing you will have to experiment with is how much faster will the car be going when you finally get the speed computed from the received GPS information. I have never used GPS, so can't help you there.

Paul

The most important thing is choosing a serial port, depending on which Arduino you are using. Read this for the various choices.

That description is from my NeoGPS library. It's smaller, faster, more reliable and more accurate than all other GPS libraries. You can configure NeoGPS to parse only the speed. This saves even more RAM, program space and execution time. Here are several NeoGPS speedometer projects:

GPS Nixie Speedometer
GPS Speedometer, problems when still
GPS 7 Segment Speedometer Working But With Issues
[GPS Speedometer] Slow display updates on Mode 3 Fix.
Gps speedometer
Trinket Pro speedometer (most recent version of a long-running thread)

NeoGPS is available from the Arduino IDE Library Manager, under the menu Sketch -> Include Library -> Manage Libraries. Even if you don't use it, there is lots of information on the Installation and Troubleshooting pages.

If you have further questions, be sure to post the code you are trying (in code tags, as described in How to use this forum).

Cheers,
/dev

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