New with Big Ambitions

Using Arduino Project Guidance
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Hello all. As you can guess from the title, I'm fairly new to this with big ambitions.

My goal is to build a dash panel for the truck simulators I play, which will include a speedometer with a digital odometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, an air pressure gauge, a turbo gauge, and a clock synced to the one in game. For the most part, the panel will contain two position on/off and three position on/off/on switches to control things like cruise control, engine brake, hook.unhook trailers, lights, and other things. One thing I really want is to add a set of lights like on the dash of a truck above the speedo and tach. It will essentially be a set of lights (turn signal, check engine, engine brake on, etc.) that will have to be set off at the same time as in the game. Though one unnecessary extra I want to add is a 6x4 LCD screen with some push buttons to function as the games Route Advisor multi-function GPS.

A few more extras that I want to add later on (for the purpose of ergonomics and ditching my current wheel, shifter, and pedals that will get in the way). Basically I'll be salvaging a steering wheel, shifter rod and knob with a range and splitter, and a pedal assembly (or just the pedals) to go with a seat to further emulate a semi truck cab. I can assume from what little I know I'll need a 900 degree rotary potentiometer for the wheel and micro switches for the shifter which will be floor mounted, and three (?) slide potentiometers for the pedals.

So, now that I've laid out my project, I need some guidance. I need to know which arduino would be best for controlling all this, or would I need two or more? Size isn't really a factor as it (they) will be mounted behind the dash panel. The potentiometers, micro switches, and maybe some other things I don't know a reliable place to find them. The dash panel itself I am fabricating in my shop class, the gauges I will either buy aftermarket or salvage from a truck. The lights I mentioned earlier could also be salvaged from another truck. The switches and pull knobs I know where to get, but I would like a different style for some of the things, along with the feasibility of the gps system.

Thanks in advance for reading and offering up advice.

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Big ambitions are great. But start small. Start with the examples and one module. I suggest your LCD as it can be used to help troubleshoot other modules down the line.

Select an Arduino (being your first and only, I suggest a genuine Arduino to minimize the probability of clone issues). Here I suggest an UNO or a MEGA, as both are basic and heavily supported. If you find you need more capability, you can buy it later when you reach that point.

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My goal is to build a dash panel for the truck simulators I play, which will include a speedometer with a digital odometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, an air pressure gauge, a turbo gauge, and a clock synced to the one in game.

So all of that is currently displayed on the video screen, right? It's probably IMPOSSIBLE to get that information OUT of the game. :frowning:

For you INPUTS it should POSSIBLE to something useful, at least in theory. For example, if you have a physical break pedal, you can read the break pedal and turn-on the physical brake lights without going-through the game. For something as simple as that, you don't even need an Arduino, but you certainly could run any switches/controls that you build into the Arduino. And IF you can build a break "controller" (and other controls) that goes-into the game, it can ALSO go-into the Arduino and do whatever you want.