megasquirt lcd display brands

This is a digital dashboard display project intended to be used with a MegaSquirt2-Extra or MegaSquirt3 ECU (engine control unit). It"s 5-inch high-brightness LCD panel and LED strip makes viewing vital car/engine information quick and easy.

The firmware currently only has the option of displaying three different screens. One demo screen, and two screen showing some live information from the Megasquirt. The screens are flipped by touching the LCD screen (it"s a capacitive touch panel).

It"s not a simple project but the result is well worth the effort! The parts are relativity cheap to buy and you end up with a completely customizable digital dashboard display that rivals $1000+ commercial units.

As this display is CANbus based, it could also be programmed to work with data from many other aftermarket ECUs from manufacturers like Haltech, Link, EMS, FuelTech, ECUMaster, Motec, Syvecs, Emtron, etc, etc. It could also be programmed to support later model factory cars via a OBDII CANbus interface.

In my case, I have a 1990 Toyota Celica GT4 (aka Alltrac) that is used as a weekend club / race car. It has been running a MegaSquirt3 + MS3X ECU for about 6 years now. Previously I have used Android tablets/phones and RaspberryPi Linux devices to view ECU information, but these devices have proven to be slow to boot, unreliable and generally not fit for use in a harsh automotive environment no matter how much they are modified.

This project however was developed for my own use. I needed a better digital dash display for my Celica, and the new Crystalfontz high brightness accelerated display was absolutely perfect for this use.

The particular Crystalfontz LCD panel (CFAF800480E0-050SC-A1-1) is perfect for this because:It"s 5-inch size, and 800x480 resolution is a good middle-ground for a dash display.

Most of the embedded graphics firmware I have personally written in the past has required rendering of graphics in a micro-controller/micro-processor display buffer, which is then pushed out to the LCD panel one whole screen at a time. This requires quite a powerful processor, a lot of graphics rendering code, and careful timing.

The EVE2 graphics accelerator does a lot of this for us. We (using the ESP32) give a list of graphic objects to display (text, lines, circles, bitmaps, etc) to the EVE2, which it then renders on the LCD for us. It"s relativity easy to use, yet surprisingly powerful.

CANbus is very flexible, simple, fast and robust. While this project could have supported the Megasquirt serial interface (and may do in the future), using the CANbus interface just makes more sense here. There is less programming needed for obtaining data from the MegaSquirt when using CANbus. The MegaSquirt ECU is set up to blindly send the data out over the CANbus; we just suck it up and display it.

We use the ESP32 to obtain Megasquirt information from the CANbus, decode it, then create a display-list (graphics objects) which we send to the EVE2 accelerated LCD panel via the SPI interface. The ESP32 also sends color/brightness data to the WS2812b LEDs via a PWM (pulse-width modulated) interface.

The ESP32 contains a CANbus interface, but extra interfacing is required between it and the actual CANbus wires that go off to the MegaSquirt. The MCP2551 CANbus transceiver chip/module does this for us.

5 volt supply is required for most of the circuitry in this project, so we need a voltage regulator to take the normal 9V to 16V present in a car (car batteries are 12V, but when a car is running its normally around 14V), down to 5V. It needs to supply up to 2 amps (the LCD backlight and WS2812b can use a decent amount of power).

This is not the quickest or simplest project around, actually it"s somewhat the opposite. You"ll need a decent amount of electronics experience to build the display, and some C programming experience to customise the display.

There’s no shortage of drop-in digital dashes, data logging units, and other displays on the market for race cars that are designed to get their data from the engine management system. A growing number of them support MegaSquirt. Here, we present a roundup of units known to work with the MegaSquirt, as well as various smart phone and tablet apps that provide a similar function.  If you know of one that works with MegaSquirt that we didn’t list, send us an email and we’ll get it added.  If you are a programmer looking for the information needed to add MegaSquirt support to your data logging system, you’ll also find it here.

AEM’s CD series racing dashes connect to the MS2 and MS3 over the CAN bus as long as you are running the latest firmware on the ECU. AEM has a predefined setting which they have tested in house on MegaSquirt hardware to make setting this up straightforward. The only extra parts needed would be a 2 pin DTM style connector for the dash’s CAN bus wiring.

Auto Meter’s LCD Competition Dash supports CAN input for use with an MS2 or MS3. Currently they do not have a preconfigured definition file, but the software is very flexible in setting up definition files.

Autosport Labs offers the Podium Connect and RaceCapture data logging and telemetry systems. These connect to MS2 and MS3 over the CAN bus. Autosport Labs offers several models with various data acquisition and cell phone based telemetry capabilities. They also have an Android display app which connects to their own hardware.

The iDash fits in a 52 mm gauge pod, connects over CAN, and can display up to eight separate readings. Up to four units can be daisy chained together. Supports MS2 and MS3 ECUs. This uses the CAN broadcasting protocol and requires MS2/Extra 3.4.0 or later, or MS3 1.4.0 or later firmware.

Perfect Tuning makes a display that fits in a 52 mm gauge hole and can display up to eight channels. This unit can connect to the MS2 and MS3 over CAN. Works with all standard firmware variants. In addition, the gauge can monitor up to three analog sensors on its own and transmit the data back to an MS3. Requires MS2/Extra 3.4.0 or later, or MS3 1.4.0 or later firmware.

MS2 (firmware 3.4.x and newer)  and MS3 (firmware 1.4.x and newer) are compatible with Racepak VNet via the RACEPAK-CAN interface module, or on some newer models It uses the simplified dash broadcasting mode — section 1 of this pdf shows what fields are transmitted and how to set up the MegaSquirt to broadcast the data: http://www.msextra.com/doc/pdf/Megasquirt_CAN_Broadcast.pdf

mobiSQUIRT is available for the iPhone and iPad.  Current versions support MS1 and MS2, with MS3 support planned.  Connecting to MegaSquirt requires a serial to WiFi adapter.

RealDash is a display and data logging app that can run on several platforms. The Android version can connect using a Bluetooth or WiFi adapter, while the iPhone / iPad version is WiFi only.

The latest smartphone program from Phil Tobin at EFI Analytics. As the name implies, this permits using a phone or tablet as a dash display. This one has a TunerStudio-style dash display, data logging, and can also load and save tunes, so you can carry around tunes for different fuels or different setups in your phone without using a laptop. Connects over USB or Bluetooth.

Shadow Logger is an Android logging program from Phil Tobin, the same programmer who brought you TunerStudio and MegaLogViewer.  It supports MS1, MS2, and MS3.  Connecting to MegaSquirt requires a serial to Bluetooth adapter. Note that Phil also has a newer program out, Shadow Dash (above).

Current laptop tuning software uses RS232 exclusively, so a CAN based display device would be able to keep running with a laptop connected, while an RS232 based one would not.

Most of us decided to upgrade to a Megasquirt ECU due to either exceeding the capabilities or needed additional features that our stock system just wasn’t capable of doing.  With the installation of the DD-EFI Digital Dash you can now take your vehicle to the next level by getting rid of all of those inaccurate stock analog and aftermarket gauges.

This is NOT hard to utilize in your Miata, it"s our personal favorite. The AiM MXG dash logger showcases the future of in-car logger systems! The full-color, high-contrast, extra-wide 7" TFT LCD display features fully customizable pages, allowing the user to choose from a vast library of page styles and define exactly which data to be shown. Moving through the pages is easy through the push button selectors on the side of the dash. 8 alarm LED"s are also user configurable with custom colors, flashes and accompanying messages, as is the advanced multicolor shift light.

In the Miata application we"ve successfully used this with a factory OBD management system, our ME221 ECU"s, AEM EMS4, AEM Infinity, MegaSquirt and older ECU"s with aftermarket sensor acquisition.

This is a digital dashboard display project intended to be used with a MegaSquirt2-Extra or MegaSquirt3 ECU (engine control unit). It’s 5-inch high-brightness LCD panel and LED strip makes viewing vital car/engine information quick and easy.

The firmware currently only has the option of displaying three different screens. One demo screen, and two screen showing some live information from the Megasquirt. The screens are flipped by touching the LCD screen (it’s a capacitive touch panel).

It’s not a simple project but the result is well worth the effort! The parts are relativity cheap to buy and you end up with a completely customizable digital dashboard display that rivals $1000+ commercial units.

As this display is CANbus based, it could also be programmed to work with data from many other aftermarket ECUs from manufacturers like Haltech, Link, EMS, FuelTech, ECUMaster, Motec, Syvecs, Emtron, etc, etc. It could also be programmed to support later model factory cars via a OBDII CANbus interface.

In my case, I have a 1990 Toyota Celica GT4 (aka Alltrac) that is used as a weekend club / race car. It has been running a MegaSquirt3 + MS3X ECU for about 6 years now. Previously I have used Android tablets/phones and RaspberryPi Linux devices to view ECU information, but these devices have proven to be slow to boot, unreliable and generally not fit for use in a harsh automotive environment no matter how much they are modified.

This project however was developed for my own use. I needed a better digital dash display for my Celica, and the new Crystalfontz high brightness accelerated display was absolutely perfect for this use.

Most of the embedded graphics firmware I have personally written in the past has required rendering of graphics in a micro-controller/micro-processor display buffer, which is then pushed out to the LCD panel one whole screen at a time. This requires quite a powerful processor, a lot of graphics rendering code, and careful timing.

The EVE2 graphics accelerator does a lot of this for us. We (using the ESP32) give a list of graphic objects to display (text, lines, circles, bitmaps, etc) to the EVE2, which it then renders on the LCD for us. It’s relativity easy to use, yet surprisingly powerful.

CANbus is very flexible, simple, fast and robust. While this project could have supported the Megasquirt serial interface (and may do in the future), using the CANbus interface just makes more sense here. There is less programming needed for obtaining data from the MegaSquirt when using CANbus. The MegaSquirt ECU is set up to blindly send the data out over the CANbus; we just suck it up and display it.

We use the ESP32 to obtain Megasquirt information from the CANbus, decode it, then create a display-list (graphics objects) which we send to the EVE2 accelerated LCD panel via the SPI interface. The ESP32 also sends color/brightness data to the WS2812b LEDs via a PWM (pulse-width modulated) interface.

The ESP32 contains a CANbus interface, but extra interfacing is required between it and the actual CANbus wires that go off to the MegaSquirt. The MCP2551 CANbus transceiver chip/module does this for us.

5 volt supply is required for most of the circuitry in this project, so we need a voltage regulator to take the normal 9V to 16V present in a car (car batteries are 12V, but when a car is running its normally around 14V), down to 5V. It needs to supply up to 2 amps (the LCD backlight and WS2812b can use a decent amount of power).

This is not the quickest or simplest project around, actually it’s somewhat the opposite. You’ll need a decent amount of electronics experience to build the display, and some C programming experience to customise the display.

The design and the look is just amazing, the number of Indicator customization is higher than any other theme you can choose 4 zones to select whatever info you need to be displayed in addition they are with great size of font that you can read it very fast while you drive plus there is a choice to display the G-Force which is very useful if you do drifts, this theme is the most best one for a sport drivers.

Absolutely amazing piece of technology for the E46. As someone who deals with new cars every day like Hyundai and Toyota"s, I can comfortably say these units are on par if not better than digital displays on current modern cars. Super responsive, tons of customisation and the easiest install of any product I"ve done on my BMW. Yes the price is a bit daunting but well worth it and truly a one of a kind product. If you"re looking at buying one for your car, do it!!! Money well spent making your e46 just as modern as any vehicles getting made today, at a fraction of the cost of a new car.

Race-style DashesNon-stock, universal style screens that offer great options for customization. Like OneGauge’s LCDs, these usually require some ingenuity or modification to fit in a stock vehicle.

Racepak IQ3: this is one of Holley’s digital dash products and is very popular. The Racepack IQ3 currently retails from around $750 for the base model to nearly $2,000 for their higher-tiered model. It supports OBDII input, as well as standalone sensor inputs. One big upside to this system is it’s compatibility with various Holley and non-Holley products, including FAST, MSD, Megasquirt, and many others. This setup does support standalone sensors for non-OBD vehicles, though sensors typically cost $100-$200 each, and sensors can be configured through their DataLink software. One downside to the Racepak display is it’s limited graphic capabilities- you get a basic digital numeric readout of each sensor but doesn’t support images or more advanced design.

AEM CD-7 or CD-5: AEM offers a very slick setup starting at $1,500 for the base 7″ model. It boasts support of over 250 non-AEM CAN-based ECUs as well as standard OBDII. You can add non-CAN based sensors to the setup with the purchase of a CAN sensor module that’s a $350+ upgrade, which can be configured to work with the sensors of your choice. The overall look of the CD-7 is, in our opinion, far better than the Racepak display as it offers many more options for customizing the look of the display and using graphics including bar graphs, circular displays, etc using AEM’s software called Dash Design.

Holley EFI Dashes:Holley offers a few other digital dashes under their EFI brand. The EFI Digital Dash is a 7″ screen that offers a customizeable screen and starts at $700. Upgrade to their Pro Dash series ($1,000 for a widescreen 6.86″ display or $1,800 for the large 12.3″ wide screen) for even more customization options for the screen and the ability to create your own gauge faces. Like the CD-7, you can add configurations for custom sensors when you purchase the required harnesses, which start at about $200.

AutoMeter Pro-Comp Displays:AutoMeter’s contribution to the digital gauge space is a simple setup that includes basic sensors (temperature, pressure, and tach) and displays readings on a straightforward display. RPM is provided a large analog style gauge, while other inputs can be displayed on a small (and not very attractive) character display screen. Prices start at around $1,400 for this setup. Stack Gauges offers a nearly identical product to this one at around the same price.

Stack Pro LCD Motorsport Display or AutoMeter 6021 LCD dash: this product starts at $2,600 but offers many of the same features as the Holley Pro or AEM dashes. Stack seems to support more configurable sensor inputs, as well as a very clean and, again, customizeable display, but it’s hard to see how the higher price of this unit is justified. The AutoMeter version of this product seems to be more versatile and have additional CAN or Serial inputs, so we would recommend looking into that product.

Haltech IC-7:one of the newest products on the market, and starting at around $900, the Haltech setup offers a configurable display for newer OBDII vehicles or those with a Haltech ECU. You can only add custom sensors if you use the Haltech ECU and, though there are a few pre-set layouts, the ability to customize the layout and look of the screen isn’t as versatile as some of the higher-priced products. But for the price, this is a great option for newer vehicles.

Computech DataMaxx LCD:while we haven’t heard much about this one, it looks to be a good option for non-OBD vehicles. The look strongly resembles the Racepak IQ3. You get a digital readout for each sensor, but, like the Racepak, the design is limited to numerical gauges. The screen itself starts at $800 but requires a $650 computer and sensors, which are quite a bit more expensive that other systems (from $100 to well over $1,000 for a single sensor). Kits with all of these components range from $1,800 to $3,500.

AIM MX Series:5″, 6″, or 7″ LCD options available from AIM offer many similar features to the products above. They claim support for 1000 different ECUs, CAN BUS systems, and up to 8 additional inputs that require the purchase of a connector. Screen design is limited to 8 different pre-programmed layouts. One unique feature of this screen is the ability to add a camera, such as a back-up camera, for display on the screen. These units seem to start at about $1,100.

An E-tune for your Megasquirt ECU’s including the ever popular MS3 make efficient power while improving reliability and fuel economy. Don’t leave anything on the table when it comes to tuning your MS, a Brewed E-tune will ensure your engine is running at peak efficiency for years to come. Engine mods, fuel grade and elevation all play major rolls in how an engine runs, there is no better way to ensure your engine is getting exactly what needs than a Brewed E-tune.

This gauge is compatible with all the Megasquirt based ECU"s except the Megasquirt 1. The billet anodized aluminum enclosure and the real carbon face plate give an incredible look. The color OLED display allows to display more information than a standard gauge and the colors are configurable. You can replace an entire dash full of gauges with this single gauge. Actually there are 7 different screens and others will come. 24x multicolor LED gives a quick way to see what"s happening. The screen brightness and LEDs adjust itself automatically with the luminosity sensor. This is a display/gauge, it is not a wideband o2 controller. If you want it to display AFR, you need a wideband o2 controller (see our AEM and Spartan Wideband options).

There are two buttons on the gauge to change the displayed screen and change basic settings. Advanced configuration of the alarms are made through a webpage with a built-in Wi-Fi connection to a smart phone, tablet or laptop.

The gauge can also be connected to up to 3 sensors with the 3x 0-5v analog inputs and can be used as an expansion board. This means that if there is a sensor connected to the gauge, the ECU can read it over CANBus and display it in TunerStudio and datalog the value.

I have been looking for a way to getting rid of the tuning laptop in the car, but also a way to remove the analog instrument cluster. Like many cars my mustang gauges are not the best in the world, and are more of dummy indicators then actual gauges. Due to not great accuracy I installed like many of you aftermarket gauges for water temperature, oil pressure, and transmission temperature. I wanted to get rid of all of these, which started the project of building a digital dash that incorporated a 7" LCD Touch Screen into my stock instrument cluster housing using a Raspberry Pi 3 as the computer system.

I built the system, so the LCD screen can be mounted in the instrument cluster, and attached via HDMI cable to the Raspberry Pi in a more accessible location (behind the radio). This made it nice for being able to get to the computer without it being attached to the backside of the LCD in the instrument cluster. The dash is running a full version of TunerStudio, which gives all the many pros of tuning and the unlimited dashboards you want. I looked at the Racepak and other systems, but couldn"t get around the huge price tag. They also had big limitations on dashboards and pay extra for datalogging.

I am building the system to operate like the newer cars of a splash screen video when the computer is booting up. It then automatically starts TunerStudio and is enabled to fullscreen the dashboard upon startup. I am currently in testing of my own power supply, which will power the computer. It is designed to go through a 3-step shutdown process: turn off display screen at "X" minutes, shutdown computer at "X" minutes, then finally shutdown power supply on "X" minutes. This helps get around the many issues of most power supplies have while doing my research. Many used a manual switch, which isn"t practical in a Daily Driver. Also during quick fill ups at gas station it shutting down and then have to reboot, but also long times of not using the car draining the cars battery. It will only has 3 wires for power, ground, and ignition on one side, and then micro power plug for the computer and jumper wire to a GPIO pin to trigger the shutdown process.

Here is a video of the current state of the project. I have it booting to displaying the dashboard in about 30 secs, which I thought was pretty good.

Very cool build! I have a Rapberry Pi sitting on my desk right now with a vision of an instrument display in my old F150. Last eve I was experimenting with Tunerstudio load times and have been a bit disappointed so far with the results, but going to blame it on a very antique sd card for now... I have a lot to learn when using a Linux platform lol.

While I am waiting on parts to arrive, I decided to test the additional coding I added to the script for the shutdown process. I have been able to successfully incorporate a way to modify/configure the default shutdown delay(s) without touching the script. I put the Timer Delay File on the desktop, so it"s easy to make changes to it. Now I won"t have to mess with the script anymore to increase/decrease these times, which will go well with the programmable power supply. Still looking at incorporating the ability to Turn On/Off the LCD screen, but have not gotten there yet.