Sounds like a useful and interesting application.

You might want to search for open-source OBD-II projects online.  There's 
at least one at:

> http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/ee476/FinalProjects/s2009/ama64_maa66/ama64_maa66/index.html

It uses a ATMega644 for the user interface portion and the code is 
downloadable from the site.  In my experience, most uP projects don't come 
close to using the entire power of its uP, so you may be able to merge the 
software interface between the Tracker2 (or KISS-TNC) with the rest of the 
OBD-II project's code (or maybe replace it), eliminating the need for 
another PC board with an additional uP. Or you could possibly replace that 
part of the above OBD-II project with the Arduino.  I'd also think you 
could use any tracker that will act as a KISS TNC, allowing the ATMega644 
to put together a KISS compatible packet as an APRS text message, perhaps 
with several destinations.  It's also have to perform the basic GPS tracker 
function as well since you'd need to send your position.

As someone else mentioned about #1, you can't alert emergency services 
directly, and I also doubt any commercial monitoring service would agree to 
deal with an alarm that isn't their own let alone one that was homemade. 
But, you might come to an agreement with several other hams to act as each 
other's monitoring service for messages needing emergency response.  Go 
with multiple members since APRS messages won't always reach any particular 
person and you'd get closer to 24/7 attention.  The members who received 
the emergency message might need to work out some way to coordinate with 
each other and attempt to contact the member who was the source of the 
alarm by phone before contacting emergency services.  There are probably a 
lot of other considerations you'd have to work out, but these are just some 
off-the-cuff thoughts about it.

As for the email applications, I think there's an APRS-to-email gateway, 
but I can't recall the address and method.

I haven't looked into OBD-II very much.  Does it have access to G-forces, 
airbag deployment and gas tank level?  What other parts of the car is 
instrumented and available to the OBD-II system?

Barry N4MSJ


brian.newhard wrote:
> Have you gotten anywhere with Arduino?
> 
> I'm new, so please be kind.
> 
> I'm looking to take OBD-II car diagnostics and transmit them using
> packet/aprs to trigger events on an Internet server.  Sort of a homebrew
> OnStar system.  This could do things like (brainstorm):
> 
> 1. alert emergency response to my exact location in the event of high
> G-forces
> 
> 2. send my mother an SMS/email telling her I loved her upon airbag
> deployment
> 
> 3. Set my alarm clock 20 minutes earlier when I need to buy a tank of
> gas in the morning
> 
> 4. etc.
> 
> I thought that an arduino may be a good device to translate the OBD
> readings and push them to the Tracker2, and into a radio in a mobile
> setting.  Does this sound reasonable?  Has this been done yet?  (Is this
> what a Tracker2 does?)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Brian
> 
> 
> 
> --- In [email protected], "Christopher Snell" <chris.sn...@...>
> wrote:
>> On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:35 AM, Jason KG4WSV <kg4...@...> wrote:
>> 
>>> Nope, but I've kicked around the idea of using an Arduino (same idea
>>>  1/3 the price of the Make controller).
>> Thanks for the tip.  The Arduino is definitely cheaper, smaller (if 
>> you use the Stamp version) and appears to use less power than the Make
>>  controller.  I'm ordering one now.
>> 
>> The Arduino's programming language is simple and I may be able to do 
>> everything I need within its environment.  I need to implement some 
>> cutdown logic based on GPS readings and manual triggering over the 
>> radio via the Tracker2.
>> 
>> Chris
>> 

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