Possibly starting a Transit build from scratch

[peteco]

Please describe what each of your 7 add-on screens monitor. Very interesting.

 

[InterBlog]

Please describe what each of your 7 add-on screens monitor. Very interesting.

Grimly, I recall that I incorporated most of them in response to specific failures that indicated a need for closer vehicle monitoring, as follows:

(1) Not visible in that crummy photo I posted above is a wireless aftermarket TPMS monitoring screen, given that the T1N Sprinter did not come with TPMS capacity. It’s solar-powered and sits on the dash above the steering wheel. I upgraded to Eurometric tires with TPMS after a freeway blow-out that almost cost me my van. To this day we still don’t know what caused the blow-out. Discount Tire stated that it was not due to physical damage such as puncture and we concurred after meticulously inspecting the tire ourselves. I had checked tire pressure manually hours before the blow-out so it wasn’t due to chronic low-pressure stress. But I figured that a TPMS would help me in the event of repeat performance. The head unit will start screaming if I begin to lose tire pressure.

(2) We incorporated a very old iPad to provide continuous OBD read-out of mechanical parameters after experiencing several years of intermittent turbo failure. It was the proverbial ghost in the machine that we eventually traced to a malfunctioning EGR valve, but that mode of failure is less common with those, as it’s more typically an “all or nothing” event, not back and forth at random times.

(3) We use a Garmin GPS as a standalone nav tool that is not dependent on cellular integration given that we travel in areas without cell signal. I love that thing because the screen quality is remarkable and because the simple voice commands work well and allow me to remain hands-free and eyes-free while driving (LOL my favorite voice command = “FIND CRACKER BARREL”). Once again, the T1N Sprinter did not come with any technology like that.

(4) Nevertheless, sometimes “regular” navigation is also a benefit (Apple, Waze, etc.) because a standalone GPS does not provide real-time traffic conditions. For that reason we retrofitted an Alpine head unit in the Sprinter’s old AM/FM single-DIN radio slot. The T1N dash was not large-screen-configurable so it’s one of those that pops out and rotates up. I don’t like it because the screen quality is too poor for me to read in many lighting conditions, but it was the best available compatible product on the market at the time we installed it.

(5) Correspondingly, I also needed full iPhone visibility, so we adapted a Ram mount on the A pillar so that I could see it at all times (I say “adapted” because a pair of powerful neodyms is needed to hold it in place). I run a small business and if one of my clients has an emergency, I need to see texts or incoming calls flashing on my screen.

(6) Several years ago, it looked like Owlcam might become the market leader in “smart” dashcams, so I invested in one of those (it was not cheap). But then the original company went bankrupt and I believe my account got deleted. Some other company bought the rights to the product but I haven’t done the investigation into whether my unit can be resurrected through a firmware update or whatever. I need to do that - it’s on my list - because it does not respond to voice commands any longer such as “OK PRESTO” which was the hands-free method of manually saving video segments.

(7) Last but not least, the old T1N Sprinter did not come with a backup camera or side cameras. My husband is a mechanical engineer and he built a system from the ground up, integrating it into the turn switch on the steering wheel so that the monitor will flip between cameras when the right or left signal is activated.

So there you have it, one **** of a lot of work to integrate the type of capacity that now mostly comes either standard or available as reasonable upgrades on vehicles that are 18 years younger than mine.

 

[peteco]

Grimly, I recall that I incorporated most of them in response to specific failures that indicated a need for closer vehicle monitoring, as follows:

(1) Not visible in that crummy photo I posted above is a wireless aftermarket TPMS monitoring screen, given that the T1N Sprinter did not come with TPMS capacity. It’s solar-powered and sits on the dash above the steering wheel. I upgraded to Eurometric tires with TPMS after a freeway blow-out that almost cost me my van. To this day we still don’t know what caused the blow-out. Discount Tire stated that it was not due to physical damage such as puncture and we concurred after meticulously inspecting the tire ourselves. I had checked tire pressure manually hours before the blow-out so it wasn’t due to chronic low-pressure stress. But I figured that a TPMS would help me in the event of repeat performance. The head unit will start screaming if I begin to lose tire pressure.

(2) We incorporated a very old iPad to provide continuous OBD read-out of mechanical parameters after experiencing several years of intermittent turbo failure. It was the proverbial ghost in the machine that we eventually traced to a malfunctioning EGR valve, but that mode of failure is less common with those, as it’s more typically an “all or nothing” event, not back and forth at random times.

(3) We use a Garmin GPS as a standalone nav tool that is not dependent on cellular integration given that we travel in areas without cell signal. I love that thing because the screen quality is remarkable and because the simple voice commands work well and allow me to remain hands-free and eyes-free while driving (LOL my favorite voice command = “FIND CRACKER BARREL”). Once again, the T1N Sprinter did not come with any technology like that.

(4) Nevertheless, sometimes “regular” navigation is also a benefit (Apple, Waze, etc.) because a standalone GPS does not provide real-time traffic conditions. For that reason we retrofitted an Alpine head unit in the Sprinter’s old AM/FM single-DIN radio slot. The T1N dash was not large-screen-configurable so it’s one of those that pops out and rotates up. I don’t like it because the screen quality is too poor for me to read in many lighting conditions, but it was the best available compatible product on the market at the time we installed it.

(5) Correspondingly, I also needed full iPhone visibility, so we adapted a Ram mount on the A pillar so that I could see it at all times (I say “adapted” because a pair of powerful neodyms is needed to hold it in place). I run a small business and if one of my clients has an emergency, I need to see texts or incoming calls flashing on my screen.

(6) Several years ago, it looked like Owlcam might become the market leader in “smart” dashcams, so I invested in one of those (it was not cheap). But then the original company went bankrupt and I believe my account got deleted. Some other company bought the rights to the product but I haven’t done the investigation into whether my unit can be resurrected through a firmware update or whatever. I need to do that - it’s on my list - because it does not respond to voice commands any longer such as “OK PRESTO” which was the hands-free method of manually saving video segments.

(7) Last but not least, the old T1N Sprinter did not come with a backup camera or side cameras. My husband is a mechanical engineer and he built a system from the ground up, integrating it into the turn switch on the steering wheel so that the monitor will flip between cameras when the right or left signal is activated.

So there you have it, one **** of a lot of work to integrate the type of capacity that now mostly comes either standard or available as reasonable upgrades on vehicles that are 18 years younger than mine.

Thanks. I have added some of those items to my 2006 Chevy Roadtrek. TPMS has given warning of a tire leak a few times. I would have had a tire failure without the warning.