Raspberry Pi infotainment system released

Today I finally released my Comvette Infotainment software into the wild. If you are interested in building a Raspberry Pi based car computer infotainment system, take a few minutes and visit:

www.LifeOfPi.blog

and download a ready-made Raspberry Pi image and/or the Xojo source code.

-Wes

Very cool.

Really great!

Just a question, “lifeofpi” is not trademarked?

very nice work. and the detailed web site is very nice too. congrats !

Very Cool, Wes. My C3 (1981 - last 4 Speed) had the standard GM Head with 8-Track and the tunnel mounted CB installed. The CB’s long gone and I replaced (but saved) the stock unit with a normal CD unit - which was replaced with a cassette unit since the CD units at that time couldn’t deal with the jarring ride - Skip to My Lou … :slight_smile: .

Love those C3’s. They were my dream car as a teenager. I was lucky enough to work at a Chevy dealer right out of high school and got to drive a lot of C3’s. That pretty much hooked me on Corvettes.

My Raspberry Pi infotainment system currently has 14,000 songs and no matter how rough the road it never skips. :slight_smile:

Maybe your C3 needs a Raspberry Pi upgrade?

Awesome project.

Although I personally shouldn’t know what to do with a self made infosystem with FM radio, this is a GREAT PROJECT as a start to build tailored systems for customers which are niche and need relatively small amounts. And next I think it’s great how @Wes Westhaver shows what can be done with Xojo for control electronics.

Thanks, I really appreciate your comments.

I’ve been programing in various languages since 1984 but this is the first time I’ve released anything substantial to the public. I’ve been bracing myself for criticism about the quality of my code or it’s organization etc.

Programing is a rather solitary endeavor. It’s a little bit stressful revealing your work to people.

-Wes

[quote=433364:@Ivan Tellez]Really great!

Just a question, “lifeofpi” is not trademarked?[/quote]

Thanks, I appreciate your interest and concern.

Obviously there is a famous book/movie by that name. And I did choose to make a play on those words. In my use, LifeOfPi is a reference to my involvement with the Raspberry Pi computers. If it turns out that this is a problem, I can go with another domain name.

-Wes

Very impressive Wes. Your project will be a great resource. I’ve been thinking about a much less ambitious project to replace the AM/FM radio in my early C3 (1969). I just wish it was possible to get an AM radio module similar to the FM modules, or a combined AM/FM module.

Thanks!

I looked high and low trying to find an AM or AM/FM module. I never could find one. If I ever do I’ll probably update my system. I don’t miss the AM radio much. And I’m finding that I don’t listen to the FM radio much either now that I have my entire music collection available in my car.

although it’s not a ready-made module …

The SiLabs chips do seem to be the most likely candidates, because they don’t require very many external components. I’d been looking at building a small circuit board using a Si4734 which appears to be a bit easier to get than the Si4844. It would save a lot of work if someone was offering a module with them though.

Hey Wes - did you send a notice to the NCOA folks? I’ll bet there’s a lot more interest for an updated system than we can even imagine.

I’m not familiar with the NCOA. I just looked them up and it appears that they require a membership fee to join. Are you a member of the NCOA?

I’ve been a member of the CorvetteForum.com for almost twenty years. That has been my go-to source for Corvette info and help. I was a member of the NCRS for a while but I let my membership lapse. I didn’t get much ROI from that group.

-Wes

I was a member, but I’ve lapsed since my C3 is a garage queen now … (too hot in Phoenix for that 40 acre back glass :slight_smile: ).

While I was a member, there was a lot of activity - a real magazine, local meets, rally events, patches, stickers and even a KEY FOB!!! Seriously, though, they were a very active group and I never missed the money it cost to join.

I’m pretty jazzed! My Comvette Project was featured on the Ponoko.com website today:

Spot The Laser Cut Parts In This Car

They even mentioned that Comvette was written in Xojo.

-Wes

Wes - that is beyond awesome - and I am in awe of what you’ve accomplished :).

[quote=439273:@Wes Westhaver]I’m pretty jazzed! My Comvette Project was featured on the Ponoko.com website today:

Spot The Laser Cut Parts In This Car

They even mentioned that Comvette was written in Xojo.

-Wes[/quote]
Make sure you forward that to Dana too