Hello,
I'm new to the board, you can call me riley.
I used to work at Cummins and worked in electronic controls (we programmed the ECMs) and worked on the J1939 datalink.

I've had an idea rolling around in my head for a while and am wondering what sort of interest there would be among drivers / owner operators...

Would anyone be interested in a program that runs on a laptop or PDA that displays the torque map in a graphical form and displays a dot that shows where the engine is operating, RPM vs Torque.
Something like this:



All the data would come straight off the J1939 datalink so it would work on any engine that is broadcasting public data.
It could be recorded and played back later as well as be displayed in real-time.

I'm posting this here to get the opinion of experts. If you guys think its a dumb idea and would never use something like that, I don't want to spend the time developing it.

So... what do you think?

Thanks,
riley

 

you mean ... i could have my very own graph ?!? ;0)


could you please explain the usefullness of this software?....

and, why i would want to purchase it?....

and how much would it cost to purchase?.... i need to be able to calculate a cost-per-mile for my investment

do i not require a com adaptor to translate 1939?

 

That's right! A graph that's all your own.

Well, I'm not sure what its usefulness would be to a trucker, that's why I posted here.
As an engineer, I used something similar to help diagnose shifting problems with automatic and automated transmissions. I could see what the engine was doing while it was shifting.

Nothing to purchase at the moment, just an idea right now. I'm just wondering if its something worth spending time on.

I have no idea. I would guess, less than $200.

Yes, that would be required and could be included in the package. There are adapters available that are less than $100.

Like I said, I'm just getting a feel for this idea. Nothing more than that, at this stage.

 

Well, forgive me, but i believe, that would be a waste of time! :roll:

 

What would be MUCH better is to show the BSFC map. Then we could adapt our driving to the efficiency of the engine.

 

I'd be more interested in a program that displayed all the sensor data and calculated numbers (HP, Torque) in just plain numbers format. Also a screen that displays all the setpoints and limits. I'd pay $200 for that right now ! Heck the robbers at the dealers want a couple hundred and a day of my time just to tell me what the engine is presently set at :evil: .

 

The problem with a system like this is it would be a best guess scenario. It's just going by how much fuel you're injecting, and maps from when the engine was in tip top shape. Have a weak injector, or maybe a leaking aftercooler, and you're making less power then what it would show.