Analog signal output from computer

[bmcguire88]

Hello all,

I'm an electrical engineering tech student working on a little side project and I can't find anything to help me with a crucial part.

I have a gauge cluster out of an automobile that I want to interface with a computer to used while playing a racing game. I have a computer programmer friend and we have been able to extract the data from the game (speed, tach, boost, etc). I have the gauge cluster set up ready to go, and all I need to is output these signals from the computer to some usable DC voltage signals that I can wire into my gauge cluster. I don't care about the range or magnitude of voltage or current, as I can take care of all of this with op amps etc.

I just need to be able to output multiple linear DC voltage signals. I'm assuming some sort of digital to analog conversion has to take place. Also, what can I communicate this through? Is USB a possibility?

If this could be in any way similar to an analog output on a PLC that would be ideal...like 0 - 32768 represents a voltage scale range output of 0-10v (or something to that effect).

Thanks!

 

[f95toli]

The easiest thing would be to buy a cheap(ish) USB DAQ; you can buy one from e.g. National Instruments (although there are cheaper options).

 

[Fish4Fun]

The first problem I see is getting the game to output anything usable, assuming you can overcome that, I would suggest for simplicity you use either a serial port or a parallel printer port to send digital data to a uController. Interfacing the uController to your gauges should be fairly straight forward. But, again, I have serious reservations about you being able to interface with the game unless it is a game that you have the source code for.

Fish