Every part in the real build — the same hardware on the bench right now. Nothing here is filler, nothing is untested. If a part burned us, it's called out so it doesn't burn you.
The display brain — everything that rides in the enclosure.
| Part | Qty | ~Price | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB) | 1 | $60 | ON THE BENCH | Buy from an official reseller (link lists them). 4GB is plenty — the dash targets 50 fps with room to spare. |
| HeadSun 7" 1024×600 touchscreen | 1 | $65 | ON THE BENCH | Touch panel only reports while your finger moves — the dash's tap-only UI is designed around it. Works great for taps. |
| MCP2515 CAN module (HW-184) | 2 | $10/pr | ON THE BENCH | ⚠ The onboard TJA1050 transceiver does NOT work at 3.3V — see "parts that failed us" below. Plan the SN65HVD230 transplant. |
| SN65HVD230 breakout (VP230) | 2 | $10/pr | ON THE BENCH | The 3.3V transceivers that actually work. One replaces the MCP2515's onboard chip, one lives on the Teensy side. |
| Adafruit LSM6DSOX IMU | 1 | $12 | ON THE BENCH | The G-sensor behind the driving-mode logic. I2C, auto-detected by the dash software. |
| microSD card (Pi system) | 1 | $15 | ON THE BENCH | ⚠ Counterfeit minefield regardless of store — torture-test every card before trusting it (story below). |
| Pi 5 official active cooler | 1 | $8 | ON THE BENCH | On the Pi since day one of the build. A dash lives in a car in the sun — cool the Pi. |
section: ~$180
The fast-signals node (RPM, analog sensors) and the slow-data radio.
| Part | Qty | ~Price | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teensy 4.1 | 1 | $32 | ON THE BENCH | Fast acquisition: ignition RPM, 8 analog channels, native CAN. Buy from PJRC directly or their listed resellers. |
| OBDLink MX+ | 1 | $120 | ON THE BENCH | Slow engine data over Bluetooth. Gotcha: one host at a time — if your phone's OBD app auto-connects, the dash is locked out. |
| Pololu D24V50F5 buck (12V→5V, 5A) | 1 | $20 | ON THE BENCH | Clean 5A of 5V from automotive 12V. Bench-proven feeding the Pi + screen. |
section: ~$172
What turns loose modules into a real, vibration-proof install. Much of ours came from a beloved local electronics shop — links are equivalents.
| Part | Qty | ~Price | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfboard blanks (assorted) | 5 | $15 | ON THE BENCH | Carrier boards for the Pi hat and the Teensy DAQ stack. |
| Female header socket strips | 7+ | $8 | ON THE BENCH | Socket everything — modules unplug for service instead of desoldering. |
| 2×20 IDC box header | 1 | $2 | ON THE BENCH | The Pi's GPIO lands here via ribbon cable. |
| Screw terminal blocks (2/3-pos) | ~20 | $8 | ON THE BENCH | Every field wire lands on a screw terminal, not a solder joint. |
| Brass standoffs (M2.5 + M3 kits) | kits | $10 | ON THE BENCH | Board stacking + enclosure mounting. |
| 100nF ceramic caps | 20+ | $3 | ON THE BENCH | Decoupling on every supply pin. Cheap insurance. |
| 1N5818 Schottky diodes | 6 | $2 | ON THE BENCH | Power-path / reverse-polarity protection. |
| BAT85 small-signal Schottky | 100 | $9 | ORDERED | Input clamps for the analog channels — sold in bags of 100, the build uses ~12. |
| Resistor kit (incl. 2.2k / 3.3k) | 1 | $13 | ON THE BENCH | The 2.2k/3.3k pairs build the 0–5V→3.3V divider on every analog input. Senders WILL kill an undivided pin. |
| Hookup wire assortment | 1 | $10 | ORDERED | Board wiring. (Scrap Cat5 works in a pinch — ask us how we know.) |
| Heat-set inserts (M3/M2.5) | kit | $12 | ORDERED | Threaded mounts for the 3D-printed enclosure. |
section: ~$92
Power, protection, and sensors — the phase where the dash leaves the bench.
| Part | Qty | ~Price | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inline blade fuse holder + 5A fuses | 1 | $6 | ORDERED | Fuse at the source. Non-negotiable in a car. |
| XT30 connector pair (12V input) | 1 | $4 | ORDERED | Keyed, compact, can't plug it in backwards. |
| Ring terminals / crimp kit | 1 | $6 | ORDERED | Crimp, don't twist-and-tape. |
| AEM 30-2012 temp sender | 1 | $45 | ON THE BENCH | Oil temp, 1/8" NPT. Currently being characterized against its published resistance table before it earns a channel. |
| u-blox GPS module (10–25Hz) | 1 | $40 | LATER | Future: lap timing and track maps. |
| Deutsch DT 12-pin bulkhead kit | 1 | $25 | LATER | The proper motorsports bulkhead for the sensor harness. |
section: ~$61 now, +$65 later
Counterfeit microSD. A "Samsung EVO" 128GB died under test and went back for a refund — and it came from a walk-in local store, not some sketchy marketplace. That's the lesson: counterfeit cards are everywhere, so the source alone protects nobody. Every card gets a full write-verify torture test before it touches the Pi, no matter where it came from.
Clone TJA1050 CAN transceivers. The chip on cheap MCP2515 modules initializes fine at 3.3V, then silently fails at bus signaling — it cost us an entire evening of "why is the bus dead." The fix that's now part of the design: desolder it and transplant an SN65HVD230 (that's why two are on the list). Full wiring writeup ships with the build guide.