Experiment: Using my Android Tablet to make a Heads up Display (w/ Video)...

[DKX4///M]

Click Here to see the Video...

Using one of many HUD apps to try to create a reliable and fuctional HUD on the e9x...

The video is in my Varis rental with and App called "digiHUD", there are a few available...

Once I get by M back, I am going to use a different app, that uses an S2000 style tach, color match the stock e92 guages, put a semi reflective film on th windshield where the display will show, and velcro or use a tablet mount to safely attach the tablet to the Dash...

Makes the car feel like even more of a video game haha...thoughts, suggestions on better HUD products, or methods to improve this one?

[V8FunNaturally]

I would not call that a HUD. Real HUD focuses the whole image several meters in front of the car so that the driver's eyes don't have to accomodate back and forth when he tries to look at the road or the HUD. In your case it's just a LED display partially mirrored by the windshield which means the image will appear only inches behind the glass. Looking at the display image will be like looking at the windshield which can be dangerous.

a real HUD has an optic lenses system for refocusing the image at infinity or several meters ahead.

[crypticc]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

I would not call that a HUD. Real HUD focuses the whole image several meters in front of the car so that the driver's eyes don't have to accomodate back and forth when he tries to look at the road or the HUD. In your case it's just a LED display partially mirrored by the windshield which means the image will appear only inches behind the glass. Looking at the display image will be like looking at the windshield which can be dangerous.

a real HUD has an optic lenses system for refocusing the image at infinity or several meters ahead.

Dangerous? Better stop looking at my speedo dial that's right down between the spoke of my steering wheel then.

[s85e90]

eh, a little gimmicky. Who needs this really?

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by s85e90

eh, a little gimmicky. Who needs this really?

The other app I have (still trying to get it working properly) actually has some features that could be helpful, such as shift lights/sounds....accurate tachometers.

But the truth is no one really needs this or most of the other luxuries our BMWs afford us...Just trying to have some fun with some gadgets I already own...

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by crypticc

Dangerous? Better stop looking at my speedo dial that's right down between the spoke of my steering wheel then.

distracting. and more distraction while driving can be dangerous includes your speedo.

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

The other app I have (still trying to get it working properly) actually has some features that could be helpful, such as shift lights/sounds....accurate tachometers.

But the truth is no one really needs this or most of the other luxuries our BMWs afford us...Just trying to have some fun with some gadgets I already own...

it is really not up to the standard of the car, might be temporary entertaining gadget in an old civic but has no place in a M car. If you want more instruments get some real stuff that look like they belong in an M car not a gimmick.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

distracting. and more distraction while driving can be dangerous includes your speedo.

it is really not up to the standard of the car, might be temporary entertaining gadget in an old civic but has no place in a M car. If you want more instruments get some real stuff that look like they belong in an M car not a gimmick.

Common bro, spare me brother. I'm playing around, and actually was most interested in the apps real shift SOUND indicator which beeps at your desired RPM. Would never permanently install this, and if you read my mod journal you'll see I pay attention to detail, and for the most part, make sure to do things right...

(Not to mention NOTHING beats a fully functioning HUD that is fully adjustable and could be configued/colored/display what ever you want, however you want...)

I got my e92 in June and ALMOST bought an F8x, because the ONE thing I REALLY LOVED about it was the HUD...)

People (Not even talking about you, just specifically worship these cars, like they are highly exotic cars, they are not!)..They are a wonderful bang for your buck, sport/luxury car that is miles ahead of most other cars in its class and has a "feel" that needs to be driven to understand... Everyone here, including obviously me LOVES them and spends most of m disposible income on modding it...But let's call a spade a spade here...

Had friends tell me my white tire lettering was not something you EVER do on an M3, WORD FOR WORD (Thats what you do to a civic), while within a week seeing the winning Lambo at Auto Concepts 2014 with the EXACT same lettering kit.

I was posting for other M drivers that might find this interesting or might want to experiment with the possibilities...But I guess I expect people to behave the way my parents tought me (and other role models, EVEN EMINEM, saying that I'm sure everyone has heard which is...

"If you've got nothing nice today then don't say NOTHIN'..."

Instead I get ridic comments..."the speedometer is a distraction, etc" Common man...Just c'mon :P

My brother died last May in a car accident, got ejected out of the windshield after falling asleep and hitting a light post SB on the Southern State Parkway in Levitown at 5:30am Ma 5th 2013. If anything a functioning HUD is less distracting than a standard speedo and I'd say especially in a car like the M3, where 100mph feels like 60mph, I'd say the speedo is Kinnnnnnd offff a important gauge....

Im honestly not trying to be or sound like a dick, or be overly defensive. Im smiling right now, just ASKING you to losin' up a bit my man, at least on threads I start, if you'd be so kind. Just a simple request.

Wish you only the best brother. I should know better by now to start thread thst hsving the slighest chance of bein controversial....Im bowing out of this one...

[V8FunNaturally]

Sorry if I sounded hard on you, my point was that this is not a Head Up Display. That acronym should be reserved for products that have an optical system that focuses the virtual image at infinity. In fact it's not your fault, the appelation HUD has been abused in recent years for commercial purposes even by brand like Garmin. Forx ex the following also is NOT a HUD despite marketing:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-t...rod134348.html

There is a significant advantage in having a real HUD. Whatever is displayed appears floating like a big sized billboard half a car distance ahead or more, not just inches. And the eyes takes as long as a reaction time to refocus from the windshield. The further away from you the deeper you depth of focus and the less the time to refocus your eye. Call your gadget a reflected smartphone display then i would not have made the correction.

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. Long drives require rest breaks or even a few hours sleep in a motel. Falling asleep at the wheel is a known cause of accidents all over the world. Some high end mercedes will vibrate the seat if a driver is sensed to have dozed off but the mistake really happens when stepping in the car. Some drugs do have warning not to use them while driving due to extreme fatigue. This would be similar than going to climb the everest when the weather is not auspitable and dying of hypothermia on the climb. But anyone who drove overnight knows this can creep on you, falling asleep is not controllable. As many other risks in life some are more easily mitigated than others. Sometimes fate is inescapable.
This will not bring back your brother so may he RIP.

If you can find a real HUD then it would be worth buying. Forget all those smartphone app, those are high school toys.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

Sorry if I sounded hard on you, my point was that this is not a Head Up Display. That acronym should be reserved for products that have an optical system that focuses the virtual image at infinity. In fact it's not your fault, the appelation HUD has been abused in recent years for commercial purposes even by brand like Garmin. Forx ex the following also is NOT a HUD despite marketing:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-t...rod134348.html

There is a significant advantage in having a real HUD. Whatever is displayed appears floating like a big sized billboard half a car distance ahead or more, not just inches. And the eyes takes as long as a reaction time to refocus from the windshield. The further away from you the deeper you depth of focus and the less the time to refocus your eye. Call your gadget a reflected smartphone display then i would not have made the correction.

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. Long drives require rest breaks or even a few hours sleep in a motel. Falling asleep at the wheel is a known cause of accidents all over the world. Some high end mercedes will vibrate the seat if a driver is sensed to have dozed off but the mistake really happens when stepping in the car. Some drugs do have warning not to use them while driving due to extreme fatigue. This would be similar than going to climb the everest when the weather is not auspitable and dying of hypothermia on the climb. But anyone who drove overnight knows this can creep on you, falling asleep is not controllable. As many other risks in life some are more easily mitigated than others. Sometimes fate is inescapable.
This will not bring back your brother so may he RIP.

If you can find a real HUD then it would be worth buying. Forget all those smartphone app, those are high school toys.

1st off I appreciate the comments about my brother...To be honest him falling asleep is a theory, the officer that was first to the scene said he thinks he either fell asleep or was blinded by the rising sun...(Early May headed South East the sun would have been blasting right in his eyes.) Sadly he never was conscience after the accident to tell anyone what happened...

But I agree it's not a real "heads up display" 100% in the technological sense of the word, but in a literal sense, any display you can read without having to face your head down is by default a heads UP display...

The bigger point was more that its just silly to argue or debate semantics. I was just posting a cool little thing I found and it wasn't specifically your post or anyones specific post that brought my long winded response. It's more that on this forum and the dozens of forums I've been a part of over the years, cars and MANY other various hobbies and interests theres always someone with that negative "gotcha" or critical post. It just brought out of the frustration in ALLLLL those posts over the years in general.

I've driven the new 4 series (not the m3/m4) w the "real" HUD, and I honestly like the apps display much more...The numbers are 10 x's the size, easier to read, brighter and the 4 series just had a speedo, and the app I found with the s2000 style tachometer was much cooler looking and actually more functional, and even easier to read. But whatever that'a just my personal opinion...I realize its not using sophisticated lenses and state of the art optics to make the numbers appear to float in mid air...You absolutely right.

My point was more, just don't be "that guy". I read hundreds of posts where I disagree or someone says something thats factually just incorrect. If I responded to every dumb post I read, I would never have a second of free time...

Just wanted to make fellow M owners and gadget suckers (Like me), aware of apps like this and If even 1 person out there reads my thread and enjoys one of them, then I accomplished my task.

Get what I'm sayin?

[Yvette]

looks ghetto and dangerous.

[husks002]

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

Common bro, spare me brother. I'm playing around, and actually was most interested in the apps real shift SOUND indicator which beeps at your desired RPM. Would never permanently install this, and if you read my mod journal you'll see I pay attention to detail, and for the most part, make sure to do things right...

(Not to mention NOTHING beats a fully functioning HUD that is fully adjustable and could be configued/colored/display what ever you want, however you want...)

I got my e92 in June and ALMOST bought an F8x, because the ONE thing I REALLY LOVED about it was the HUD...)

People (Not even talking about you, just specifically worship these cars, like they are highly exotic cars, they are not!)..They are a wonderful bang for your buck, sport/luxury car that is miles ahead of most other cars in its class and has a "feel" that needs to be driven to understand... Everyone here, including obviously me LOVES them and spends most of m disposible income on modding it...But let's call a spade a spade here...

Had friends tell me my white tire lettering was not something you EVER do on an M3, WORD FOR WORD (Thats what you do to a civic), while within a week seeing the winning Lambo at Auto Concepts 2014 with the EXACT same lettering kit.

I was posting for other M drivers that might find this interesting or might want to experiment with the possibilities...But I guess I expect people to behave the way my parents tought me (and other role models, EVEN EMINEM, saying that I'm sure everyone has heard which is...

"If you've got nothing nice today then don't say NOTHIN'..."

Instead I get ridic comments..."the speedometer is a distraction, etc" Common man...Just c'mon :P

My brother died last May in a car accident, got ejected out of the windshield after falling asleep and hitting a light post SB on the Southern State Parkway in Levitown at 5:30am Ma 5th 2013. If anything a functioning HUD is less distracting than a standard speedo and I'd say especially in a car like the M3, where 100mph feels like 60mph, I'd say the speedo is Kinnnnnnd offff a important gauge....

Im honestly not trying to be or sound like a dick, or be overly defensive. Im smiling right now, just ASKING you to losin' up a bit my man, at least on threads I start, if you'd be so kind. Just a simple request.

Wish you only the best brother. I should know better by now to start thread thst hsving the slighest chance of bein controversial....Im bowing out of this one...

He was just commenting that this isn't actually a HUD. It's just an Android app and using the reflection.

If there was a HUD retrofit, now that would be something cool...

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by husks002

He was just commenting that this isn't actually a HUD. It's just an Android app and using the reflection.

If there was a HUD retrofit, now that would be something cool...

Again agreed 100%...

Maybe I should've said "Simulated HUD" in my OP. But that wasn't my point. No big deal. I was just letting years of being on forums and negative posts, etc get to me...again no big deal.

[DKX4///M]

And just an FYI, my M3 has been at the dealership for almost 2 weeks and this is what my ghetto fake HUD was in...seriously, now they gave me a new 4 series but I had to drive this for 2 days...

[DKX4///M]

Can we all laugh at the Yaris together and sing Kum-by-ya now?

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

or was blinded by the rising sun...(Early May headed South East the sun would have been blasting right in his eyes.) .

at dawn there's humidity and the rising sun shouldn't be glaring. Sunset driving West on the other hand are much more blinding.

I didn't read the rest of your post. You should learn to be more succint. It's not a HUD and that's that. There's no need to elaborate on that for another 50 lines.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

at dawn there's humidity and the rising sun shouldn't be glaring. Sunset driving West on the other hand are much more blinding.

I didn't read the rest of your post. You should learn to be more succint. It's not a HUD and that's that. There's no need to elaborate on that for another 50 lines.

I'm glad you know more about the circumstances surrounding my little brothers death than the officer that was first at the scene.

And it's succinct, not succint.

I'll be succinct, thanks for adding such valuable information to this thread.

[mjposner]

Try this:

http://www.navdy.com/

[ZEEM3R]

Originally Posted by mjposner

Try this:

http://www.navdy.com/

Wow, that looks pretty amazing. Im tempted but I wish they had a better release date than "Early 2015."

[DKX4///M]

That is just sick, if they really pull that off without too many glitches, that general type of technology is going to get huge...

[V1.47fan]

I thought it was a gimmick when it first appeared in the Nissan Altima in 1992, i feel the same way now even if it's offered in the F8X.

You have the speedometer right in front of you already, why do you need HUD giving you the same exact info already in your line of sight?