Applied Electronics Project

First of all, during our second Master degree we had to make a project which responds to a problem of a daily life by using an Arduino or a Raspeberry Pi.

We decided to work on a motorcycle because mechanics and motorcycle are a center of attention of the four member of the team.

The goal of our project is to make an old motorcycle great again. Indeed, on the old motorcyle there aren't any new technologies but only some old stuff like the big speedometer and the box display you can see on the first images. Moreover, you can also see, on the pictures, all the ugly buttons there are on the handlebar of the motorcycle.

The first step will present you all the ideas we got to making this motorbike more beautiful and the next steps will present you how we did it.

Step 1: Step 1 : Some Ideas to Improve the Motorcycle

The first idea is to remove all the ugly buttons and replace them by some discreet buttons (picture 1)able to manage several actions like single, double and long click. In order to use this kind of buttons, we decided to use an Arduino to manage the differents clicks.

For example, one button will be able to light on the left indicators with one click, the right indicators with two clicks and the warnings signs with a long click. In this way, all the lights and the outputs (horn, starter,...) of the motocycle can be manage with only three or four buttons.

Thanks to these buttons, the handle bar will seem prettier and there will be less wires from the handlebar to the outputs.

The second idea is to remove the big display box and the speedometer and simply replace them by an OLED screen (picture 2). The screen will show the speed, and wathever we want to (hour, date, ...) thanks to the Arduino.

Step 2: Step 2: the Components

For the purpose of our project, we decided to use some cheap components so as to make test .

So, like I told you previously, we use an Arduino to manage the actions on the buttons. We also use a second Arduino to handle the display of the hour and the speed.

The display of the hour and the speed was achieved thanks to a GPS-antenna and a OLED screen.

Step 3: Step 3: Tests in the Lab

In order to apply all these ideas on the motorbike, we first decide that it would be beter to start the project in the lab.

Then, we put some LEDs to replace the lights of the motorbike (indicators, mainbeam light, headlights, brake light, ...) and make a simulation.

These tests allow us to write the software in the two Arduino and to find the good way to use the buttons.

You will find, in the joined file, the program and the code we put in the two Arduino.

Step 4: Step 4: the Application on the Motorbike

Once the software and the hardware was good, the final step could start.

This fourth step consist of removing all the old stuff on the motorcyle (picture 1, 2 and 3) and wiring the new components with the Arduino on the motorcycle (picture 4). This step was made in different parts.

The first part was carried out in order to remove all the wiring harness of the motorcycle.

The second part was to select the good wires and the wires we don't need anymore because we replace them by wires between the Arduino and the outputs (lights, indicators, ... ). That's why we had to study the wiring diagram of the motorbike. The useless wires were removed while the good one were cable on the motobike with the Arduino. We also made a box to put all the Arduino and components. You can see on the fourth picture all the wires we remove to put them back after the cleaning and the clearing of the wiring harness.

The third and final part was to replaced all the wires and the components on the motorbike in order to finish the project and give the motorbike back to his owner. (picture 5)