DIY $ 15 temp gauge

I'd like to see it where we could plug something like that in, and have it show as an alternate page on the cars screen.

I'm actually working on this, or will be shortly. I've got all the parts, I just need to test them to make sure it'll all work. I'm basing what I'm doing on the info from @ADExternal 's backup camera work. Essentially what I plan on doing is mounting an OEM pushbutton in one of the knockouts to the left of the wheel that when pushed will switch the input on the iMid to my own device. A lot of Android phones support "MHL" which allows you to plug a special cable into the USB port that has HDMI output. So I'll run MHL->HDMI->Composite converter->iMid backup camera input. I've got an old phone I can just dedicate to this purpose. The only issue I see with doing this right now are the backup lines, which will either be overlaid on the display, or turned off/moved offscreen, which would be annoying for regular backup camera use. One possible solution would be to buy an aftermarket backup camera that includes lines and then move the factory lines offscreen.

On another note, just a word of warning about the ELM327 bluetooth devices... If you leave them plugged in, most of them still draw enough power while the car is off to drain your battery in about a week or two. That's also a fixable problem...
 
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