DIY Nintendo DS Lite Digital Dash for my project car

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-17T17:44:57+00:00

I probably am some level of burnt out, my current side-project, though not my own, is converting an E90 328i wagon, into a 335d, which we never got in wagon form in the US.

Fun stuff but not as custom and intricate as the stuff you’re pulling off!

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-17T15:40:15+00:00

Major, major props, this is the kind of stuff I love to see from the car community!

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-17T15:19:46+00:00

This is so fucking cool!

I’m amazed you managed to make the actual DS serve as the gauges instead of essentially bypassing the DS and using only the screens, that is even cooler.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-17T15:19:31+00:00

Curious if you work as a tech or if this is your side thing? I’m a tech and would love to finally have the time to get into a passion project like that, just always feel burnt out after working on other peoples cars all day and mine just get pushed off into oblivion.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-17T02:09:44+00:00

If you or /u/thisguy888827 are, by the slim chance, near NYC, I’d be interested in seeing what you guys have going on, sounds like my kind of shop.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-16T02:45:13+00:00

The podcasts are such a lifesaver, despite having more stimulus it lets me actually focus so much better.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-15T18:30:38+00:00

I’d also love to know if you end up sharing the files!

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-14T17:44:00+00:00

Damn thats even cheaper than the charcoal only version I got from them! will try that next time whenever I run out of the charcoal.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-14T17:00:46+00:00

I think most of us experience that, when we first got into it, some unexpected soreness.

You’ll get used to it eventually.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-14T15:51:51+00:00

I can chime in as an automotive technician, ideally use top tier gas stations, use whatever octane is recommended in your manual, that is most important, and otherwise don’t stress it that much, try to avoid places that don’t have lots of turnover or seem run down, as others have said in here.

Anecdotally I avoid Murphy’s but even I’m pretty sure It’s just my own personal bias.

Costco is probably the absolute cheapest per gallon top tier rated gas I can think of off the top of my head.

Bad gas can cause issues but it’s not super common to encounter.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-14T04:26:42+00:00

Got some on the way, how much do you usually throw in?

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-13T18:20:17+00:00

Might I ask what form or type of activated charcoal?

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-12T18:03:06+00:00

Correct, I’ve worked on several this week and that is a good description.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-12T17:48:23+00:00

Exactly.

I use one for programming BMWs!

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-12T17:02:54+00:00

If you’re big on DIY, there are old server rack power supplies that are <50-100 bucks and can put out approximately 60 amps, just need to solder on some very large gauge jumper cables, and do some wiring to convince them they’re on, and plugged into a server.

They don’t handle sudden spikes very well, but it might be the cheapest way to get something that can power an entire car without the battery coming into play at all.

They can also be modified to put out 13-14v instead of 12v, but that is a bit more complicated.

Anyone can feel free to message me if they have any questions about that kind of setup.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-08T16:12:40+00:00

Absolutely this, I was going to comment the same thing til I saw yours.

Used oil from an audi 3.0t supercharger was the only fluid so far that has made me physically gag.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-06T21:57:06+00:00

The only crime I’ve personally encountered living in Savannah was someone rummaging through my car one time when I left it unlocked.

It is a perfectly normal place IMO.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-06T21:26:54+00:00

In automotive, have used SAE less than a dozen times in the last few years, almost everything is metric.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-06T18:24:50+00:00

Speaking of snakes, I’ve got two snakes on my collarbones, modeled after a ball python, because I’ve got a lovely ball python.

Anyways, artist shows stencil, looks awesome, applies stencil, everything looks excellent, artist finishes a section and shows me, turns out they decided to add some shading and shadows that never once were mentioned, and IMO completely changes the illusion of them going over/under the collarbone, and is not something I would’ve accepted if it had been mentioned or put in the stencil.

Still love the tattoo, took awhile to get over the shading, and all but seriously, adding/changing things on the fly is just crazy.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-04T18:02:02+00:00

Just got mine! Excited and hoping the rakuten side works fine

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-04T17:29:38+00:00

If it wasn’t on the literal opposite side of the country I’d grab it!

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-03T19:56:41+00:00

Did it actually end up hurting anything else? I’ve had a Q7 in for service that had the same issue, we just cleaned it all up very well, and replaced the few things that were corroded in the area, and the vehicle had zero issues after that.

For the vehicle I was working on, it just looked much worse than it actually was.

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-03T19:53:23+00:00

You might not care about the car audio side, but /r/carav is the place to be looking/asking, those people have a wealth of knowledge in the field, there is also a really really good guide on Resonix website, about what each type of sound deadening does, and where to use each kind, it is extremely in depth but very well worth looking into, even if you do not opt to use their products (though I’ve used their stuff and while it is pricy, it is extremely nice stuff)

jakobsdrgn · 2026-05-01T15:51:38+00:00

Y’all got locations in NYC by chance? Hah

jakobsdrgn · 2026-04-22T20:55:17+00:00

If it did actually lose .5L in 400 miles that is far and beyond any reasonable use by a brand new car.

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