SimDash - Unity Arduino Car Simulation

This project connects a Unity car game with Arduino Uno to display speed on a 3-digit 7-segment display and control a fan motor.

Final Report

Final report available at: Documentation/final-report.md

Final presentation slides available at: Documentation/presentation.pdf

Project Deliverables

• Refer to Miro Board: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVJs10bzI=/

Components

• Unity: Simple car game with steering wheel input
• Arduino Uno: 7-segment display (5641AS) and motor control
• Display: 5641AS 4-digit 7-segment display (common cathode) - using 3 digits
• Motor: 5V fan motor

Hardware Setup

1. Connect 5641AS 7-Segment Display (3 digits) to Arduino:

Segment Pins (connect all 8 segments):

• Segment pins connected to: 9, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 7, 4
  • Pin 9 → Segment a
  • Pin 2 → Segment b
  • Pin 3 → Segment c
  • Pin 5 → Segment d
  • Pin 6 → Segment e
  • Pin 8 → Segment f
  • Pin 7 → Segment g
  • Pin 4 → Segment dp (decimal point)

Digit Pins (only connect first 3 digits):

• Digit 1 (leftmost) → Pin 10
• Digit 2 (middle) → Pin 11
• Digit 3 (rightmost) → Pin 12
• Digit 4 → Not connected (pin 13 is used for motor)

2. Connect 5V Motor to Arduino:

• Motor positive to digital pin 13 (PWM)
• Motor negative to GND via transistor for proper current handling

3. Connect Arduino to computer via USB for serial communication.

Software Setup

Arduino

1. Install SevSeg library in Arduino IDE (Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries > Search for "SevSeg")
2. Upload ArduinoCode/simdash.ino to Arduino Uno for Unity integration
   • Or upload ArduinoCode/simdash_test/simdash_test.ino for standalone testing without Unity
3. Note the COM port (e.g., COM3 on Windows, /dev/ttyACM0 on Linux)

Unity

1. Open the project in Unity (2020+ recommended)
2. In SerialCommunicator.cs, update portName to match your Arduino port (e.g., "COM3" for Windows or "/dev/ttyACM0" for Linux)
3. Open the Assets/Scenes/CarDrivingScene.unity scene
4. The scene includes:
   • Car: A cube with CarController and Rigidbody components
   • Ground: A large plane for driving
   • Main Camera: Positioned above and behind for a good view
   • Directional Light: Provides scene lighting
   • GameManager: Contains SerialCommunicator for Arduino connection

Running the Project

With Unity Integration:

1. Upload simdash.ino and note the port
2. Open Unity project
3. Run the scene
4. Use steering wheel to control car
5. Speed will be sent to Arduino, updating display and fan

Standalone Testing (Without Unity):

1. Upload simdash_test.ino
2. Open Serial Monitor (9600 baud)
3. Watch the display count from 0-100 and back
4. Feel the motor speed up and slow down automatically

Notes

• 3-digit display shows speed 0-100
• Motor PWM is mapped from speed (0-100 → 0-255 PWM)
• Pin 13 used for motor control (4th digit not connected)
• Display uses SevSeg library with common cathode configuration
• Ensure serial port permissions on Linux/Mac (sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER)