The idea for a bike computer came from a desire to have a constant dash cam to record my journey. I do have a GoPro but it’s a first generation without the hotspot ability.
I’ve also been searching for a project to push me through my learning curve with Raspberry Pi’s. This task (the dash cam) seemed like a good project for this learning curve.

The computer is a Raspberry Pi 2 that is enclosed in a 3D printed housing that also holds a 5 inch touchscreen display. I purchased a mini keyboard and track pad that connects through Bluetooth.

I’ve connected a USB GPS to gather location data and store this to later be dropped on top of my Google map.

Also connected to the Pi is a wifi USB to catch the hotspot from my phone.

The actual dash cam is a 5 mega pixel camera with 2 IR night vision sensors. The video will start when the bike cranks up and will record in 15 minute increments so that I can easily dig through the footage at a later time. The video is stored on a 250Gb solid state hard drive and then backed up on to my laptop manually.

The power for the Pi comes from a secondary 12 volt battery that sits in the back box. It is connected to the charging system through a battery isolator. The battery isolator joins the two batteries when they reach 12.9 volts and disconnects the batteries below this point. This keeps the accessories from draining the primary cranking battery and leaving me stranded.

Also in the back box is an Arduino that monitors the temperature and turns on a circulation fan if the temp hits 98 degrees.

Some of this may be overkill but it sure was fun getting all of these parts working together in harmony. I’ll be updating this post and creating future posts that dig deeper into the Pi, Arduino, Isolator and more.