GPS Navigator for MSX: Possible?

Paragon (1884)

01-10-2008, 11:06

What's the use? You can't fit an entire MSX in a car!

You guys have small cars My MSX fits easily to my car! but seriously, I won´t fit my MSXs to my car´s dashboard! But if you can keep big cd players, speakers etc in a trunk, maybe you can keep MSX in a trunk too, I guess most cars have enough trunk space for MSX? Just use long wires... But I guess cold and wet climate can damage your MSX, if you bolt your msx to your car´s trunk permanently....

Van Prodatron

Paragon (1839)

01-10-2008, 18:34

Well, for me the question wouldn't be, how this fits in my car and what display and input device I should connect, but, as Mohai already said, if this would be possible.

But yes, at least a route planer has already be done on a Z80 system, using the A* best-first algorithm:
http://www.cpcwiki.com/index.php/RoutePlanner

The step to a navigation system shouldn't be too big.
Regarding the display: Don't forget, that old navigation systems didn't display the map at all, but simple arrows, which were showing you the direction you have to drive.

Van AuroraMSX

Paragon (1902)

01-10-2008, 20:24

Regarding the display: Don't forget, that old navigation systems didn't display the map at all, but simple arrows, which were showing you the direction you have to drive.Low end built in car navigation systems still do. High end systems have both the map on a big color LCD and the arrow indication in the instrument cluster (or, for really high end, projected on the wind screen)

Van Pat

Expert (71)

02-10-2008, 23:19

A colleague recently cross-compiled fmsx for a rear seat entertainment device. Quite funny to play Aleste with a wimote.

Van Selious_new

Supporter (10)

08-10-2008, 23:31

GPS receiveres are availlable for serial UART ports and shoot be able to be used with MSX serial interface. I programmed it on HP jornada windows CE2 back in 1999 or something in C, the GPS I used needed serial port on 9600 bps. Ofcourse u can use a cd-rom drive with map data.

I think reading out the GPS part is easy, showing your position on a map will also be easy (vector based map data). Calculating route algoritm could be ported from C but even though pc/linux nerds say C compiles to code as fast as assembly, we MSX hardcore assembler programmers know thats BS

Van mohai

Paladin (1001)

10-10-2008, 11:24

I think this is the main problem: make the MSX to calculate routes using a HUGE database can be sooooo sloooow, even coding in pure assembly. Maybe compiling a pre-calculated database?

Calculating actual position should be easy. Antenna in the Navigator i actually have can work even at 1200 bps. That should give enough time to MSX to make easy calculations and even refresh the screen at 1/2 times per second.
Actual navigation systems use a lot of tricks to calculate possitions and give a "real time" impression...