github.com• May 7, 2025• 1 min read
Show HN: DashPack – Turn a car window switch into a family‑friendly soundboardHere is the hacked together *DashPack*, a tiny CAN‑bus interface that listens for the window‑up switch in my 2018 Porsche Macan and plays movie quotes through the car’s AUX input. It gives passengers (especially kids) something fun to do that doesn’t involve touching any “unsafe while driving” controls.---### Why?* The only controls reachable by back‑seat passengers that don’t affect driving are the seat and window switches. * A single, familiar control with two modes: * **Short press** – triggers a *random* clip (e.g. a “pew‑pew” laser sound). * **Auto‑up hold** – triggers a *known* clip (e.g. Spaceballs: “Thank you for pushing the self‑destruct button”). * Adds a bit of shared, in‑car comedy without screens or Bluetooth headaches.---### How it works1. *Hardware* * Raspberry Pi (or any Linux box with `socketcan`) * USB‑to‑CAN adapter (I used an InnoMaker USB2CAN) * 3.5 mm audio out → car’s AUX jack (I used a cheap 2.4 GHz TX/RX pair to hide the Pi in the cargo area) 2. *Wiring (Macan
