Garage Tinkering has transformed the Nissan 350Z car menu into something a lot more thrilling than your typical monotonous OEM interface. You know, those typical infotainment screens that always show the same old maps, radio stations, and climate controls? It’s like driving through Groundhog Day. This build flips the script on its head, putting a Need for Speed menu right in the driver’s seat, or rather, in a hidden location that only the most dedicated fans would be aware of.
He spent years customizing the 350Z with electrical delights such as color-changing accent lighting and unique digital gauges that appear like they came straight from a vintage racing arcade game. Many of these updates are already based on ESP32 microcontroller boards, which are small but powerful chips that perform specific jobs such as controlling lights or reading sensors. The boards communicate with one another via a secure internal network; there is no untidy wiring in sight.
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The Need for Speed menu has been squeezed onto its own independent display panel, which is concealed within the sunglasses holder in the roof. When you pop the holder up, the screen comes to life and is ready for you to interact with. This screen is driven directly by an ESP32 board, which handles the graphics and logic to make the interface feel true to the game series, including sharp fonts, bold menu selections, and everything else that makes you feel like you’re in the game.
The input comes from a PlayStation controller, which simply connects over Bluetooth, eliminating the need for cords. Press the buttons, move the joysticks, and your commands will be sent to the controlling ESP32 in no time. It’s then only a matter of sending these commands to the other ESP32 boards in the automobile, which are responsible for all of the alterations. Do you want to modify the colour of the interior LEDs? No issue; simply select an option from the menu, adjust it with the controller, and the lights will change straight away. The same is true for experimenting with gauge layouts or altering any bespoke features that have already been integrated into the device.
Prior to the addition of this menu, the majority of the electronic side was already in place. The guy who made it had to program the firmware to get the screen’s ESP32 to work properly, so it could draw the interface and process all of the inputs; he built on top of the existing network of boards, so no major rewiring was required. The adjustments all communicated with one another effortlessly. The mechanical side is still being worked on, largely just changing things like the screen’s mounting angle or position, as some recommendations include moving it to the central console for easier access, but in the meantime, the fundamental functionality looks to be working properly.
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