Depending on your firmware, a lot of DashComputer settings are configurable, including km/miles, Fahrenheit/Celsius, etc. The whole set of user selectable settings is called a "configuration". The default configuration contains settings which are suitable for the majority of users. Using the configuration tool you can create a configuration file to download. This configuration can be programmed into DashComputer using the SetOdometer tool, and like the odometer the configuration settings are retained even if you flash a new firmware. The configuration tool doesn't allow selection of out-of-range values.
Here are some of the things the configuration tool lets you configure. In the top left corner the config tool displays the config file format version. Currently this is 1.0, in the future there may be other versions which may or may not be compatible with previous versions.
General options
The VIN field lets you store some relevant information of the vehicle the unit is installed in. Each of the data fields is a single digit. VIN digit 4 is the platform of the car (e.g. "F" for F-body, "P" for Fieros, etc.). VIN digit 8 is the engine code (e.g. "9" for a V6 Fiero 2.8 engine), and VIN digit 10 is the build year of the vehicle.
The next area lets you select the general area the vehicle is in, either North America or Europe/Middle East/Asia.
The flags area lets you select different display options, e.g. if the first mark is checked, temperature is displayed in Fahrenheit. If it is not checked, it is displayed in Celsius. Similarly, distances can be displayed in miles or km, a 12 or 24 hour clock, or 2000 or 4000 pulse per mile VSS input.
Display options
The next section sets different display options. The maximum brightness can be set for day and night mode (the latter requires the IP illumination input to be connected). The brighter the display is set, the lower the lifetime and the higher the potential burn in. A lower contrast setting can extend the lifetime of the OLED considerably.
The splash duration is the number of seconds the splash screen is shown after power up. The screen update determines, how often the speed display is updated. Shorter times make the display more responsive but also more nervous. Similarly the compass updates determines how often the compass input is read and updated.
The speed filter threshold is the speed (either in km/h or mph depending on your preferences) under which the speed display is displayed directly and not averaged. Averaged speed makes for a smooth reading while unaveraged speed is more responsive.
The font color is the color of all characters drawn on the display. Usually this is white. Finally, if the display ages and the display no longer seems to display white as white, you can twist the color offsets of the red, green and blue components slightly using these values.
GPS options
The GPS options allow adaptation of the unit to different GPS receivers with an RS232 output. The baudrate can be set, as well as the timezone offset to GMT. The polarity of the RS232 input can be inverted, e.g. if the receiver used has an inverted TTL output. Currently the unit only processes NMEA GGA and RMC messages, but in the future more messages may be supported. Finally, the number of satellites received and sat lock (icon color red/green) are only displayed for a configurable number of seconds after lock acquisition.
Misc options
This section contains various unrelated settings. The unit sounds an audible beep if outside temperature falls below the "Ice warning" temperature. The short key time is the amount of time required before a short keypress is detected as such. Similarly the long key time is the amount of time for a long keypress. The CAN baudrate can be set as required by the vehicle's CAN bus. And finally the day/night threshold can be set for the illumination input.
Fuel settings
The fuel settings section is specific to the Pontiac Fiero with engine code 9 and 1227170 ECM, for all others this section is "don't care". The "low fuel" setting determines after how many liters of fuel (in 0.1 increments) a low fuel warning should be shown and a warning beep issued. The pulses per 0.05 liter can be adjusted to calibrate the unit to a specific vehicle more more accurate readings. The best possible accuracy is within +/- 1 liter though, which is about 3%. The remaining two values are only displayed for information and not user adjustable at this time.
Window positions
The final section contains the coordinates of various user interface elements. Each consists of a coordinate of the top left corner and the alignment of the text inside the window. Playing with these too much can really mess up the screen, so these values should only be changed with caution.