Adding a Fancy Center Console Knob to an Old Car

Modern cars are basically just computers on wheels. All of the driver-accessible electronic gadgetry requires an interface more versatile than a few buttons, so automakers integrate some interesting control stuff. Andy from Garage Tinkering particularly likes the rotary knob thingy BMW uses for their iDrive infotainment systems. But he owns a 20-year-old Nissan 350Z, so he had to build his own center console knob.

Andy may have the most highly customized 350Z on the planet — at least electronically. He has done a bunch of different upgrades and modifications, so this isn’t new territory. For this project, he wanted something resembling the BMW iDrive infotainment knob. But because his 350Z lacks an iDrive infotainment system, he had to find another use for the knob. It is a solution in search of a problem, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t cool.

In keeping with the Need for Speed theme of his previous projects, the knob will work with the custom central controller that handles things like LED underglow lighting, interior accent lightning, fiber optic headliner “starlights,” and digital gauge face themes. Of course, the knob’s screen also features a Need for Speed logo.

The central component for this project is Elecrow’s CrowPanel 1.28” rotary display knob. That has a round touchscreen, a spinning outer knob made of nice knurled aluminum, and its own ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Andy paired that with a custom PCB that adds some nearby buttons, so there is extra tactile input.

Andy mounted that on the center console by designing a frame in CAD and 3D-printing that on a Formlabs Form 4L MSLA (masked stereolithography) resin printer. After attaching that to the center console, he covered the entire thing in classy suede for a nice aesthetic.

The final result looks great and shows that old cars can learn new tricks, if you’re a person like Andy who is willing to spend hundreds of hours modifying their car.