This is the one we have been building toward since the very first module. Godwit is a head unit for the dash: maps that work with no signal and talk you through every turn, calls and texts without picking up your phone, your music, and two knobs you can use without looking. It is the first piece of TrailCurrent that sits up front.
We started in the back on purpose
A travel trailer was the simplest place to begin. Lights, tanks, batteries, a fridge, and no engine to worry about. Every module since has been a step toward the harder problem: the vehicle itself.
Godwit is the first step into the cab. In a camper van, a Class C or a Class A, the thing you drive and the place you live are the same machine, and they deserve one screen. The same goes for any vehicle that has been converted for camping. That is the idea we have wanted to chase since day one, and this is where it starts.
No account, no sign-up
Search for a campground with no bars on your phone and it still finds it, then guides you there turn by turn. Miss a turn and it plans a new route on its own. A text comes in, Godwit reads it out loud, and you answer with your voice. None of it goes to a server somewhere that knows where you are. Your vehicle, your data.
What the video gets into
This is episode one of a build series, and it starts with the dead ends so you do not have to repeat them. The first board we tried could not keep up with a moving map. The video shows what we landed on instead, the software some of the biggest car makers build on, how long it takes to wake up, and the full parts list with the price. That last number is worth sticking around for.
Drive it yourself
The new Godwit page has the head unit running right in your browser. Turn the knobs, answer a call, or tap Where to?, type Smith Rock, and let it guide you out of Bend, Oregon. Same screens, same knobs, nothing to install.
Godwit is demonstration and test software. It runs on the bench and is still under development. Do not install it in a vehicle you drive.
Follow along
The Godwit source is free and MIT licensed, like the rest of TrailCurrent. The knobs are Elecrow 1.28 inch rotary displays. That link carries our affiliate tag. It costs you nothing extra and sends a small cut back to the project.
Next up is connecting Godwit to the vehicle and to the rest of TrailCurrent behind it. Episode two goes up on the open source channel. What would you want on the dash of your rig? Tell us in the video comments.