Comma AI self driver assistant

[randomstriker]

The steering wheel/brake/accel/regen indicator I’d imagine along with the radar for the speed of the car in front of you etc.

These were cute the first time I learned about them. But honestly 99% of the time, I am not looking at my Comma 4 (especially because the screen is now so small compared to the 3/3X). It's a different philosophy but functioning as the designers intended ... i.e. a mature appliance that disappears into the background and just works.

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[HornetRaider]

I will greatly miss the radar.

Likewise. I love that feature.

 

[Ted23Lightning]

My Comma 4 is ordered & on the way

 

[ugold]

Pretty cool stats that came out today

 

[fhteagle]

Apologies if this has been answered previously, but forum search turned up bupkes and 120 pages is a lot to read to find an answer manually...

When you have a comma device and bluepilot (or similar), does that allow you to block the OEM BlueCruise driver monitoring camera (the one that is just the left of the big touchscreen) ?

I ask because that is the spot where I had in my previous vehicle (and would prefer to have again) my phone mounted. But if I have my phone as high up as I want, BC / CoPilot gets pissy with "watch the road" DIC messages, because that camera is blocked. Or does the comma system also use / need the BC camera working and not blocked?

 

[B177y]

When you have a comma device and bluepilot (or similar), does that allow you to block the OEM BlueCruise driver monitoring camera (the one that is just the left of the big touchscreen) ?

It doesn't "block" the OEM Bluecruise monitor necessarily....

The Comma doesn't use the OEM monitor, but the Comma has it's own monitoring camera to make sure you are looking forward and paying attention.

My experience is that the Comma doesn't nag nearly as much as BC did, but I am using Bluepilot 5 and a Comma 3x. There are reports that newer versions of Bluepilot 6 on the Comma 4 are more sensitive as far as the monitoring due to the base OpenPilot re-write and safety requirements, so YMMV.

My experience with BC was also on my previous Mach-e, not on a Lightning. My Lightning Pro doesn't have the OEM equipment for BC, but I added the radar to enable lane centering and adaptive cruise, and that allows me to use a Comma and Bluepilot.

For the Comma 3x and 4, there are also reports of the Comma nagging being very sensitive from phone mounts being in the monitor camera's viewing area. I don't mount my phone up high, so I have no personal experience with it.

 

[NeighborGeek]

My Comma 4 will be here today. I have the USB dongle, I ordered that probably a year ago, and just finally got around to ordering the comma.
I think in my wife's bolt the comma is basically dead center of the windshield both top to bottom and left to right. I remember reading at one point there was discussion of whether it is better to mount low on the windshield because the truck sits so high. Is that true, or did it turn out best to mount it high?
I know a lot has been covered in this thread, but it's something of a monster now and I am not going to go through all 120 pages to find relevant info. Anything important I need to know before installing?

 

[B177y]

My Comma 4 will be here today. I have the USB dongle, I ordered that probably a year ago, and just finally got around to ordering the comma.
I think in my wife's bolt the comma is basically dead center of the windshield both top to bottom and left to right. I remember reading at one point there was discussion of whether it is better to mount low on the windshield because the truck sits so high. Is that true, or did it turn out best to mount it high?
I know a lot has been covered in this thread, but it's something of a monster now and I am not going to go through all 120 pages to find relevant info. Anything important I need to know before installing?

High and centered is best on the lightning as well.

I also have a 2020 Bolt, no Comma yet, but I have looked around to figure out the mount eventually. Due to the OEM camera being in the way and mirror mount on the Bolt, the Comma mount is still as high and centered as possible, but that puts it much more lower than you can mount the Comma in the F150/Lightning/Mach-e. The Bolt IPMA is up in the camera housing on the windshield in the Bolt which takes up lots of room, but it is moved down behind the dash in the Fords.

 

[fhteagle]

It doesn't "block" the OEM Bluecruise monitor necessarily....

My question was about physically obstructing the OEM BC camera. Does the *pilot software care if the OEM BC camera is covered?

 

[B177y]

My question was about physically obstructing the OEM BC camera. Does the *pilot software care if the OEM BC camera is covered?

Not a bit. If the Comma is active, you're not using Bluecruise.

I am going to change my answer to "can not confirm" because I don't have the OEM BC hardware in my Lightning. However, there are no reports of the issues with the OEM BC camera that I have seen.

 

[NeighborGeek]

And on that note, since the 120 pages can be pretty intimidating for anyone just buying a comma, maybe we could start a separate thread just for tips and tricks installing & using it, or get the first post in this thread edited to include the basic info that everyone should know before buying/installing a comma?

Even basics like:
The ICE F-150 has an encrypted CAN bus beginning the 2024 model year which prevents the comma from being used in those vehicles, but this does NOT apply to the Lightning. The comma is fully compatible*(see next point) with the 2024-25 F-150 lightning.
An additional USB adapter is required to use the Comma with an F-150 lightning, and it can be ordered at https:// . . .
When ordering the Comma 4, select 'Ford F-150 2021-23' as your vehicle to get the 'Ford Q4' harness which works with the lightning.
The recommended Openpilot fork for use in the Lightning is Bluepilot. More info about bluepilot is available at https:// . . .
Once bluepilot is intalled, here is a page with the most commonly recommended settings to configure for using bluepilot in a lightning - https:// . . .
Here is a page/post/video with good instructions for how to install the comma in an F-150/lightning - https:// . . .

(I don't have the URLs for those, I can dig through the thread to find some of them, but was writing this just as an example, not the actual text that should be posted.)

 

[NeighborGeek]

The Bolt IPMA is up in the camera housing on the windshield in the Bolt which takes up lots of room, but it is moved down behind the dash in the Fords.

Good to know. It was very convenient to have the comma just plug in behind the mirror in the Bolt. I'll have to look up installation info for the lightning. I assume the wiring routes under the headliner and down an A pillar to get where it needs to go?

I have a BT OBD reader connected currently. I remember reading that in the lightning, unlike the bolt, the comma does require the OBD connection. Will I need an OBD splitter to use both?

 

[EVO]

My Comma 4 will be here today. I have the USB dongle, I ordered that probably a year ago, and just finally got around to ordering the comma.
I think in my wife's bolt the comma is basically dead center of the windshield both top to bottom and left to right. I remember reading at one point there was discussion of whether it is better to mount low on the windshield because the truck sits so high. Is that true, or did it turn out best to mount it high?
I know a lot has been covered in this thread, but it's something of a monster now and I am not going to go through all 120 pages to find relevant info. Anything important I need to know before installing?

Should be centered directly under rearview mirror. https://share.google/Q1St7M3dEUEMc4Gis

 

[B177y]

I remember reading that in the lightning, unlike the bolt, the comma does require the OBD connection. Will I need an OBD splitter to use both?

False. No need for the OBD in Fords unless you want it to stay powered when the ignition is off.

The ICE F-150 has an encrypted CAN bus beginning the 2024 model year which prevents the comma from being used in those vehicles, but this does NOT apply to the Lightning.

This is well covered in the ICE and Lightning Comma threads, and on https://bluepilot.dev/

And on that note, since the 120 pages can be pretty intimidating for anyone just buying a comma, maybe we could start a separate thread just for tips and tricks installing & using it, or get the first post in this thread edited to include the basic info that everyone should know before buying/installing a comma?

Separate threads may not be answered by community members that are familiar with the Comma because they have alerts set for this thread. Just like having 100 different threads about cold weather range, diluting the Comma thread into multiple places makes it even more of a mess.

The best strategy is to use the forum search for specific questions, they are probably answered in the 120 (and counting) pages.

Documentation is the bane of Open Source projects. Feel free to take on that project if you have time and skills.

Also check out https://bluepilot.dev/ for up to date info, a new user guide, and answers to lots of your questions.

 

[NeighborGeek]

Also check out https://bluepilot.dev/ for up to date info, a new user guide, and answers to lots of your questions.

See, there's a perfect example. I was looking for the website, but for some reason my web search for bluepilot was only turning up the github and various posts on different forums and reddit. Thanks for sharing it.

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