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f1anatic

Car PC Survey  

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  1. 1. Car PC Survey

    • I have a Car PC and I love it
    • I want a Car PC but I lack the know-how or the money for it
    • I gave up on Car PC: too much time/money/effort
    • Interesting concept but I chose a brand name aftermarket infotainment unit
    • A windshield mount GPS navi and an I-POd will serve me just as fine
    • FTMW: This thread delivers !


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Great thread!

I have purchased the DSATX DC-DC power supply and upgrade my sound card from an old PCI Sound Blaster Live! to SB X-Fi XtremeMusic.

I am extremely happy with these two upgrades, a nice and juicy power supply with shut down controller gives you the worry free car pc experience that requires no extra switch to worry about, just use your ignition and your car pc “embedded” into your dash became one of OEM equipments. (not really, but people don't know your car may think so!)

The sound card upgrade gives more details to the music, sounds much better!

I will try to post some recent works on my carpc and post some pictures.

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Nice work.

 

I added a CarPC to my Legacy within about of month of purchase last spring. It's my second time installing a car PC. It came out pretty good, but it's overkill for what I need. I took it out and now just use my ipod with a drive-n-play and the gps on my WM5 phone. I'll probably throw it all back in once the weather warms up, it's fun to play with.

 

Here are some picts from my screen install using the same xenarc.

 

[ame]http://www.flickr.com/photos/vwremglx/sets/72057594081021697/[/ame]

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Wow the thread is picking up pace.

 

I will make a call again for all of you that have made OBD-2 work with a CarPC to share their knowledge.

 

(Thank you Legacy05GT; let me know how it goes as that is the ONLY thing I still have issues with)

 

With regards to the paint, as of yet I am undecided if I want to paint just the inside of the bezel flat black or try to match the color. Otherwise, I have since added Bondo in a a few key places and have drilled a few more holes in the back of the Xenarc housing (for cooling purposes). I wanted to put a mini-fan there but it is probably overkill. I probably increased the open/cooling surface area by 300% at least - should be enough.

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Just wanted to add in some comments from my install...

 

Mounting the computer...

 

My method was to remove my backseat and attach some plywood to the frame sandwiched between the backseat (which is just foam) and the fabric you see in the trunk. This allowed me to attach the computer to something solid but still keep it vertical and out of the way.

 

Running power...

 

I was lazy and didn't pull power directly from the battery. I just piggybacked on some existing circuits. Just make sure you choose a good one (I chose the radio as it had a large circuit and not much draw on it). I haven't had a problem yet in ~ a year of use.

 

I have a master on/off switch mounted in my center console (next to the 12V power port) which cuts the always-on power feed from the computer. I use the M1ATX for my power controller.

 

For powering the screen, I pull a power feed from the computer back up to the front of the car. This ensures I'm getting a conditioned power stream into the display. I've had it both ways and it does make a difference.

 

Keyboard...

 

I bought an expensive keyboard/mouse combo that can fit in the glove compartment for those times I need to actually use a keyboard. I have a spare USB plug sitting inside the shifter trim. In my old car I actually did a flush mount USB port, but I haven't had the energy to do it yet.

 

Software...

 

I'm using the beta version of Centrafuse and iGuidance for my navigation. I'm very happy with the combination.

 

I can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned...

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For those of us using Centrafuse front end software:

 

f1anatic -

 

I looked into the Accessport devices, and while they do support the OBD-II, I can't find anything that says they use the ELM chip to do it. If this is the case, then no, we do not yet support that device. It's a similar device to the VAG-COM I believe, which has OBD-II but is implemented using a different processor. We currently only support the ELM chipsets. A good device we can recommend is the ElmScan 327, which supports all versions of OBD-II plus the new CANBUS protocol. It can be found here: www.scantool.net

 

hth

reagan

__________________

Flux Media

www.centrafuse.com

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So I believe that Accessport cable may NOT be used as an OBD-2 reader device for a Car PC, probably irrespective of the front end.

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So I believe that Accessport cable may NOT be used as an OBD-2 reader device for a Car PC, probably irrespective of the front end.
No... The fact that centrafuse only supports the ELM chipset doesn't mean others don't support other chipsets.
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Someone has reported success with using the AP cable to do logging with Enginuity (just not flashing), so built-in support for the display/logging via the AP cable is technically do-able. If you run Enginuity on your car PC, you're set; otherwise it's a question of whether or not your front-end vendor chooses to support the AP.
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Some more progress. I just need to find a good color and something to make texture. This is what it looks like primed anyway.

 

Bezel Primed

BezelPimedDone.thumb.jpg.5425295a78207d28068bcb76a7bd41b4.jpg

 

Mounted LCD

LCDMounted.thumb.jpg.f1bdd335f3c7edf90c202aa20f64fde7.jpg

 

All put together (The flash blows..)

PrimedMockUp.thumb.jpg.b128bb524abac2466537a2d64d55d991.jpg

 

RoadRunner (Again the flash blows..)

RR.thumb.jpg.852df0e74039dae6efcc57c6ddd58825.jpg

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Fabulous work bmc

I got a little more work left to do since I figured the way I attached the monitor to the bezel made the antire assembly WAY TOO RIGID and if I ever need to work there again; I will have a world of trouble. I am surprised none of you gave it any thought - how easy will it be to extract the entire assembly once you have it in place ? It is not easy to remove the OEM one to start with; now with less flexing - I bet it will be a struggle.

 

Otherwise - fab work. Groovy results BUT something about that Red Road Runner skin is wrong. Maybe your car is red but to me it looks wrong. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so do not worry about my last statement.

 

Sebb - not that much space. Apparently Weasel fit a box under that seat but I know my laptop will not fit.

 

Anyone found any skinny VGA cables somewhere ? I ordered one on Newegg and I got one back that I could easily pull a car out of a ditch with it: thick like my finger. I am at my wiring stage and I am pretty concerned with how I am going to hide everything arfound the car. Any advice ? I am so not pulling out the carpetting to hide underneath.

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I was trying desperatley not to post at work, but.. I failed :( thats awesome work! I agree, painting it however is going to be hard.

 

I tell you something I thought of tho a while back..

 

I had this idea when I started my carputer project that I'd make the bezel out of fiberglass.. then go to a screen printing place (iirc.. www.exoticwooddash.com) dont shoot me if thats spam or a wrong url or whatevefr cos I didn't verify it at all and is totally from memory.

 

anyway.. what I was gonna do was take the trim off my shifter, the 2 sides of the radio/ac, the fiberglass'd bezel, the 2 side a/c vents, and the 4 small woodgrain/silver peices on the doors, and have them all screen printed in a matching woodgrain/marble/carbon fiber/aluminum look finish. This would GUARANTEE that it matches everything else in your car.. because you re-did everything else in the car. The problem I ran into was cost, this was going to run close to $500 iirc, more for me cos I was buying replacement parts for trim instead of using my stockers. the biggest problem however was the fact that you cannot buy just tghe small trim peices on the doors.. butthe whole door panel itself.

 

Take that for what you will, but its an idea of mine that i'd like to share incase anyone feels compelled.

 

Another thing would be to buy a stick on wood dash kit for the stock cubby that trims the outside of it.. and paint the insdie a flat black.

 

sorry.. wrong link

 

try these guys it says "custom dipping"

 

http://www.bitrim.com/euroleft.htm

 

its not the one I had talked to.. but theres lots of palces that do it, just dig around on google for a while with "custom wood dash" or "wood dash dipping" or something and you should be able to find a couple.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato
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^^^not post at work, how else are u gonna get thru the day?

 

by actually doing work, man i gotta try that...my productivity level would skyrocket...

 

and to F1, nice work as always, i am impressed by your ingenuity......

 

+ 3. Thank you Sir. Certainly you are quite right with regards to the first 2 counts.

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Anyone found any skinny VGA cables somewhere ? I ordered one on Newegg and I got one back that I could easily pull a car out of a ditch with it: thick like my finger. I am at my wiring stage and I am pretty concerned with how I am going to hide everything arfound the car. Any advice ? I am so not pulling out the carpetting to hide underneath.

 

We need an electrical engineer here. Does anyone know what is the minimum gauge wire you need to carry video and audio signals? If you don't need Monster Cables to carry the source, why not get some connectors and wire and make the cables yourself? I was thinking of this myself...

Need a CarPC bezel? PM me!
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Wow, thanks for the compliments everyone.

 

I agree that finding a color will make or break this. I think I've been to every store that sells paint in a can and I haven't found anything that I think will work. There is a website that you can submit a color code to and they will mix the paint. I'll have to find it. Is there a color code for our interior?

 

f1anatic - Agree, still trying to find the right skin. There seems to be only a few decent ones. Found this http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=93192 which has some cool features or maybe this if I can make a subaru logo http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=70502.

 

You also have a good point about removing that thing once it is mounted. The plastic epoxy has a lot of flex but the bondo doesn't.

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I made a subaru logo based skin based on the one you have in the pic a while back.. I might still have it if you're interested.. I also have my current skin which needs some minor work but imo, makes a nice presentation if you could see it for the sunlight.. heh

 

it'd take me some time to dig them out, but if you're interested I'd be happy to share.

 

oh yea, and on the issue of cabling.. in a sedan, its no problem, pull the rear seat out, pull your console out.. the max under carpet pull is about 8".. its very easy to do, we used a stiff copper wire like you get for house wirting and taped the wires to the end for the short pull, you can't feel or see them under the carpet. for a wagon.. well my best guess would be the holes in the carpet around where the seat mounts or cutting a small hole under the seat? never looked in a wagon actually so I can't say.

 

man all this talk about this stuff makes me wanna get mine working.. but its just a money pit! I cant be dragged back into this project! lol

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato
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bmc, great idea w/ the bezel! i have mine done for now. it'll be a project i'll return to at a much later time i'm afraid. i actually busted it out on sat when i was doing the sti swap... needed the serial port for the AP.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!!
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At home I am bringing video signal to my PC via a CAT-5 network cable. Soldering the RCA (white, red, yellow) to the CAT-5 tiny wires is challenging to say the least...but once I did it, it was easy to just extend it using a network cable connector. But the VGA cable has so many pins...I am not sure...

 

I do not mind sharing my Subaru logs - they are not mine - but I painfully collected them thruout the years - and some of them can be used in Centrafuse as well. Just let me know if you want them - PM me your e-mail address in that case.

 

One the issue of attachment of the monitor inside the bezel and subsequently removing the bezel if say a cable is loose ? I engineered some little metal bracket which I can grab onto with a stiff metal wire and pull towards me. I would insert the wire thru the holes in the vents - perhaps a picture will explain it better. Also notice the extra cooling vents.

 

Obviously I am a little slow since I am spending so much time with the fabrication - but I am trying to make a complete job; making life easier for later.

1065208029_DSCF3508(Small).JPG.98fb5cadf73a992b53e0f2a8df9bbc47.JPG

1354517054_DSCF3509(Small).JPG.90efa9f1c0f490cc48c43247891361fc.JPG

956522010_DSCF3512(Small).JPG.8b3bb5b75dae7ede8e0c69e6143ae1f2.JPG

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One the issue of attachment of the monitor inside the bezel and subsequently removing the bezel if say a cable is loose ? I engineered some little metal bracket which I can grab onto with a stiff metal wire and pull towards me. I would insert the wire thru the holes in the vents - perhaps a picture will explain it better. Also notice the extra cooling vents.

 

 

that is a fantastic idea. You really dont want to have to pull this out any other way.. you could risk damaging it or your dash or both. When I dove into mine people said "it just pops out" I didn't beleive them at first.. then I broke my original cubby getting it out.. (the little ears that hold it on the top) , what you're doing sounds almost exactly like how ford holds their radios in... only.. different, just make sure you have a STRONG wire to hold onto, you dont want it bending.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato
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I know a thing or two about Ford Taurus radios...

 

I am also "shaving" off 1mm of the 2.5-3mm off those little "ears". The way you pull it out in the OEM form assumes you can stick your hand inside the cubby and flex the bezel around a little. Now...it is both stiff and have no way of grabbing it - hence I had to find a solution to a certain future problem.

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