Jerboa113 Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 We have been discussing this for a while now on other threads and some of you may already know about the work we're doing here, but I wanted to go ahead and get it out to gauge interest and sort of wet your appetites in anticipation for the last month or 2 we've been working in CAD and on the workbench with a factory nav bezel and a Xenarc 700TSV 7" LCD VGA/video touchscreen monitor. This mockup gives you an idea of what we're dealing with here. At this point nothing is cut into stone besides a few basic requirements: 1. unmodified or almost unmodified factory nav bezel, we will ideally give you the part # and you order it, so what you'd be buying from us would most likley be the bracket, pcb, and hopefully a very good set of directions on how to put it all together. 2. fit a Xenarc 700TS or 700TSV. Other 7" widescreens will most likley fit but it depends on the controller board and how much space you have. If its a widescreen like the TS and TSV you should have no problems, if its not widescreen you will, as it is VERY tight in this space. 3. be a low hassle bolt in solution for carputer and video screen mounting. I'm sorry its not much to show you yet, the PCB and whatnot is going to take a lot of planning and design, but we're still optimistic. Essentially what we're going to do is get one that works to show off and test, then spin off this design with one that we can have manufactured. In the opening down there that the factory buttons went in, there will be a custom PCB that will have 4 usb ports on it. It will act basically as a conduit to carry the 4 usb ports through the PCB so you can plug them in behind the dash into a usb hub that will be powered by the car (not the usb ports!) so the pcb is going to have the usb ports, a 12v to power your screen using factory harness* red LEDs that lightup with the headlights using factory harness* and a 12v to 5v converter to power the usb hub. A plexi lexan or aluminum (dont know yet) bezel will trim out the factory button holes with the USB ports in it to finish things off. For those of you who may not want USB, we have it in the back of our heads to make a blank plate to cover the button holes, or perhaps a "Legacy" print or something, thats all I'm sorry to say low priority as the primary purpose for this is for carputer users (since I am one of them ) input is welcome, interested? lemme know! I wanted a pic of it in use, but it was a quick run out of the shop just long enough to snap a pic before going back to the workbench. We have several designs in CAD for both the bracket and PCB and we're trying to finalize them with a mockup before spending the big investment of having one made and it maybe not fitting. the *s above represenbt things that are likley, but I'm not suyre if they'll get integrated into the final product. Also, for those of you who are interested in conducting a carputer project, please check out this thread: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17966 its huge I know, but it has lots of good info in it IMO, including info you will need to relocate your information center in the cubby to do this screen mod. but if you want a shortcut to that you can go to my website http://www.darkfox1.com and it has an explanation there on the info center relocation stuff. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamajack Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Looks good. Will you be selling the modified bezel too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Very nice. i like the idea of the legacy plate covering the buttons more than usb ports so i dont have wires hanging there. another good idea would be to have a set of user pprogramable buttons that would plug in to a usb interface on the carputer so we could assign what they would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBaru Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 More than interested! I would also hope to use the space below the screen for other purposes, too - maybe a secondary power switch for the restarting the carputer? Also, that spot in the dead center there could be a great location for an aux volume control for those with the CleanSweep... Im gonna watch this one closely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 great ideas all, I had thought about the power switch and aux in myself. The problem is tho in order to do those things because of how tight it is in that area, it has to be on the PCB since we'll be using it for the power supply for the screen itself. that would mean we would have to make a PCB for each application, and so far the pricing hasn't been very cheap at all for those, infact the PCB will be the most expensive part of the project. Now it may be possible if theres enough market to sell the bracket without the PCB and a blank cover plate so that people can drill their own holes and modify it how they wish, but its going to be very tight in that space. Its kinda funny really, when you take the cubby out you think "wow theres all kinds of space in here" but when you start trying to put something in that space, everything seems to get in the way heh I know for me personally, having USB ports up front is invaluable, I am so very tired already of having to go back to the carputer to plug in a memory key, or a removable HD or cdrom. For permanent mounted things I think its best to keep the wires out of the way, but quick and temporary items, easy access is imperative. Infact for a while I was running a 10' X-cable up to the front so I could easily add components to the system but... I had to use it on something else "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 Also, for those who are interested in having a clean look, or space for a USB port or cleansweep knob, you can skip the button daughter board all-together and use the IR sensor and remote that came with the screen. That's what I did on mine and I like the clean look. kinda answered it for me right there hehe, since I've installed mine I haven't worried about the buttons on the screen at all. The screen I'm building mine for is a Xenarc 700TSV, but it will work for the TS as well and probablly any other Xenarc 700 series screen, so long as its not the more squareish one, it has to be the widescreen format to clear the button area from the factory nav. we have been focusing on just backing the controller board away from the face of the screen, since lining them up would be for the most part impractical and would require modication of the screen controller board itself, which would narrow the market and the types and # of screens that would fit in the kit. As such it is my recommendation to do as you said, use the remote and mount the IR receiver just somewhear near the front so that the remote can see it. The Xenarc units are very self succifient however, they power on and off on their own, they auto detect signals, I haven't made a single adjustment to my current screen since I intsalled it. If you cannot find a place to mount the IR receiver in the dash kit (we'll have to look at that when we get alittle bit further along here) I would suggest the small air vent on the driver side next to the radio, thtas where I plan to mount mine next time I have the radio out. I guess I also need to clarify.. the Xenarc 700TSV comes with a remote, this much I know cos thats what I hve, however the 700TS may not. As such if you do not have a remote it would be a good idea to buy it as an accessory. you may be able to purchse it from http://www.mp3car.com or directly from xenarc. I'm not exactly sure. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhecubus42 Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Looks good. Will you be selling the modified bezel too? Actually, what we are going for is basically "bolt-on." So, ultimately, our hope is that there will be no modified bezel. We plan to give you the option of buying the bezel from your favorite OEM parts supplier and the rest will install without drilling, silicone, fiberglass, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 More than interested! I would also hope to use the space below the screen for other purposes, too - maybe a secondary power switch for the restarting the carputer? Also, that spot in the dead center there could be a great location for an aux volume control for those with the CleanSweep... Im gonna watch this one closely... exactly! that is what i've done on mine right now, but it looks like crap (the bezel). i've torn it up so much, not sure if it can be saved at this point! i have the 700TR which has a separate board for the buttons. on the bottom of my xenarc bezel, i have the IR receiver and the rest of the openings closed. then i have 2 LED lights and the power button for the PC. no volume, mode change functions or anything on the screen itself, but all controlled through the remote. Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzymt Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Sweetness. i look forward to your guys' progress. Any thought on decoding the info center data line and displaying that info on the carputer screen instead of having to relocate it? That'd be sweet. [CENTER][URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18504"]Subaru Plug & Play Aux-in Mod[/URL][/CENTER] [CENTER][URL="http://www.jazzyengineering.com"]www.jazzyengineering.com[/URL][/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limeade Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I would buy it, I had a carputer in my last car, except I had a lilliput which sucks. The Xenark is a much better screen. Also I already have the bezel so I would def. get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhecubus42 Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Sweetness. i look forward to your guys' progress. Any thought on decoding the info center data line and displaying that info on the carputer screen instead of having to relocate it? That'd be sweet. Jazzy, that's...a really good idea. Not an easy one, though. I guess you just need an oscilloscope, somebody who knows anything about the RoadRunner API, AND MAD SKILLZ.... And after all of that, we would still need to figure out how to reproduce the functionality of the airbag indicators.... Its something we should look into, definately for people who would rather not shell out $200+ or whatever for the relocation kit. Maybe that will be something for Phase 3 or this project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 jazzy that is a good idea, I agree, that also helps sort of backwards compatible the system, but you know as a seller of the wire harness fix... lol just kidding, I guess for smokers that ashtray delete is just not an option. 2 ways I can think of doing it, although I'm not really techhnical at a system board level.. serial port pins, or a usb port with a PCB with the factory harness on it, the PCB would have to translate the data into something the computer could read and the output the data through flags on the RR system. since road runner is open source, thats probally easier than it sounds, alhthough I know about as much about software writing as I do about skydiving out of a car. I just today got mapppoint 2004, I know 06 is coming out soon but its gonna be pricey. mappoint offers better integration into Roadrunner and I'm very much looking forward to it. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersoncollectibles Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Subscribe Children's and Family Photographer http://www.AForgetMeNotMoment.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limeade Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 update? I'm all over this, I would love to by the needed bracket because I already have the beazel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 subscribe, count me in on something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I've been contemplating a pc-based Mac Mini in the glovebox with just such a screen in the cubby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 11, 2006 Author Share Posted April 11, 2006 Sorry guys, whish I had more pics to show you for the update, but most of the work recently has been done on the PCB in CAD, so theres no real pictures of any products to show. Everything is lining up however. The mockup is coming together a bit better... I'm still planning to have an alpha/beta whatever you wanna call it heh in dash in my car in late may. We are going to a meet up in North Carolina at "The Dragons Tail" apparently. I'm still trying to get addresses and all for this as they seem to be meeting the saturday may 27th at a restaurant up there, but I do not know the address yet, I'll definatley fill you in on that one, and either way I'll take pics of the working model as soon as I can. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 yes, i'm waiting to see what you guys come up with. can't see my screen as is... the light just makes it almost impossible! Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 so, the screen you are talking about is the factory nav screen for the 06 yes? if so, then i may go ahead and order the part since hubby can get it for cost. now, why is the part (similar) on AVO's site $260?? i'm assuming that one isn't the same part, correct? Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 no...that's a JDM part. Part of the cost is getting it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleggo Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 subscribe me too me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 14, 2006 Author Share Posted April 14, 2006 so, the screen you are talking about is the factory nav screen for the 06 yes? if so, then i may go ahead and order the part since hubby can get it for cost. now, why is the part (similar) on AVO's site $260?? i'm assuming that one isn't the same part, correct? no, this setup will use the factory screen BEZEL with an aftermarket screen. Xenarc 700TSV is what its going to be tested on, but it should fit any xenarc 7" widescreen. I dont have an exact date for a production model yet but if you are interested the part # for the factory nav. bezel is 66060AG07A we will include this information in the instructions so long as we dont have the modify that. What I'm hoping is all we sell are parts we have to modify, the rest we can give you links and addresses to buy on your own so theres no overhead from us. the part on AVO is for RHD cars, so it wont fit, this bezel is totally asymmetrical "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 no, I meant the real thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 new macs that run on intel chipsets can run windows XP. Themac mini is a one stop low power solution. The down sides of a mac mini are heat and you realyl cant work on them if they break. very very small... I dont know that the system is shock mounted internally, but external shock mounting would probablly be sufficient. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 so far, a lot of people have been successful with the mac mini car pc install. from what i understand, there are plenty of mounts and accessories for doing such. i think i'll still upgrade eventually to a better PC system for the car. just not sure what and how much i want to spend on this damn thing! Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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