Carputer/CarPC Install - My Work in Progress

[Rhoobarb]

Just thought Id post some info on the current thorn in my side. It would be nice to see other peoples installs for this sort of thing.

Probably boring to most, but some may find it interesting. BTW Im no expert, more of an amateur at being an amateur

I am probably wrong about some of this stuff so please keep that in mind.

Background:

I'm fed up with the very limited and tempremental Denison Gateway 300 V2 I currently have. Its very picky, crashes a lot and doesnt make use of the LCD screen or Maxidot in any way (non-CAN version). Being no stranger to cobbling something together and getting it to work, I wanted to get a decent carputer setup going. My previous cars have had versions on the theme, from a screen-less, audio only setup running from a full size PC tower to a dash mounted LCD screen from an in-car DVD player connected to an old laptop. The goal has always been cheap and cheerful, but working.

The whole system had to apply to 3 rules

-OEM look, using the MFD2, so no touchscreen controls.

-Software to accomodate as many of my 'would likes' as possible.

-As Pikey as possible.

Hardware;

As a project base Ive got a semi-old Toshiba Equium laptop (my daughter can break a laptop like no other human alive), Ive taken the DVD drive out and removed the screen to save on power consumption, it was a small fix on the DC power port, so thats done and waiting.

For power I managed to get a car laptop charger very cheap, so out with the ineficient power inverter.

For media storage Ive got a seagate freeagent 500GB 2.5 portable, 2.5's are good because they are powered by the laptop and dont need an extra power source, again saving power sonsumption and cable mess.

Another piece hardware needed is the VW AV2 multimedia adapter that I installed with the Gateway. Ive had to apply a pikey Video In Motion hack to get the MFD2 to display.

The last piece of equipment being a means of control, for this the plan is to get one of these..

Griffin Powermate.

Im trying for a simplistic I-drive style controller, this is really the only one I could find that comes close and is affordable. Still looking for a decent mounting position

Software:

Im thinking of going with a TinyXP install for speed and resource saving. I just do not like Vista or W7.

I tried many frontends, but none allowed me to configure it in a way I liked. So Ive had to program my own. I am no programmer at all, more of a Bodgit, Blagit and Scarpa type thing. Most of the code is snippets borrowed from online sources and cobbled together to give me what I want. Ive had many hurdles to get over but its slowly coming together nicely. Only the main menu and audio playback so far, but video should just be a slight modification of the audio.

The story so far..

Frontend main menu

displaying spinning logo

Audio Player with visual audio levels, cover art, filenames and spinning logo

and again.

It will possibly have more changes before its ready, especially when I get to see it on the smaller screen, but essentially its there.

If anyones interested, Ill post some pics of the final install when its done, hopefully soon. Ive also got lots of ideas to expand this. Wifi, Text to speech and speech recognition. Maybe even bluetooth, GPS/google streetview integration,etc. Lots of choices really.

Has anyone else done anything similar? Would love to see pics. Ive seen a couple of Mk1 Octavia installs, but no Mk2's.

Edited 7 June, 2010 by Rhoobarb

[Rhoobarb]

RobClubley's was one of them

This was another one of them

I just think it would be interesting to see a Mk2.

and thanks, I think Ill need it

Edited 7 June, 2010 by Rhoobarb

[Guest]

I am also planning a carPC in my oct mk2. I have a double din screen that I want to use, but my main issue atm is how i connect the speakers to the PC. I have been told an amp is the best way of doing this but I don't know how i would go about wiring the amp to the speakers in terms of disconnecting the wires from behind the original headunit.

How are you handling the wiring of the speakers?

[Rhoobarb]

On mine its all handled by the head unit. I wanted it as OEM as possible both for looks and deterent.

You would have to run the speakers through an amp, the PC will (99% likely) be line out only, so only really enough voltage to carry the signal and maybe use for headphones/mini speakers etc, not power speakers.

You would need to go from PC Line-outs -to- Amp Line-ins then from Amp Speaker-Outs -to- Speakers

What equipment are you thinking of using for the full install? Model numbers, etc? There are a lot of configuration possibilities, but it depends on what main components you are using and how brave/far you want to go.

Speaker wiring is fairly straighforward, 4, 6 or 8 speakers usually, 2 wires each, all colour coded, again depends on how far you want to go, chopping up wires or using harnesses and looms in case you want to go back to standard.

Edited 10 June, 2010 by Rhoobarb

[Guest]

I have several old PCs around which i will dismantle for motherboard, RAM, HDD, OS, CPU etc but I will need to purchase a PSU, touch screen, and GPS module.

For now i was considering this PSU (in budget, maximum power output so i dont overload it etc):

http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=10917

This touch screen (a double din touchscreen like below)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Double-DIN-Lilliput-EBY701-NP-C-T-7-Touch-Screen-VGA-/160377857078?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item255743e436

Once i have an idea about how to wire up the speakers im going to start purchasing it all. Im going to take a look behind the OEM stereo & see what the wiring looks like. on a Standard speaker set-up vRS is is 4 speakers & 4 tweeters running to 8 wires behind the stereo? thanks

Edited 11 June, 2010 by Guest

[vRShafz]

iv fitted mine in my vrs a month ago

for those interested in the spec

Intel atom d945gclf2 mini itx mobo

m2-atx

160gb hd

2gb DDR2 Ram

Windows 7 64bit

centrafuse 2 front end

Voom case

Double Din liliput touch screen (bezel need some work doing to it)

gps receiver,camera, wireless etc

oh an I can use 3g net by tethering it of my iPhone

Today i managed to get it all crammed in the case

The case acts like a big heatsink

and a Hovis shot for people

and a Heinz beans one too to show the height of the case

Then i moved on to stripping the Dash down. Nice double Din space

I then modified the Double Din frame to fit inside the space. That was as far i got on that front. i need to do some filling and sanding so i left that for today

i then moved onto giving the PC a Home in the boot. I opted to use the spare wheel well foam as its out of site + the foam will act as a shock absorber

Foam Before

and after some cutting the pc fits in perfectly

i did have to trim some more to accommodate the ports

Since i want to control volume through my standard headunit, i had to relocate it.This will be going into theglove box

After some cuts/bruises/swearing..i managed to get the wiring loom free so its enough to plug into the headunit in the glovebox

This will be securely fastened once i get time to finish it

car as iv left it for today

i love the fact we have more daylight

roll on modding days!

im hoping to have this all in fairly soon!

comments welcome

*update*

done a few more bits and bobs

All in the boot with wiring

and then carpet hides everything

headunit in the glovebox - this is purely for speaker output

and the big switch on was this evening and im pleased to say it went without a hitch

the screen will now be smoothed in so it sits flush with everything else

Only fitted it for now for testing purposes

at night

done

[SNH]

iv fitted mine in my vrs a month ago

for those interested in the spec

Intel atom d945gclf2 mini itx mobo

m2-atx

160gb hd

2gb DDR2 Ram

Windows 7 64bit

centrafuse 2 front end

Voom case

Double Din liliput touch screen (bezel need some work doing to it)

gps receiver,camera, wireless etc

oh an I can use 3g net by tethering it of my iPhone

Today i managed to get it all crammed in the case

The case acts like a big heatsink

and a Hovis shot for people

and a Heinz beans one too to show the height of the case

Then i moved on to stripping the Dash down. Nice double Din space

I then modified the Double Din frame to fit inside the space. That was as far i got on that front. i need to do some filling and sanding so i left that for today

i then moved onto giving the PC a Home in the boot. I opted to use the spare wheel well foam as its out of site + the foam will act as a shock absorber

Foam Before

and after some cutting the pc fits in perfectly

i did have to trim some more to accommodate the ports

Since i want to control volume through my standard headunit, i had to relocate it.This will be going into theglove box

After some cuts/bruises/swearing..i managed to get the wiring loom free so its enough to plug into the headunit in the glovebox

This will be securely fastened once i get time to finish it

car as iv left it for today

i love the fact we have more daylight

roll on modding days!

im hoping to have this all in fairly soon!

comments welcome

*update*

done a few more bits and bobs

All in the boot with wiring

and then carpet hides everything

headunit in the glovebox - this is purely for speaker output

and the big switch on was this evening and im pleased to say it went without a hitch

the screen will now be smoothed in so it sits flush with everything else

Only fitted it for now for testing purposes

at night

done

looks mint that mate. wish i was this technically minded

[Rhoobarb]

That looks very nice, good job there. I like those voom cases.

[Guest]

I am getting very close to starting to sort this myself. I have a holiday for a few days with some mates next week but when I get back I plan on moving forwards with this.

I like this idea of moving a headunit into the glovebox as a temp issue for getting the speakers sorted. for me, instead of having to cut the speaker wires & extend it to an amp.

How much room is there to move the connecting block with all the wires into the glovebox? does it need to be extended (this is in my mk2 octy) or is there enough extra length in it to drag it round.

Did you have to cut the glovebox to make room for the wires to fit into it, i am guessing so?

thanks

[Guest westallc]

iv fitted mine in my vrs a month ago

for those interested in the spec

Intel atom d945gclf2 mini itx mobo

m2-atx

160gb hd

2gb DDR2 Ram

Windows 7 64bit

centrafuse 2 front end

Voom case

Double Din liliput touch screen (bezel need some work doing to it)

gps receiver,camera, wireless etc

oh an I can use 3g net by tethering it of my iPhone

Today i managed to get it all crammed in the case

The case acts like a big heatsink

and a Hovis shot for people

and a Heinz beans one too to show the height of the case

Then i moved on to stripping the Dash down. Nice double Din space

I then modified the Double Din frame to fit inside the space. That was as far i got on that front. i need to do some filling and sanding so i left that for today

i then moved onto giving the PC a Home in the boot. I opted to use the spare wheel well foam as its out of site + the foam will act as a shock absorber

Foam Before

and after some cutting the pc fits in perfectly

i did have to trim some more to accommodate the ports

Since i want to control volume through my standard headunit, i had to relocate it.This will be going into theglove box

After some cuts/bruises/swearing..i managed to get the wiring loom free so its enough to plug into the headunit in the glovebox

This will be securely fastened once i get time to finish it

car as iv left it for today

i love the fact we have more daylight

roll on modding days!

im hoping to have this all in fairly soon!

comments welcome

*update*

done a few more bits and bobs

All in the boot with wiring

and then carpet hides everything

headunit in the glovebox - this is purely for speaker output

and the big switch on was this evening and im pleased to say it went without a hitch

the screen will now be smoothed in so it sits flush with everything else

Only fitted it for now for testing purposes

at night

done

lovely install

( this is for any postpolice i will post wtf i want lol wannabe mod alert )

[vRSsunroof]

Thought of mounting a USB port in the Dash somewhere?

so you can transfer tracks/films sitting in the car not the boot?

or have you installed a wireless card in the unit and you just park outside your house? Spotted that!

Edited 11 June, 2010 by vRSsunroof

[gigy]

Nice install.

I have just started on a carputer project, this will be a guide for me.

Presently i am stuck up with finding double din adapter. my lcd is pre installed in a double din frame.

[michaelp]

Another car platform that I've seen and used is apple's mac mini. More power consumption (10~60w) than the atom pc platform though.

[Kanga]

Have you tried this? http://fit-pc.co.uk/

Would fit comfortably behind the dash, coupled up with a bluetooth dongle, you'd have the perfect car PC/Handsfree phone kit.

[gigy]

can anybody post picture of double din adapter for octavia? fitting the lcd is the last remaining thing now.

[Guest]

I have ordered everything and will start trying to assemble it this week. You said you were using CF2.0 as the front end, what skin do you have that lets you have the Skoda Logo? Have you found a way of integrating a radio into it as well? Finally, do you have any form of navigation integrated into it all? Cheers man

[vRShafz]

I have ordered everything and will start trying to assemble it this week. You said you were using CF2.0 as the front end, what skin do you have that lets you have the Skoda Logo? Have you found a way of integrating a radio into it as well? Finally, do you have any form of navigation integrated into it all? Cheers man

forgot to update post.. i decided against CF2 AS it didnt play my music videos that i ripped straight off youtube..afer messing with codecs..it DID play but it was really slow....so i used FREEICT

http://www.cartft.com/community/ict

If you need CF2 let me know

from hibernation to playing music..it takes around 20 seconds

[Guest]

forgot to update post.. i decided against CF2 AS it didnt play my music videos that i ripped straight off youtube..afer messing with codecs..it DID play but it was really slow....so i used FREEICT

http://www.cartft.com/community/ict

If you need CF2 let me know

from hibernation to playing music..it takes around 20 seconds

Thanks for the offer matey, managed to stumble across a copy myself! . With your GPS setup, what nav program are you using?

edit: Two other things, any tips on routing the cables from front to back of the car? Also, how did you connect your PSU (located in the boot with your PC im guessing) to your car/power?

Edited 18 July, 2010 by Guest

[gigy]

I have done up the install. only thing which needs finishing is the panel gaps in dash and bundling the wiring in boot. not using a head unit, its a direct connection of carputer to amplifier.

[gigy]

[RobClubley]

Nice. Makes me wish I finished mine instead of giving it all up

[vRShafz]

Thanks for the offer matey, managed to stumble across a copy myself! . With your GPS setup, what nav program are you using?

edit: Two other things, any tips on routing the cables from front to back of the car? Also, how did you connect your PSU (located in the boot with your PC im guessing) to your car/power?

not sure if its the same on your car being a facelift

a couple of pics here http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/146324-my-18-subwoofer-install/page__p__1829666__fromsearch__1entry1829666

I put the power down the p/s of the car and all data cables down the drivers side

the PSU is in the PC case (voom is specifically designed to take a mini itx board with a space for the PSU

the PSU is an M2-ATX which you can get from linitx

GPS wise i think iv got navigator 6...i havent used it for ages as i have a tomtom unit and tomtom on my iphone lol

[Guest]

I don't spose you could drop a few hints on where you got Navigator 6 could you? I have a version of garmin which freezes every time i select 'go' to start the journey...not very helpfull! :(

Thanks

[vRShafz]

are you using CF2? if so you can get maps for it...i may have it somewhere?

[Guest]

Yeh, im using CF2, but i presumed the inbuilt maps would be useless?