meissen

Si, this is my modified radio bezel which will hold a 10.5" touch screen, controlled by what basically is a 400mhz laptop in a seperate case that I'll have under the passenger seat. It'll play mp3s, DVDs, GPS navigation, could put in console emulators too... capabilities are only as endless as the computer. I'm thinking about also hooking up a diagnostic cable from the port to my computer for tuning things, but with a v6 I can't imagine it'd make that big of a difference...

camaro94

its starting to take some shape.. good luck with it all.

NoRiceInside

ya know brian you have a problem. the computer plays mp3, dvd, blah blah, but wheres the actual computer going? and how are you going to connect the sound to your computer? you need an amplifier. and how are you going to control it? is it a touchscreen?

meissen

Well, the original plan was to put the computer under the passenger seat, then run wires up through the center console to the radio bezel for the LCD screen. I'm now starting to think (due to the small size that it really can be when I build a custom case for it) that it would actually fit inside the radio bezel instead... aside from the touchscreen and then LCD screen, it's blank space. The CD player was originally going to go inbetween the two back passenger seats and I was going to build an armrest... kinda like Chad's PS2 setup, only it'd be entirely enclosed. The face plate is going to be extended from the CD player up to the driver side sunvisor where it will be mounted. Due to how long that'd be, I'm now thinking instead I'll put the CD player in the glove box, which would also be easier because then I don't have to build an armrest too.

The computer's audio-out is a normal headphone jack that I rigged up, but I have left right and ground so I'm going to convert the plug to two RCA jacks which will then go into the Aux-In on my headunit, which will then redistribute the sound out to my speakers, and then to the amp which will then go to the sub.


Controlling it will be mainly through the touchscreen that it has, but I also plan on getting a USB slim keyboard to use.



...any other questions?

P.S. I appologize if that is confusing, it's all jumbled in my head and I know what I got planned, putting it in words is hard. I'm gonna take a few pics to give a few more ideas of this entire unit.

meissen

Painted it, but then I decided to do it right and putty it again...



Mock up:





Size of the motherboard, generally speaking draw a square around that with about an inch on each side and that's the entire space I need...

P.S. that cardboard it is on is an unfolded sandpaper thing.. but I guess the best size reference is the ps2 (typically mouse and keyboard, in this picture it's actually audio out and USB) plugs.

camaro94

can't wait to see it when it is all done...

archemedes

are you still putting the face in the mirror? it's fun hope you like solder, and computer ide cable works great for that (if you can get one long enough)

NoRiceInside

this is an awesome idea. it'd be cool to have the faceplate behind visor. but what are you going to do about the dvds you speak of? youre going to need a dvd drive to go along with the head unit...maybe you should just buy an in-dash player like chad. or buy grants so he can have money to fix his car.

meissen

the DVD-rom is going to hook up to the USB 2.0 4port hub I just purchased. you can buy them cheap off ebay, slotload ones that were meant for iMacs.

NoRiceInside

**** you have all the answers.

archemedes

bastard thought this thing out

meissen

lol I purchased this in April. Yeah, I thought about this long and hard before I really took the time to do this.

Sorry, Arch, I missed your post tho... the face plate I plan on using cat5 cable to put it in the sunvisor replacing the mirror. Typical faceplates (atleast I know the guy that I got the idea from, as well as my faceplate) use a plug with 16 wires... two cat-5 connects would work perfectly. My big liking of cat5 use is that you can use the connectors for quick release and plugins, which yeah that could be accomplished with the IDE cable too, but the cat5 would be smaller and easier to get in long lengths. My biggest concern is whether or not the signal will be strong enough to travel that long of a length. Soldering's no problem to me, how do you think I installed my alarm? ...And my LEDs... and that adapter harness for the aftermarket cd player...?

archemedes

no problem with it, I've made hdtv cables with cat 5e with no problems, the soldering is small crap you don't want to spend 12 hours doing

meissen

haha definitely hear that, but I'd rather be soldering than fabricating that bezel.

RFF

Looking great.