Topic: JonyMac's Car PC Project! UPDATED 4/1/10

[jonymac]

Well, I have been hinting about this over the past few weeks....

I finally have enough done to have something to show for it.  Below are some teaser pics and I will attempt a YouTube upload tomorrow for a short crappy video I shot of the install so far.  MUCH more to come on this - still gathering bits and pieces...

In a nutshell, I want a completely integrated car pc with all the bells and whistles.  I want everything to look as if it came from the factory.  I want mobile broadband Internet, an application center such as Centrafuse to drive all the components in an easy to use screen that it capacitive vs. resistive so it can be used with a stylus or gloved hand.  I want to be able to adjust the screen angle up, down, left, right.  I want to be able to quickly pull the PC (laptop in my case) out of the car and use it like a regular laptop.  I want GPS, TPMS, IPOD, DVD, CD, Hulu, OBDII, Traffic, XM, HD Radio, ORB, Blackberry Storm integration, Email, Web, Camera, Skype, Weather all in one interface.  I want to do all of this inexpensively.  Why do I want all this?  BECAUSE.

The car pc will use a DC to DC converter with USB hookup to control power on/off with ignition, sleep mode, etc.  I will still be swapping out my factory head unit for something like the Kenwood 9140 or its next incarnation.  Hopefully the next version will have an AUX Video input so I can drive my Car PC to both screens...

With that said, I will attempt over the next month or so to update this thread with my latest mods and capabilities added to the project.  Let me know what you think!

3/17/10
7" Touchscreen Monitor Install:
Mimo Pivot Touch 7" - $179
http://www.mimomonitors.com/products/imo-pivot-touch

(Text to be added later)

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[Gentleman Jack]

Jonymac,

I think this is a brilliant idea.  I have been craving this for years now, wondering when someone was finally going to put it all together.  There are many practical applications to a setup like this, and a whole lot of fun to be had as well. 

To cover the bases for Jonymac and everyone else that likes this idea, YES< WE KNOW THERE ARE TOO MANY DISTRACTIONS TO DRIVERS ALREADY!  The intent is to provide a mobile high speed (in more ways than one) personal PC that travels everywhere with you and does everything you want it to do.  It doesn't mean Jonymac is going to be typing an email to his grandmother while doing 110 down Route 95.

Soapbox removed from underfoot. 

GJ

[Kelu]

I had this idea too but lack of hardware and knowledge made me to forget about it.

Looking forward to another jonymac's masterpiece.

[kennysabarese]

I lust for your free time.

I've been compiling carpc stuff for years but never kept a car long enough to execute in. Since I don't daily drive my kappa, it'll never happen in that car. Maybe if we get a G8 I can do it in there.

[kennysabarese]

This is funny, I just got an email from MP3Car.com with a newsletter LOL

It had an article about a brand new Mimo out there.

http://www.mp3car.com/blogs/139929_USB-Powered-Touch-Monitor-by-MIMO-720S.html?utm_source=Mp3Car+Monthly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ca766a8eec-march+2010+newsletter&utm_medium=email

[jonymac]

Kenny - Yeah - that's the one - I got the Pivot touch which just has a different mount than the one shown i that vid.  I picked it because the piano black and chrome match the Sky interior EXACTLY.  Also, I wanted to be able to rotate and adjust the screen angle.  Drove with it in the car for the first time this morning - not too much jiggle through the DC potholes. This will be a work in progress...

[Kelu]

Nice pics that doesn't restrict your view? I ask this because I'm mad sometimes even on the mirror.

[kennysabarese]

So I wrote 3 long paragraphs of a response, but i deleted it because i don't want to be perceived as a negative grouch. We should talk a lot at the mod meet, I'm very interested in what you are planning.

I just think it's going to be tough to use that screen while driving, there is no place to steady your hand. I have an iPhone on my dash and it's incredibly hard and dangerous to use because I can't rest my hand on the shifter or anything like you can in many cars with OEM NAV

[Carbon Sky]

Why not remove your stock radio, and put the screen there?  You can obviously run your audio from the PC.  Is it because you still use OnStar?

[jonymac]

Kelu - just a little bit - the upper right hand corner blocks the far right fender a bit - a little adjusting should take care of that though - the monitor largly backdrops against the hood - will get a pic of this at somepoint.

Kenny - No worries.  I wasn't intending to conduct safety lessons with the screen, just accomplish what I mentioned above.  I really don't want to get into warranty discussions, insurance discussions, you shouldn't do that discussions, you  might get hurt, you might hurt other people, your Mom might not like it, etc.  This to me is more about possibilities and capabilities, everyone can then use their judgement on execution - it is merely one person's approach to this project.

The stand is sturdy enough to tap the screen with your finger without moving it around - the buttons are big enough in Centrafuse to not miss, so not difficult.  I also have a stylus to use with it so it is even easier from a reach perspective (T-Rex arms).

If I can get a touchscreen headunit with the AUX Vid IN - you can split the display and have a place to rest your hand - that is in the future right now.

[jonymac]

Carbon - "I will still be swapping out my factory head unit for something like the Kenwood 9140 or its next incarnation.  Hopefully the next version will have an AUX Video input so I can drive my Car PC to both screens..."

[kennysabarese]

Carbon - "I will still be swapping out my factory head unit for something like the Kenwood 9140 or its next incarnation.  Hopefully the next version will have an AUX Video input so I can drive my Car PC to both screens..."

It seems like if you get a Kenwood or any in dash unit with a screen, you are going to have all the features that the unit has like GPS NAV, music movies, etc, all things that are you probably going to use the computer for instead so they will go unused. Which would make the unit a really expensive monitor.

I'd say just get an in dash screen VGA/DVI screen (touch or not) and run a dual monitor setup. The computer will probably like that better then having one screen be a monitor and the other be a TV

[jonymac]

For the AUX Vid I menat - PC vid in, not RCA in.  Goat said his discontinued Eclipse has an Aux PC Vid in.  This way I can run things in either location.  Run the nav/music/xm/ipod/OBDII/etc. above and the other non-officer of the law friendly functions below and out of view videos/internet/youtube/DVDs/etc.

The thing that the carpc with Centrafuse gives you is the ability to iconize (a word?) any app/website in one interface - thinking of Pandora/Slacker/Opera/TPMS/ODBII/Weather/etc. and do the same with any future cool gotta have app.  The downside of a carpc is of course it is a computer - crap happens, you have to rebuild them as they slow over time, what they give you in flexibility, you lose in reliability.  A Kenwood like head unit would give you the reliability without the cutting edge flexibility I want.  Another reason I want both...

[jonymac]

Here is a craptastic YouTube Vid I made of my progress - turn up your speakers!  It was dark and past midnight...

[TomatoSoup]

Why not remove your stock radio, and put the screen there?  You can obviously run your audio from the PC.  Is it because you still use OnStar?

I read this as just being able to remove the radio and mount the (MIMO?) screen you have in the opening instead.  Wouldn't see too hard if the dimensions are OK.  Would it fit?

[DeepBlueGXP]

Where did you install the PC portion of the unit?

[Critterman]

Jony - Your going to shoot your eye out!

[jonymac]

Ouch!  I just shot my eye out!  Those darn Red Rebel BB Guns...

Tomato - Yes I think it would fit in the stock opening - it would take fussing up a bracket of some sort, but would be pretty easy to do I am sure.  I'll take a pic with the monitor on top of the stock unit.

Joe - It is in the pouch on the back of the passenger side seat - I may relocate it to the trunk.  It is a Dell 620 laptop for the time being.  I checked out the smaller netbooks, but their processors are WAY too slow for my needs.  I am a child of the instant gratification generation.

[jonymac]

Continued to work on my CarPC project - extended the cables from the passenger footwell to behind the passenger seat - USB monitor cable and audio cables.  Setup RDP access to my CarPC from my house and work PCs - I can now remotely control the CarPC from anywhere on the planet!  Setup a bluetooth wireless keyboard for the CarPC - installed some software, loaded office 2007, etc.  Setup my broadband wireless and mounted the antenna behind the headreat of the passenger side so I can see the LED from the Verizon card from the driver's seat.  Added a 500GB USB drive and loaded it with all my music, pictures and video.  Tomorrow I will setup a backup routine that starts when the car comes in 802.11 range of the house. 

CarPC TODOs: 

1.   Need to order USB GPS dongle
2.   Need to order 3 USB temp sensors (engine bay, outside, inside)
3.   Need to order USB ODBII reader
4.   Need to order DC to DC power converter
5.   Need to hook up my USB video camera and mount it in the cabin
6.   Need to remotely mount my USB CD/DVD reader/writer
7.   Need to install a powered USB hub
8.   Need to install a power bypass plug-in port for the computer so I can automatically switch the laptop from car DC power to AC wall power
9.   Need to get my bluetooth phone working with Centrafuse
10. Need to setup email with Centrafuse (work and personal)
11. Need to get an audio splitter input for my Blackberry Storm to tie into audio in with CarPC
12. Need to research TMPS systems for integration to Centrafuse
13. Need to troubleshoot blue screen when starting HDD based videos from within Centrafuse
14. Need to install a dash integrated dual USB port receptacle for USB-based audio/PC files for the CarPC
15. Need to rig up and mount a remote power button for laptop
16. Probably more...

(Posted remotely from my CarPC!)

[TomatoSoup]

How many USB ports you got on that thing?  Looks like you'll need about 20 cascaded hubs!

[Critterman]

Where does the printer go?

[jonymac]

LOL!  I had the same thought Tomato - I am using two 8 port non powered hubs - the laptop has 4 USB ports.  The DC to DC power brick will handle the laptop power plus a 5 volt output to power a USB hub if necessary.

Even with all the cables and such, all yuo see is the touch screen - everything else is completely hidden.

Critter - I can print wirelessly to my house and office over VPN - or wirelessly to any fax machine in the world.  No onboard printing capabilities planned, although that wouldn't be too hard!

[kennysabarese]

You could have the paper come out the fender vent

[jonymac]

UPDATE 4/1/10:

OK - have made quite a bit of progress on the CarPC project the video below gives a demonstration of what I have working so far.  Still working out bugs with the ODBII plugin to Centrafuse and some oddities after a full reboot, but I am getting close to a workable scenario.  I drive with the system every day and it really is fantastic!  I ended up ditching my Dell 620 laptop for this project and am now using my other laptop - a Dell E6400, 4  GB RAM, Intel Centrino vPro Duo processors, Windows 7/64 bit, MS Office Professional 2010 - and most importantly, Wake on AC built into the BIOS - woohoo!  I am now running the latest version of Centrafuse - 3.1.

In this high speed low drag production quality video (turn up your speakers):

- MLBTV integrated in Centrafuse with NEXDEF HD plugin
- Internet radio - 181.fm (http://www.181.fm/)
- Broadband modem hooked up and mounted behind passenger seat (velcro is your friend) - wifi switches to broadband when I drive away from the house and back again upon return automatically
- Webcam mounted on driver side A pillar for Skype, other uses
- Skype set up
- Internet set up
- Personal Area Network Setup using Centrino vPro chip and some driver voodoo so my car broadcasts a wifi zone
- GPS BU-353 Satellite puck mounted inside windshield surround and hooked to Sat apps:
NAV in Centrafuse, Google Maps in Centrafuse, MS Mappoint 2010 in Windows, Satellite Tracker in Windows
- Virtual COM port multiplier - GPSGate installed
- Griffin Powermate jog and shuttle knob integrated into Windows and Centrafuse
- Logitech Dinovo bluetooth keyboard/mouse installed and macros programmed
- Hacked my laptop to extend the power button to under the shifter housing to do a forced 3 finger salute without having to pull the car over to reset the computer
- Music and video library loaded - codecs installed, album art added
- DVD working - need to remote locate it - thinking of putting in the top of the glove box
- Email integrated in Centrafuse - the system will actually read your email to you over the stereo system and you can reply verbally!
- Motherboard manager/system monitor installed
- Remote Desktop connection to CarPC setup - a bit flaky though - I can take remote control of my CarPC from my tablet or laptop in the house
- Blackberry Storm integrated over USB and Bluetooth - and now car Wifi!
- Bluetooth setup with BlueSoleil controller software - integrated with Windows and Centrafuse

BONUS:

- Modded my refrigerator in the garage with LED light...  Don't ask...

THINGS TO DO STILL:

- Work out final bugs on USB recovery for certain devices after hard boot
- Add reverse camera
- Tie in yet to be installed reverse beepy warning system thingy
- Install Carnetix P2140 PSU Power module so I don't have to use my lighter outlet - hook it up to laptop via USB for control and management of hibernate times (look for new thread on this)
- Finish my install of my Deltran battery minder (look for new thread on this)
- Tie down all my USB cables
- Build cover of some sort to hide laptop behind passenger seat
- Install 5v powered USB hub
- Install microphone for voice control of system
- Research integration of USB based TPMS system
- Add additional Griffin Powermate - install these permanently on cowl cover
- Tidy up iMO Touch monitor install
- Add 1 TB external USB drive - USb 3.0 maybe?!
- Add wifi WAP to car so other devices can use Internet conenction - iPAD, etc.
- Replace my Fisher Price video camera
- Beg forgiveness from my wife for spending my nights in the garage (maybe that should be at the top of the list)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLCXMGehWDA

Amazingly, all you will see when this project is done is the touchscreen monitor and the griffin Powermates.  Everything else will be completely hidden!

Next update next week!

JonyMac

[joshmass]

Great job and can't wait to see this project completed. The Griffin jog and shuttle knob is a brilliant application of technology for a carPC.