Here's the latest on my carputer installation. The motorised monitor is in and working. I can't pick up TV as yet as I don't have an aerial. It's not high on my priority list, though, because who can drive and match TV anyway, and the signal will probably change as you drive. The monitor is in the lower DIN slot, with my Sony head unit in the upper slot. Monitor closed: Monitor open: The pics are a bit dark but you can get the idea: I attached an extension cable to the Conzult cable and zip tied the connectors together so they don't inadvertantly come adrift. Also enclosed them in plastic in case of leaking targa, heater leak, etc: Extension cables for the VGA monitor and touch screen were also run back to the boot. I ran all cables under the floor mats to save time. This pic shows the cables running under the rear seat (removed): I came across an ACC power supply in the boot that, I believe, was for a phone set up or a stacker, so I tapped into this to power the car laptop charger: They used to say that you could get a 44 gallon drum in the boot of a P76. Well, same applies to the Zed! :LOL: And it works!! All I'm waiting on now is a Sony XA-300 Aux In Selector that I bought on the net, so that I can run the audio out from the laptop to the Sony head unit. In their wisdom, Sony have designed the head unit so that aux sources require this additional unit. The laptop will sit in the boot in a docking station, for ease of removal/fitting, and all cables, etc will be connected to the dock. I also have a 30GB external USB hard drive for mp3s, service manual, DVDs, etc. Once everything is up and working, I'll upgrade to a better laptop (see my Profile for specs) and will then go wifi so I can connect to the house network and internet. Don't you just love gizmos! :thumbsup:
Does the monitor hit the shifter in Park? The shifter is quit close to the lower slot when in Park, does the monitor hit it when it's coming out?
looking good :thumbsup: couple of noob questions though. why did you put the monitor in the lower din? and what do you do for keyboard input?
id say its a touchscreen LCD either that or he is hiding the keyboard/mouse somewhere also i think he mounted the LCD in the bottom DIN because if it was in the top it would cover the aircon vents -Gaz
If you want to do away with the laptop and get a dedicated PC installed in the dash DIN, let me know. I will be importing for the forum and others shortly. Have a look at Dyno day or Tech day, I'll be at both. Pic here, Bottom DIN is a full PC.
Location in Lower DIN I initially intended putting the monitor in the upper DIN, but when I pulled the centre dash panel off, I found that the previous owner had chopped the hell out of the internal dash framework. There was very little left to support the head unit if I moved it down to the lower DIN. In the lower DIN, with the monitor extended, it does not obstruct the centre air con vents. The only problem with it's location is, yes, it does hit the shifter when in Park. Doesn't hit it in Neutral, though, so it's just something I'll have to do until I get sick of doing it, and swap them around. For now, though, I can live with it. The angle of the DIN slots also means that the monitor will extend, then fold up and hit the dash just before reaching the 90 degree angle. I can avoid this by pressing the angle adjustment button on the top before it fully folds open. I recall reading of a fix on mp3car.com to enable the open angle to be reset from the standard 90 degrees. Or, I can avoid it by pulling the unit out from the dash a bit more, which will look pretty crappy.
Yep, it's a touch screen But I'll also be locating a couple of USB ports in the dash for mini keyboard that I have.
Greg, that's a bit more than I'm willing to outlay for a carputer. A dedicated DIN-sized PC would be nice, but $3,000 is a lot to fork out for something that I'll use only occassionally. My Zed is a weekend ride only, and the existing set up is fairly cheap as I sourced most of the components off eBay. I've become a real eBay whore! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Yes, I've seen those small keyboards on mp3car.com, but figured they'd be a problem with my stubby little fingers. So, I sourced a mini keyboard that will go either in the pocket behind my seat, or on the back of my sunvisor so that it's exposed when I fold the sunvisor down.
Re: Greg, that's a bit more than I'm willing to outlay for a carputer. hehe, $3000 includes the screen and every possible other extra. The PC on it's own is around the same cost or less than a comparable laptop. I had to put out a worst case scenario price, then I have a figure to come down to as in this case. Would still love to get up close and see what you have done though at Dyno Day. Maybe we can compare notes or something
