We promised to write about a few eccentric things.

The CES 2009 show floor opens today. We are writing from the press lounge on the show floor and our first video is uploading now.

For this show, our main areas of focus:

• In Vehicle, mobile computing technology
• Audio, specifically amplifiers with optical or digital inputs
• New Display Technology
• What technology can be transported from Home theatre into car computing?
• Car Computer Software

Expect a few slightly off topic eccentric things as well.

Talk about this on our forums or give us tips on what to shoot here:

[LIST][*]Give us feedback[*]Give us Tips on what we should write about.

We are doing a lot of blogging this week.

Forum member coucouillu Has something rather outrageous in the works. He has modified his existing Symphony II radio from his 2006 Audi A3 to incorporate a motorized touchscreen. But this project goes way beyond that:

Coucouillu began his mission with some simple Cad drawings to determine if this project was even feasible. Understanding his space limitations he began to modify his hardware to suit his needs. He turned the atx connector on an M3 sideways and desoldered some motherboard components and extended them for additional space. Following this he began to shape the face panel of the radio enclosure. The CD player and Cassette deck were unnecessary for this design so they were removed, patched, and modified to fit a lilliput motorized monitor.

Now how the heck do you manage to merge a stock Audi radio and a motorized Screen? By converging the mechanism from a LM Digital 6501 and the screen from a motorized Lilliput with a custom pcb all cut and hacked to fit into double-din Symphony's footprint. Oo Yeah, a computer fits in there too. Maybe these pictures explain a little better…






Just when you thought this job was complicated enough, coucouillu decided that the Lilliput microcontroller just wasn’t going to make the cut. After some testing and help from fellow forum members, coucouillu was able to devise his own PICBASIC microcontroller for the functions of the monitor. Here is a little video for proof.







Final customizations include a custom faceplate pcb, altered leds to match the Symphony II’s appeal, and a front USB port. -- Coucouillu recently scrapped his existing Jetway mobo for a smaller more powerful Commell LS-372. He has added a custom heatpipe, and completely hacked a uSDC to plug directly into the motherboard. I am expecting to see a finished product in the near future! To completely appreciate this project, I advise taking a few minutes to browse the thread. As alway, if you have a project you are working on or know of a community innovation, send a PM or post here .

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