Something to show

**intuitionsys** · 08-15-2005, 05:03 PM

Okay seeing as the proverbial gauntlet has been thrown down:

http://www.intuitionsys.com/index_proj_curr.html

I'm doing everything timekiller is doing except live streaming. I upload videos to my system for viewing instead. I really like his control pad setup but I just can't bring myself to hack up the console on such an expensive car

I'm currently coding the touchscreen interface so that should be a good compromise. I'm also thinking about using a CrystalFontz control pad too, but the remote works great for now just not as slick as timkiller's

The site needs updating but most of the info on the system is there. The biggest hurdle I had to do with mine was synchronizing to the OEM screen in the FX35 that is a fixed-frequency 15kHz RGBS instead of a regular 31kHz+ RGB/HS/VS VGA type monitor.

**pkg** · 08-15-2005, 05:13 PM

Yeah, it looks like timekiller has started it. I am gonna have to put mine up now

(though mine isnt quite ready but it is getting there)

**xGumbyx** · 08-21-2005, 11:18 PM

Do you still use the Clarion LCD? I've been told that text on non vga monitors is virtually unusable. How is this monitor when viewing text? ie: is a linux desktop like fluxbox or even kde usable? I've had a look at some of your photos on your website and it looks decent but most of what I have seen is a mythtv ui frontend that is made specifically for TV's. Would something like xmms or amorok be usable?

Thanks for any info you can give me. Your setup looks pretty sweet.

Gumby

**pkg** · 08-22-2005, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by xGumbyx

Do you still use the Clarion LCD? I've been told that text on non vga monitors is virtually unusable. How is this monitor when viewing text? ie: is a linux desktop like fluxbox or even kde usable? I've had a look at some of your photos on your website and it looks decent but most of what I have seen is a mythtv ui frontend that is made specifically for TV's. Would something like xmms or amorok be usable?

Thanks for any info you can give me. Your setup looks pretty sweet.

Gumby

From the work that I have done with my XGA+ screen (better res) I feel that a full desktop isnt really suitable for a car environment (7" screen). I was running gnome and with some tweaking I was able to get it relatively usable but it was still uncomfortable. xmms was problematic because of the font size and button layout. Maybe a better skin for xmms would have helped though.

Small screen UI is a unique problem. The fonts have to be bigger, the interaction needs to be done with 1 or 2 steps, most of the time a keyboard or standard mouse isn't available. Solutions to these problems can come from interesting sources (e.g. mythtv). Another issue with car UI is the fact that everything needs to be done with minimal attention from the driver. My solution was to write my own.

Keep up with what you are doing though, make the system your own. Keep us posted.

**intuitionsys** · 08-23-2005, 03:54 PM

I can't stress enough how much better result you'll get if you develop the interface (and backends, daemons, etc. where necessary) from scratch. My interface probably isn't the prettiest but it is VERY readable even with some very small type. I'm running at 800x480 since that's what my OEM monitor's native resolution is.

Using a font editor to rework fonts to suit the GUI helps too. I use the Blue Highway family alot for it's readability and use an edited version of it with all the numbers monospaced for certain places where it displays better and is easier to read on a small display. Alot of "1's" next to each other in a 12 or 14 pt font on a 7" display can be awfully hard to read if they aren't monospaced.

**xGumbyx** · 08-23-2005, 07:30 PM

intuituinsys, do you have any screenshots of your frontend? I am definately not a coder, but I might be able to stumble my way around things. I'm curious as to what yours looks like though so I can maybe get some ideas in my head.

**intuitionsys** · 08-24-2005, 02:48 PM

The site needs updating as I've added some rudimentary skinning, voice response, weather updates, and have a custom-built controller in the works (it uses a Lola X10 remote right now), since the last time I updated it, but the basics are there:

Silverwolf

If you have any suggestions, let me know!

By the way the "frontend" is a bit more than just that since alot of stuff is embedded and it's tied to some custom hardware (depending on what you want it to do of course). If you want I can outline some of the technical details...

The custom hardware is mainly related to integration with a car's existing audio/video systems which becomes unecessary (and cheaper

) with a custom system starting from scratch.

**intuitionsys** · 09-27-2005, 11:54 AM

I finally updated the snapshots (at least alot of them) on my site. They are here:

Silverwolf

Just ignore the sales stuff. Once it's open sourced, it will get it's own area without the pitch

**reece146** · 09-27-2005, 02:06 PM

Is this the show and tell thread?

This is the general direction my "front end" is going. I'm a couple evenings away from doing the install once I finalize my hardware (read that LCD and power regulation) selection. There's some obvious graphics issues in terms of refinement but nothing major. The proof of concept works acceptably enough to install in a vehicle.

In-Vehicle Navigation and Entertainment Computer Project @ http://moose.ca

**intuitionsys** · 09-27-2005, 03:12 PM

Took a look. Great job! Since you're still deciding on your power regulation, although the M1-ATX I have now works fine, I can't say I'd recommed them. I had a flakey one that killed a motherboard and (possibly) a hard drive. I haven't used the Opus PS(es) but that's probably what I'll use in my next project.

Are you using anything to play movies or are you mainly interested in the MP3 player, radio, etc.?