2003 G35 Sedan project

**villybhakta** · 04-05-2007, 04:01 PM

And so it begins...

Car:
2003.5 G35 Sedan

Carputer:
VoomPC Ampie case
M2-ATX power supply
Via MII 12000
512mb DDR266 Ram
60 GB Hard Drive
USB external Optical Drive
AAI-NIS2- Auxiliary

Screen:
Xenarc 700TSV
G35 Housing from mp3car store

My Plan:

1. I want to assemble the computer. set the jumpers on the m2-atx. Load windows XP and load up all my media and such. Install the 700TSV drivers.

2.Take out the head unit. ( I know its not easy, and if anybody has a guide or tutorial for this it would be greatly appreciated.)

3. Connect the Housing to the head unit.

4. Fit the screen into the housing.

5. Connect the AAI-NIS2 to the back of the head unit.

6. Running and connecting wires, I consider this the hard part. The computer will be under the passenger seat. To power my screen I will connect it the wires to the back of the cigarette lighter. To power the computer I need to connect the positive and negative to the battery. The problem is I don't know what type of wire to use here and what type of connector is used to make contact with the positive terminal. Any suggestions? Also I need to connect the ignition wire from the psu to a switched ignition wire. I plan on connecting this wire with a 12v power outlet that i have in my center console.

7. Once I run the wires, I think it is all a matter of plugging everything in.

General Questions:

1. When working inside my car what is the first thing i should do. Unplug my battery? Is there a sequence for connecting wires?

2. when running electrical wires,like from the power supply does negative go to negative or do I ground it. Where and what is the best place if indeed negative is ground instead of the negative terminal on the battery. As you can read I'm a little confused on grounding.

3. What do I connect my psu with so that I dont here the "thump" when my computer turns on.

4. Should I run an external on/off switch for the computer?

5. What type of wires go from the psu to the battery? 4gauge? 8 Guage? 10? Fused?

6. In my car I have 4 setting to my key hole. OFF ACC ON START. ACC only turns my radio on. ON turns everything else on. START starts my car and then goes back to ON. With the afformentioned set up when will the computer turn on? When the key is set to the ON position initially or after I START it and it goes back to the ON position?

NOTE: I haven't done anything yet, this is only a plan. Let me know if you see something I'm missing or maybe if you think I should do something different. I am open to any and all suggestions.

**brendonius** · 04-05-2007, 08:41 PM

Heyy

I found this website to be really useful for removing my '01 impala HU:

http://www.installdr.com/

1. When working inside my car what is the first thing i should do. Unplug my battery? Is there a sequence for connecting wires?

When working on any part of the electrical system in your car, it's generally a great idea to disconnect the Negative (Black) cable from the battery terminal. This protects against any electrical shorts that could occur from you touching a cable to the chassis, etc.

2. when running electrical wires,like from the power supply does negative go to negative or do I ground it. Where and what is the best place if indeed negative is ground instead of the negative terminal on the battery. As you can read I'm a little confused on grounding.

This is a great opportunity to search. There is definately an "M2-ATX wiring diagram" available. Long story short, you'll have a positive cable coming from the battery, a negative (ground) cable connecting your m2-atx to the chassis of your vehicle, and a remote/acc power cable connecting to your switched 12V.
Under the hood of your vehicle there is a main ground strap connecting the negative battery terminal to the chassis/engine block of your vehicle, thats what allows you to connect the m2-atx to any "BARE METAL" chassis part of the vehicle.

3. What do I connect my psu with so that I dont here the "thump" when my computer turns on.

This is explained in the M2-ATX manual. If you have an amplifier(s), there is a header on your PSU that connects to the REMOTE TURN-ON of your amplifier. It is a delayed turn on that waits until your computer turns on before the amp, eliminating the loud "thump".

4. Should I run an external on/off switch for the computer?

Your call. The m2-atx provides automatic startup/shutdown abilities, so it depends on your needs. A simple heavy-duty SP-ST switch on your constant 12-v line will work to cut power.

5. What type of wires go from the psu to the battery? 4gauge? 8 Guage? 10? Fused?

Definately gonna tell you to search on that, there are plenty of tables around on these forums with proper wire gauge for required amperage, length of wire run, etc.

6. In my car I have 4 setting to my key hole. OFF ACC ON START. ACC only turns my radio on. ON turns everything else on. START starts my car and then goes back to ON. With the afformentioned set up when will the computer turn on? When the key is set to the ON position initially or after I START it and it goes back to the ON position?

You're going to need a multimeter for this one. Set it to the DC-volts setting and find a wire that shows 12 volts when the key is in the ACC position. This isnt overly easy, but if you can find a forum dedicated to your model of car (Google search), you could probably find answers there.
The m2-atx is designed to survive short periods of engine cranking without shutting down the computer, so, assuming it's wired correctly, it will turn on when your key is turned to ACC, and survive the engine cranking when you start the engine.

**villybhakta** · 04-06-2007, 10:40 AM

Thanks for the great info. I'll keep posting with updates and other question I might come across.

**villybhakta** · 04-06-2007, 01:15 PM

Hey g35 people, i could use your help or opinions. I want to put the computer under my seat. Have any of you guys done this before? This is my plan for how I will run my wires. The screen will be powered with the 12v outlet. The positive and ground will be 12 awg. Ignition wire size will be whatever comes with the m2-atx(if anything otherwise the same size wire as the other end of the connector). I want to put a ON/OFF switch so that I can control the startup/shutdown controller. I think this will be useful when I am making short trips. The CD/DVD drive is USB powered w/ built-in with a rechargeable battery.

Concerns I still have are power through the USB. I know that the M2-atx can only supply the 5v rail with 40 watts (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/faq-...y-system.html). I looked long and hard to find out how much power an external cd/dvd drive consumes but couldn't find anything. So if i want to power this and other USB devices( Bluetooth, GPS receiver) through the hub I might run into a problem. The thing is I dont have those devices and haven't looked and how power they need because I dont plan on getting them soon.

What do you guys think so far?

**villybhakta** · 04-20-2007, 02:48 PM

Basics are done. Over one weekend I pulled my dash apart, assembled the housing, and installed it all.

minor problems include problems with my auxiliary adapter, but for the meantime I am going to be ghetto and use the tape deck to headphone jack thing. Screen resolutin native 800x480 problems. m2-atx is not soft shutting down, or so i think.

I'll work on these when i get the chance.

Overall I'm extremely happy with the install.

**KRS_Juan** · 04-24-2007, 12:57 PM

Nice, lets see some pic's!

-KRS Juan-

**villybhakta** · 04-27-2007, 09:07 PM

Here are some pics, sorry for the quality. I had to use my phone because i lost that cable to tranfer the pics from my digital camera. IF you want to see anything else let me know.