2007 Camry CarPC - Australia

**rodweb** · 02-13-2009, 08:43 PM

MeeM

Mounting the switch for the eject should not be too hard Have alook at the mounting monitor buttons sticky under Fabrication to se how it could be done. I bought a Dremel imitation from Super Cheap for $35 or so wth a few mini cuttoff wheels which would be ideal to cut your slot. I guess the Camry console is also Polyproplyne like the Hilux which nothing will stick to, so you might be better with a switch with a bezel that screws in.

I used this one from Jaycar to power my laptop on and off.

You can also eject by right clicking the DVD on My computer. There probably would be a Windows API call that could be bundled up so it could be done by a button in RoadRunner or whatever front end you are using. Hmm, I wonder if RR has an eject command ?

C&P Plastics are in Nujooloo Road near Flexiglass.

**MeeM** · 02-15-2009, 06:47 AM

Hey all,

I've finally finished building the car PC.

This is what it looks like without the lid. You can see the PSU mounted on the front and the power wires snaking around the back left:

Here's a top view with the lid off. The fan is not actually mounted or screwed to anything, it's just being held by the tight cables around it. Once the lid is put on, the fan is held tightly in place. I shook the unit a fair bit around and the fan didn't move

Back view. Note the molex connector on the left - this is where the LCD will derive its power from:

And here's what it looks like with the lid on top:

So there you have it. Now I'll have to build the relay box and wire it up between the molex connector and barrel connector for the LCD so when I switch the car off, the LCD turns off too while the PC is shutting down. I'll mount the relay inside a small plastic box and mount the said box on the back of the car PC (or I might even let it sit somewhere behind the dash).

I'll post pics of the relay box when I get it done.

**rodweb** · 02-15-2009, 06:50 AM

Looks Good mate. Not quite sure why you would worry about the startup circuit for the LCD when all you need to do is pick up one of the 12 volt wires from the Power supply and run it to the monitor as I and Hijack7x1 (above) has done.

**MeeM** · 02-15-2009, 07:09 AM

Well it's more for shutdown than for startup. If I connect the system up the way it is now without the relay, the screen will say "hibernating..." when I turn the car off, right? (I'm assuming so). Once the PC finally hibernates, which may take 20 seconds or so, the screen will turn off. I'd like the LCD to turn off as soon as I turn the key to the off position, even though the PC may still be running/hibernating. So the relay will accomplish this.

Or am I completely off the mark?

**rodweb** · 02-15-2009, 07:28 AM

Hmm, I wonder if you power the monitor from the PS and put the relay in the power wire so that you achieve the same result and your monitor will thank you feeding it regulated power....

**MeeM** · 02-15-2009, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by rodweb

Hmm, I wonder if you power the monitor from the PS and put the relay in the power wire so that you achieve the same result and your monitor will thank you feeding it regulated power....

lol that's exactly what I'll be doing. The LCD will be powered by the PSU via the molex connector

**HiJackZX1** · 02-15-2009, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by MeeM

Well it's more for shutdown than for startup. If I connect the system up the way it is now without the relay, the screen will say "hibernating..." when I turn the car off, right? (I'm assuming so). Once the PC finally hibernates, which may take 20 seconds or so, the screen will turn off. I'd like the LCD to turn off as soon as I turn the key to the off position, even though the PC may still be running/hibernating. So the relay will accomplish this.

Or am I completely off the mark?

It will say hibernating, but if for some reason the PC glitches out, you can see what it is doing. If the screen just flat out turns off then you dont see what is happening. Also having the screen shut off before the PC can possibly cause hibernation issues. The reason i say this is because when the screen is just turned off, the USB portion of the touchscreen is shut off also. This means that the device is unplugged technically, then has to be plugged back in at startup. That was the other reason I had the PSU activate the relay for all the other screens. I got so tired of hearing the dumb usb device sound all the time during start up.

**rodweb** · 02-15-2009, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by MeeM

lol that's exactly what I'll be doing. The LCD will be powered by the PSU via the molex connector

Sorry mate, I should have looked at your diagram before I posted instead of after.

I got to say that what Hijack says is right. I know with my memory stick on my laptop that if ever I unplug it after I press the hibernate butoon the system errors out and refuses to hibernate. I think you will cause problems. If you do get your buttons mounted like mine, you could just press the power button on the dash if it annoys you.

**MeeM** · 02-15-2009, 07:57 PM

Hmmm. Maybe I'll just do without the relay for now. I soldered the wires to the relay last night and I had planned to wire it up today. I'll just desolder the barrel plug from the relay wiring and I'll solder it to the molex wires, which was how I had it done before finding out about the relay idea.

I can rework the relay idea in time and then decide if I really need it. Thanks for the input Hijack

rod, I like the power button idea. I'm probably going to have a power button as well but I haven't decided where to mount it. I was really hoping to use a stock Camry headunit as the enclosure for the car PC - that way, I could make use of some of the front buttons and it will all look stock. But anyway, I'll settle for less. Jaycar sell an ATX power button, but it seems you can use other switches that are not necessarily designed to ATX spec. I'll run through my Jaycar catalogue to see what other options I have.

I plan to visit your plastic welding friend some time this week too to see what we can do about the gaps on the sides of my fascia.

**rodweb** · 02-15-2009, 10:08 PM

The ATX power button is simply a momentary push button switch, in which case you can use any monentary switch and Jaycar has a few to choose from. Check it with a multimeter to be sure before you start.

This thread indicated that long wires could be problematic, but that is not an issue for your install as everything is in the dash.

Rewiring ATX power button

You can also have a look at this supplier http://australia.rs-online.com/web/ who have an outlet in Boundary Road Acacia Ridge on the corner at the airport end.

I am sure Peter will be happy to do another computer case.