2003 BMW M3 Custom Dash / Overhead Console

**gork** · 03-28-2004, 11:26 AM

I don't know yet.

Copilot 2003 + wine is a possibility. So is destinator + wine. Wine-x may run things that the regular distro of wine may not. If all else fails, I could even set up a vmware session with undoable disks that starts directly into a running copilot/destinator/mappoint/what have you. The vmware idea for GPS is actually a pretty attractive option since it could use a modified 95lite install and only take about 32MB of ram.

As far as linux native support goes, Xastir supports the vector data from Tiger but it's not really a navigation application. There are actually a lot of apps out there...

**Evanrude** · 04-03-2004, 11:11 PM

Bow before GoRK's mad photoshop skills.

I live with this crazy bastard. He's nuts. All is **** is cool though. Seeing it in person as it goes through the development cycle is pretty amazing.

Once I have the funding to do the same thing to my Cooper S I will begin the project. So far all my car has is a nice sound system. Or when my photoshop skills get better...

**brrman** · 04-05-2004, 11:20 AM

LOL - so Gork, is Evanrude saying that you haven't really done any of this? You only photoshopped everything into your car?

**Mastermind** · 04-05-2004, 11:38 AM

Nah, he's not saying that everything gork has done to the car is photoshopped. All he's saying is he owns photoshop, and the car is dope.

**gork** · 04-05-2004, 11:51 AM

brrman: I am about 4 days too late to make a post about how it's all photoshopped and I'm really 12 years old and the only thing I've ever been able to drive legally is a golf cart --- or else I would

But we will see what happens when he asks me for some help on his Cooper --- "OOPS, sorry man, I spilled bondo all over your dash and carpet and seats, and also a can or two spilled into the engine!!!"

**smg** · 04-06-2004, 11:50 PM

Gork - mad setup. Once you're done you should contact BMW's R&D department in Germany and show them your stuff

Can a CarPC with GPS be set up in a location other than the radio bay, so that the stock radio can still be used as a tuner and CD player, while allowing the CarPC to have an aux capability of MP3 playback? Basically I would like to keep my radio but have the ability to play MP3. Can the two systems be spliced into one another?
Thanks for your help, and all the best with your project!

**gork** · 04-07-2004, 12:53 AM

smg - thanks fof the compliments.

As to your question -- you can put the screen anywhere you want. I guess you could put it down by the shifter in place of the ash tray assembly and storage bin. Some aftermarket nav systems for the E46 do that. That would allow you to keep the factory radio. BMW has an aux input adaptor that they sell for the stereo that would make it easy to get audio into it, or you could use one of the projects that emulates a cd-changer via I-Bus.

**captain_jim1** · 04-07-2004, 04:17 PM

Gork -- I also own an e46 and am keeping my stock H/K System and installing a Lilliput into the 'area' below the stereo.

I'm curious as to exactly how the whole cd/dvd-drive works. I want to mount a slim line (or possibly laptop) drive in the center console behind the cupholders (Will be custom fabbed of course), but am cruious as to how exactly I get the ide cables, power to the drive over such a distance. You mentioned you used an Oxford-911 bridge board. Could you give me more information about that? Does the firewire power the drive? If not, did you just run 4 long wires with molex connectors on them to power the drive?

Thanks..

A fellow New Jersey man.....

-Capt.Jim
mp323i

**remote** · 04-07-2004, 04:21 PM

I dont have words to decribe how amazing your car looks with that carputer. Even more impresive is its capabilities.

bravo....

**gork** · 04-07-2004, 05:24 PM

captain jim1: Well, laptop drives and slimline drives are essentially the same -- they have the same connectors and everything; but you can sometimes get used laptop drives really cheap.. Anyway, the firewire does not power the drive, so I extended 4 power cables up to the power connector. The best cable run from the trunk is under the back seat and under the center console. If you plan on powering your lilliput via your computer's power supply also, you'll already be running two of the necessary cables through this location. You can get a bridge board that will work out of pretty much any firewire enclosure for a 3.5" drive... Most bridge boards also need external power of some sort (though some don't) -- you'll probably find a header on the board for connecting 5v or something when you take the drive enclosure apart.

Good luck getting a drive to fit where you want it, though.. There's not a lot of room in the center console as you'll see when you get it apart...

remote: Thanks for your compliments. Wait until you see the update