Thread: MKIV Supra TT - Mac Mini / Custom Dash / Custom Boot

Hi Guys,

I'm a new poster, but have been lurking on here for quite a while, gleaming information and admiring everyones handywork! I thought i'd share with you my project, I think you'll agree it's a little bit special! Possibly one of the first to get a Mac Mini into a car?

Specs:

Dash Insert:
Removed: Clock, Cigarette Lighter, Double DIN slot, 2 x aircon vents, Slip control/Active Spoiler/Blank switches, Speed/Revs/Fuel/Temp dials
Moved: AC controls, Dash Dimmer Switch, Foglight Switch, Mirror adjustment switch
Fabrication: Completely smoothed and shaped to follow standard contours, with inset touchscreen surround plate and re-fabricated instrument panel housing.
Added:

Dakota digital instrument panel
0-255 MPH Speedo, 0-80 MPH Bar Graph, 0-8000 RPM Bar Graph Tach, 0-18,000 Numeric Tach readout, 0-80 PSI Oil Pressure, 0-300 F Water Temp, 8-17V Voltmeter, 0-99% Fuel Level Gauge, Odometer/Trip Odometer (0-999.9), Indicator Signal, High Beam, Handbrake, Wait to start, Cruise Engaged, Gear Shift Position, Engine Check, Resettable Service meter (0-9,999.9), 0-60 MPH timer, High Speed Recall, ¼ Mile Time, End of ¼ Mile speed, High RPM recall, settable shift indicator, Automatic Night Dimming and Adjustable Warning Points.

8" Xenarc touchscreen LCD monitor
1x VGA input, 2x Composite inputs, 640x480~1600x1200 resolution, Adjustable backlight level with light/dark settings (reduces glare at night), Auto power-on upon signal detection (turns on with the source), Automatic display adjustment (resizes/calibrates automatically).

Apple Mac Mini
1.42Ghz CPU, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, Superdrive (CDRW/DVDRW etc), Bluetooth enabled, Airport Extreme (wireless networking) enabled, OS

PowerMate USB rotary controller
Allows user defineable actions for the rotary controls, such as Click, Rotate Right, Rotate Left, Click and Rotate Right, Click and Rotate Right, Long click. For example in iTunes Rotate Right increases volume, Rotate Left decreases volume, Click pauses/plays, Click and Rotate Right skips to next track, Click and Rotate Left skips to previous track. Also used to navigate all software in a similar way to BMW's iDrive system.

Salling Clicker Software
An incredible piece of software that lets me remote control my Mac via bluetooth from my Nokia 7610! Browse MP3's, control DVD's, increase/decrease volume using my mobile!

Centre Console/Armrest:
Removed: Ashtray, armrest cover, armrest tray/insert
Fabrication: Total rebuild of the centre console to allow the relocation of the AC controls under a completely new hinged cover. A sloping mount was created to house the PowerMate to allow intuitive and free access to controls for audio/visual.
Added:

Thor Racing Auxilary Dials
Stainless steel replacement fascia's for the AC control dials and warning light plates.

Doors:
Removed: Factory speakers and enclosures
Fabrication: One-off fabricated door inserts, with a reshaped contour and brushed aluminium handles/detailing.
Added:

R.E XXX series 6.5" mid drivers
Phass A-series 2-way crossovers
Phass AT 28mm Alnico Tweeters

Boot Build:
Removed: Spare wheel, toolkit/jack, factory sub-box, various bits of plastic trim and surrounds.
Fabrication: full-boot sub-woofer enclosure, multi-tier/angle amplifier rack, one-piece fiberglass covering 'skin' and boot 'bonnet' piece to allow access to the amps.
Added:

Split Charger System
Yellow-top Optima battery with split charger system to isolate stereo equipment and prevent main battery drain.
2 x Tru Technology T-2.100 amplifier
1 x Tru Technology T-4.100 4-channel amplifier
2 x R.E XXX series 10" subwoofer

Special Thanks:
I'd like to give a huge thanks to Audio One for the masses of work they did to the car, and for coming up with some fantastic idea's. Also, another massive thanks to Emin from AAC Performance for fitting the dakota instrument panel and making everything blue to match!