1990 Celica ST Complete Ampie M10k & Guide

Did a lot of reading on these forums before I started, and wanted a more detailed guide as a noob. So when I built my car PC I took 364 pictures and made this guide using about 150 of them. So here it is - I hope it helps some of you new guys, especially if you are committed to the Ampie case. Keep in mind that I started out wanting a factory look for the LCD but went with what I consider a better solution for cooling and security (removable).

Lilliput 7” VGA Touchscreen 629GL-70NP $ 251
BU-353 Waterproof GPS Receiver $ 75
Notebook HD to IDE Converter $ 10
VIA EPIA M10000 Mini ITX Mobo $ 150
Ampie Car Computer Case $ 75
M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU $ 90
USB Extension Cables x 2 $ 4
Corsair Value Select 512MB DDR266 RAM $ 43
Samsung 120GB Notebook Hard Drive $ 140
Griffin Powermate (Black) $ 40
Wireless Optical Notebook Mouse $ 27
Shipping $ 34
Computer subtotal $ 939

Complete guide containing over 150 pictures in a single PDF file:
http://www.trsek.org/Rob/Computers/C...ica_Car_PC.pdf

A nice slim copy of Adobe Reader 4.05 no-bloatware filters etc, if you need it:
http://www.trsek.org/Rob/Computers/C...der%204.05.exe

18 sample pictures at the bottom of this link:
http://www.trsek.org/Rob/Computers.html

EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR THAT PDF AND ALL THE PICS!!! (sorry about the caps but this was a great post and no one realized it :-\ )

IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!
IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!

I just wanted to point out something to you. I noticed that for your amplifier you have a nice beefy 4 or 8 guage power cable going from the battery to your amplifier. Then your accessory turn on lead is ~18 guage. This is all proper, and is an excellent way of powering your amplifier. However, the ground going to the amplifier should be the same size (~4 or ~8 guage) as your power input cable.

+ Battery (4 or 8 Guage)
- Ground (Same size as battery +)
+ Accessory (around 18 guage, I wouldn't recommend lower then 20)

If you continue to use a small ground wire, you will cause this small ground wire to heat up to where it melts the insulation, and any carpet fabric, starting a fire.

IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!
IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Knightofoldcode

IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!
IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!

I just wanted to point out something to you. I noticed that for your amplifier you have a nice beefy 4 or 8 guage power cable going from the battery to your amplifier. Then your accessory turn on lead is ~18 guage. This is all proper, and is an excellent way of powering your amplifier. However, the ground going to the amplifier should be the same size (~4 or ~8 guage) as your power input cable.

+ Battery (4 or 8 Guage)
- Ground (Same size as battery +)
+ Accessory (around 18 guage, I wouldn't recommend lower then 20)

If you continue to use a small ground wire, you will cause this small ground wire to heat up to where it melts the insulation, and any carpet fabric, starting a fire.

IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!
IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. DO NOT IGNORE!

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I noticed that too =-o, good idea posting the problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mike6789

I noticed that too =-o, good idea posting the problem

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He spent too much time working on that, to have it go up in flames....literally. :D

Knight.

Thanks guys - was unaware of that as an issue. I'll use some of the left over (brown) 8 gauge that I have for the amp ground. It is a legitimate concern, and is that much more serious when you consider the current heat here in Alabama....

On a side note, the M2-ATX anti-thump jumper is 2 pins. The connector on the amp is obviously just a single screw like the power and ground. Can anyone offer advice how to hook that up. I'm already tired of the pop I get when I start up, but can avoid it with the PC kill switch.

Thanks for the kind words on the guide, I put a lot of time into documentation and photos and didn't seem to get much use on the forums. I have yet to see this much detail anywhere else.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LexF15

Thanks guys - was unaware of that as an issue. I'll use some of the left over (brown) 8 gauge that I have for the amp ground. It is a legitimate concern, and is that much more serious when you consider the current heat here in Alabama....

On a side note, the M2-ATX anti-thump jumper is 2 pins. The connector on the amp is obviously just a single screw like the power and ground. Can anyone offer advice how to hook that up. I'm already tired of the pop I get when I start up, but can avoid it with the PC kill switch.

Thanks for the kind words on the guide, I put a lot of time into documentation and photos and didn't seem to get much use on the forums. I have yet to see this much detail anywhere else.

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I'm really not certain how the makers intended for the M2-ATX to be used with the amp remote turn on.

http://resources.mini-box.com/online...anual-engl.pdf

Ha! I was going to ***** at you for not reading the manual! :rofl: But that's kinda a mute point, since all it says, "Loud amplifier pops when PC starts. If your PC is connected to your car amplifier, you will hear a loud pop when the computer is first started. The M1-ATX has an ‘anti-thump’ control that will keep your amp OFF while the PC starts. Simply connect J2 to your amplifier remote control pins to activate the ‘anti-thump’ feature.", which tells us NOTHING!

There are two options here... 1) (this is my method of connection) use a relay drivin off of the positive of the Amp connection. I then use the relay to drive my LCD screen(s), amplifier(s) (remote input). 2) use the positive and connect directly to the remote of the amplifier.

The best option really depends on how it was made. If it was designed to be able to output say 500 milliamp @ 5 volt, then you'd have to check how much your amp needs to be present on the remote line. I'd really suggest you e-mail the makers of the M1-ATX. The company that made it is printed on the PCB, http://www.mini-box.com. And find out from them what the maximum output of the connection is. Knowing this information will tell you if you have to have a relay or can directly connect it to your amp's remote input.


Knight.

Oh, and BTW. I went through the EXACT same thing with my ampy case.... rofl. Right down to the... I finally got it to clo.... oh damn. The fricking fan hits the harddrive!.... Time to move the fan to the middle spot.

I even used the same 3.5" to 2.5" hdd adaptor!... But I did keep a flat harddrive cable, and didn't need to use a rounded IDE cable... I custom made the IDE cable. If you take a really fine sewing pin, and gently remove the IDE connector from the ribbon cable, you can take the connector off, then using scissors cut the cable to desired length, then with a vise, reattach the connector by gently closing the vice with the ribbon cable in between. I havn't tried this with the newer cables that have 80 wires, only the old school 40 wire cables. I'm not brave enough on the 80 wire cables.

Knight.

man this is a hidden treasure for anybody trying to install one. good work and sorry this was missed.

Thanks again Knight - I already had the manual and as you stated it doesn't help much... but I did find just above where you quoted the following regarding the J6 jumper: "Left pin is RMT, Right pin is GND", but as you said I don't know the output in mA. I'll have to assume left and right based on the graphic, but its not intuitive - I would think of the bottom being the retaining clip but it's at the top. Bugger. And I'd have to make the pin connector, maybe from a 2 pin 40mm fan connector. And thanks for the words Riddle - I put some real effort into it as my first project.