help putting together car audi/control system

ikOnone · 02-11-2004, 06:16 PM

hi there everyone,
i have been looking on your site and i still am not sure exactly how to approach my problem. i would like to get some advice on exactly how to go about implementing the following project.

what i want to do is put a touchscreen in my dash where the stock radio is. i want that touchscreen to be able to control the AEM EMS (advanced engine management (campany name) engine management system) that i am going to be using as well as my sound system. my sound system (that i am planning) will consist of 2 12 inch subs as well as the cactory speakers (2 6x9's 2 6" speakers, and 2 maybe 2" tweeters). i would like to use a computer with a hard drive that can hold about 20 gigs and enough cache, main memory, and CPU capeability to be able to run winamp with some sort of screensaver and my EMS system quickly and reliably. i would like to use the windows 2000 XP OS. i am not sure of the system requirements of the EMS but i am sure that they are not that extreem. i did not see it mentioned on their website. i also think i will need something like a wireless keyboard and a CD ROM drive to load software.

basically, i just want to be able to control my EMS, view graphs and controls and such of my cars performance, play my mp3's on my car sound system, and have cool screensavers when i am not directly changing something. nothing real extreem i think. i am not really sure on what i need to get though and how to put it all together. what i think i need is:

- a touchscreen LCD moniter (looking at this one --> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2459941257 any thoughts?)

- an assembeled computer that is compatable (not sure what to get or where to get it.)

- a voltage regulator for the power supply

- an external CD ROM drive that i can mount somewhere

- a wireless keyboard (with built in mouse)

- the right kind of wires to connect the screen and computer together as well as the computer to the amps.

i really am hitting a wall here. i do not know what to get, where to get it, what will be compatable etc. i am hoping that someone will say "but this computer with that screen, this keyboard, this CD ROM drive and these cabels. they will work together and all you need to do is figure out where to mount them and then plug everything in" can anyone give me that kind of an answer? sorry for the long post, i was trying to be as descriptive as possible and i really do not know where to go from here. thanks,

chris

Confused · 02-12-2004, 03:13 AM

Welcome to the forums

Firstly, how does this "AEM EMS" thing work? How does it interface to the computer? Is it serial, usb, parallel, some proprietry interface? That will partly decide which computer to get.

Those screens look good. Do a search here for Lilliput for some info on it.

For computer, most here are going with the Via Epia platform, the majority now the M-10000 or MII-10000. These have 1GHz Epia CPU (about equivelent of an 800MHz P3), onboard graphics and sound, USB2, firewire, and the MII have a compact flash and a PCMCIA (laptop style) slot. They also have a single PCI slot.

For power supply, you will find, in all honesty, there is only one solution. Opus

For CDROM/DVDROM, take a look for a slimline USB2/Firewire one.

For kb/mouse, some people are using the Gyration kb/mouse combo. The keyboard is small, and the mouse can be used anywhere, even in mid air

Make sure you get RF stuff, not IR.

The screen will come with it's own wires to connect to the blue VGA port on the PC. For connecting the PC to the amps, you will need standard 3.5mm jack to RCA cables.

For more information, pick out some of the product names in my post and go on a

In all honesty, you will probably find yourself needing to search for at least a week solid to find all the information you want

Garry

ikOnone · 02-17-2004, 11:35 PM

thanks!!!
that is what i was trying to avoid

(searching for more than an hour)
i did about 1.5 hours of searching before i posted and about 4 hours today (all over the internet) i will tak your advice and run with it tomarrow (lots more searching) but until then, here is a post i mad on my car forum, would you be kind enough as to give some feedback (he was talking about ~$500 assembeled, reday to go, small computers):

Quote: Originally Posted by Deathsled

no picture of it on their site, nice

i would never pay $2000 for that tho, I can build a similarly spec'd "carputer" for $500 or less and I bet it'll be even smaller than that one.

sorry to dig up an old post but how exactly can you do this?
i have been trying to do some research and i found (under your suggestion) a site called http://www.mini-itx.com

they have the mini-itx and a decent case for around $300 but then you have to buy a hard drive for $70 and a memory (main memory? cache? something else, i have no idea and it does not say) for another $50 and then if you want to ever load any software you have to buy a CD drive for $50 (i do not want to try to figure out how to program windows 2k in x86 assembly language

) for another $25 bucks or so.

that is not really any cheaper and definatly a lot more work than other sites mentioned on here and others i found... for example:

http://www.xenarcdirect.com/search_r...n=ALL&iLevel=1

http://www.cappuccinopc.com/espressopc.asp

ok, so it is not like i am calling b.s. i just do not see how to get what i want (touch screen, small, mp3 sterio, controll of my AEM EMS) without spending what the "complete package" sites above sell for. and even if i save a few bucks by building it myself (maybe $100 for lots of work... aka not worth it from what i see) i am not really sure how to connect things and if they will even be compatible. for referance i was also thinking of getting this touch screen:

http://www.digitalww.com/VGA_TM_710VG.htm

and i was looking at power adapters from:

http://www.mp3car.com

any advice/tips would be appriciated

ikOnone · 02-17-2004, 11:37 PM

oops, he was talking about cheaper computers later on (just caught that).
all i want is mp3 on car sound system and ems (web site given above, i could not find system requirements other than windows) and get a cool screensaver. maybe a cd/dvd drive. that should not be that hard right?

ikOnone · 02-17-2004, 11:40 PM

oh, also not sure on how the AEM EMS interfaces. their web site was not helpful. it is easily run with a laptop and it was made withen a few years so i am sure that anything modern (98+ for sure) would have whatever it needed (port wise and cpu/memory wise). but i have no idea.

ikOnone · 02-17-2004, 11:45 PM

oh, also, i am familiar with 8086/88 assembly language, C++, RTN and computer organization, digital logic, circuit theory, FPGA's, and i could easily learn any other computer language withen a month or so if it helps. i do not, however, have any idea what is compatible with what and what all i would need. i have a basic idea but my knowledge is mostly in how to DESIGN a computer rather than how to ASSEMBLE parts that have allready been made. i hope this helps and thanks again for your input

imprezive one · 02-18-2004, 12:48 AM

I'm a fellow tuner and I know exactly where you're coming from. As far as hooking up the AEM EMS is concerned, I did a 2 second search on google and came up with this quote.

"...software maps that you can upload to your AEM EMS via a computer serial connection!"

This specific EMS was on an evo application but I don't see why it would be different for you. Currently in my WRX I have a TurboXS User Tunable Engine Computer or UTEC, which is like the EMS but has some other wrx-specific features. It also uses a serial cable connection to interface with a pc. I plan on hooking it up to my carputer once it's all done much like you are doing with your EMS. You and I share the same idea of essentially using the car to tune itself. You should look at the EMS unit to make absolutely certain that yours has a serial port, just to be safe. It may require additional software also but my UTEC only requires that you have hyperterminal on your OS (I believe it's standard on all windows applications) and I'm willing to bet it's the same or similar with your EMS. Most if not all EPIA motherboards and other current motherboards for that matter I believe have a serial port built into them. You're welcome, haha. Just kidding, welcome to the boards, I myself, am also new here. Pretty cool stuff, just wish there was more traffic so things would be kept more current.

ikOnone · 02-19-2004, 11:38 PM

thanks

i will check into that. i also wish that there was more traffic but a new reply email would be nice too lol. well i bet this forum does have that feature, i just got to find it. thanks again.

robiewp · 02-19-2004, 11:49 PM

If you don't want to shell out the cash for the opus, you might consider just going with the tried and true inverter. Not the most efficient solution on the block, but you get sufficient regulation that the PW70 and ITPS combination lacks, at a more stomachable price than the opus.

On another note, for the love of god bring down the font size of Driven Performance in your signature

Alessio · 02-28-2004, 10:51 AM

I dont think you'll be ablo to do much with your car's managment system, companies are pretty "closed minded" when it comes to that sort of stuff, they dont want you messing with it, support will be almost null ... I think.

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