2003 AcuraTL PC...finished! w/ pics

FiSKARZ · 09-04-2004, 02:22 PM

Hey everyone, been real busy getting ready for fall semester and finalizing this installation but now its DONE!! Thanks to everyone on the board for the great information and advice....

The PC is built around a barebones system, the ePOX MiniMe . I threw in a 2.4ghz cpu, geforce FX 5200, SBLive! PCI card, as well as an 80 gig primary drive and a 100 gig secondary (for all the stored movies/music/TV shows..etc)....all purchased from www.Newegg.com ....an OPUS 150 watt power supply mounted externally allows me to move and use the PC inside the house by swapping just a few wires, since the bundled 120volt AC power supply is still installed inside the case itself...

After serious frustration, i decided to have the box made at a local shop, as you can see they did a pretty good job, and it ran me $90. The box was designed with concealed screws, a mounting bracket in the rear, and two holes for a cable lock, which, when used, will prevent the PC from being slid out the rear of the case, while simultaneously keeping the entire case secured to the chassis of the car itself...

As far as the screen is concerned, I picked up the newly released XENARC 700TR , a touch-screen drop-down 7" VGA. This allowed me to retain my stock headunit which was something i wanted to keep

I'm using the Gyration Wireless RF Compact Keyboard & Mouse Suite....The hotkeys on top of the keyboard can be mapped to winamp actions (play/stop/next...etc).....Utilizing the GyroTools software and Winamp 5.0 Global Hotkeys option, an action like double-clicking the scroll wheel or shaking the mouse can perform actions within winamp.....very good bundled software!!

For all the emulation fans, Ive added a USB -> Playstation 2 converter, coupled with RF wireless PS2 Controllers, specifically the Pelican Chameleon. I picked up both controllers off eBay for $60 shipped. Using emulators on the PC, these controllers can be used to play console games for just about any system (PS2 controllers were always my favorite, and despite that these are third party, they look and feel exact to the original, but they lack the rumble function ....something not needed for wireless anyways)

In the back of the car, a firewire webcam (ADS Pyro 1394) sits facing out the rear window. The small box next to it is a WAAS-enabled GPS Mouse, which i picked up off ebay for around $60 shipped...

For the software, I'm using DesktopX, simply for the IconX feature, which allows you to alpha-blend and enlarge your desktop icons. Additionally, visual feedback, such as a smooth zooming (enlarging effect), or changing its transparency can be seen when touching the desktop icons. StyleXP is being used for changing the visual styles within windows (taskbar, dialog boxes, buttins, etc). Winamp 5.0 controls the music, and is shown with a skin called "LAYER ONE", in "Stick" mode.....a very easy to use skin with touchscreen friendly buttons, pop-up song notifications, and title display even if the playlist editor isnt open. It consumes the same amount of space as the winamp modern skin "Rolled up"

Any feedback/suggestions/questions/improvements are greatly appreciated!!

tunnel vision · 09-04-2004, 02:26 PM

wow good game on the opus for being able to power all that

FiSKARZ · 09-04-2004, 02:38 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tunnel vision

wow good game on the opus for being able to power all that

well to make up for all the peripherals, i decided not to include an optical drive, and installed a secondary hard drive in its place, with a drive bay converter. THe front panel of the EPOX case includes a slot for compact flash, SDcard as well as memory stick and PCMCIA typeII cards, so data transfer shouldn't be a serious issue....hopefully

kickercivic1 · 09-04-2004, 02:54 PM

you listed all the pic of the stuff before hurricane comes. lol

ppgt94 · 09-04-2004, 03:03 PM

Can the driver see the LCD while driving? Have any in-car working shots?

Wrongway · 09-04-2004, 06:34 PM

Nice Install! I have a CL and have the same issue, I like the stock head unit, can you show a zoomed out picture of your monitor mount? I would like to see how you did it?

BravadaguyCSU · 09-04-2004, 09:43 PM

Wow.... looks pretty good!! Nice job...

ppgt94 · 09-04-2004, 11:40 PM

Moore pictures! Use photobucket dot com. Upload your pics there and insert them in your post.

snmnetwork · 09-05-2004, 09:58 AM

"Rumble Function" lol! Man your setup is sweet! I love the playstation 2 emulation part. I'll have to look into that. Whats a good ps2 emulation app? Your desktop is sick too. Good Job.

FiSKARZ · 09-05-2004, 02:25 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by snmnetwork

"Rumble Function" lol! Man your setup is sweet! I love the playstation 2 emulation part. I'll have to look into that. Whats a good ps2 emulation app? Your desktop is sick too. Good Job.

haha thanks, let me clarify....The emulation is not of a playstation 2 game system. I am simply using those particular controllers. The website I mentioned sells several USB adapters for use with many other systems, I just happen to prefer the playstation controller's design.

The software I have (emulators) allow me to use those controllers as standard PC Game Controllers (which show in control panel) to play games on Sega Genesis, SNES, NES, GBA, and im currently working on playstation emulation and creating ISOs of the games I have for use in my car without having to load discs

FiSKARZ · 09-05-2004, 02:29 PM

@Wrongway

After removing the sunglasses holder/domelight unit from between the vanity mirrors, the hole in its place was actually LARGER than the screen mounting base, So the same shop that made my enclosure for the PC created a black vinyl trim around the entire base, about a uniform 3/4 inches width around the perimeter of the screen, thus covering up the chassis and the guts of the running board....I will take more pictures of that area...

For everyone else, Ill try to snap more shots today....and nightime ones too....this screen is badass and brighter than the new 700TSV panel

...guess i should change my sigggg too

chut · 09-06-2004, 10:04 AM

hi!
how are you impressed by the fold down touchscreen? I think that is just perfect for my ranger. Is it bright enough during the day to see well? Does it wiggle around alot while you are driving?

FiSKARZ · 09-06-2004, 11:39 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by chut

hi!
how are you impressed by the fold down touchscreen? I think that is just perfect for my ranger. Is it bright enough during the day to see well? Does it wiggle around alot while you are driving?

The fold-down touchscreen is slick! It is bright enough to view during the day, and it also rotates about 25 degrees in each direction - either towards driver or passenger....GREAT for navigation. When tilted towards me, the screen is directly in my natural line of sight. I can glance through the spaces around the screen to get a view out of my rear view mirror. To my suprise, the screen does not wiggle much at all while driving, or even when touching the screen. When opening and closing the screen, you can feel a uniform resistance throughout the range of motion.

chut · 09-06-2004, 12:02 PM

Last question...can you give me the dimensions of the case while it is closed and how far down does it extend when open?
Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by FiSKARZ

The fold-down touchscreen is slick! It is bright enough to view during the day, and it also rotates about 25 degrees in each direction - either towards driver or passenger....GREAT for navigation. When tilted towards me, the screen is directly in my natural line of sight. I can glance through the spaces around the screen to get a view out of my rear view mirror. To my suprise, the screen does not wiggle much at all while driving, or even when touching the screen. When opening and closing the screen, you can feel a uniform resistance throughout the range of motion.

FiSKARZ · 09-07-2004, 12:47 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ppgt94

Moore pictures! Use photobucket dot com. Upload your pics there and insert them in your post.

thanx for that site, ive uploaded all the previous pics plus some nightime ones.......below:

screen closed
case in trunk
webcam and gps
I/O accessories (gyration kbd&mouse, pelican chameleon RF wireless PS2 controllers
nightime R4 Visualization for winamp www,rabidhamster,org/R4/
nightime view of desktop - back seat