1996 BMW 525tds - When a sound-quality install meets a car-pc

Bimmerstyle · 09-22-2006, 11:54 AM

NEW PC installed in post #56 --- Lots Of Pics!!!

Hi guys, This is the first post I make on this forum but I've been reading it for quite some time now. I never had to post a question because everything is very well explained. So with your help I finaly finished my first Car-PC. Thank you for this!

Here are my specs.:

OLD!
NEW!

Hardware:

-BMW 525tds 1996
-VIA Epia M10000, M1-ATX, 60Gb, 512Mb in VOOM case
-External 120Gb HD
-External CDrw-DVD rom

-Biostar I94GM-I4 Mini ITX Mainboard
-Celeron M440-1,86GHz Processor
-1Gb RAM
-320Gb Western Digital Caviar 3,5" Hard Drive
-M3-ATX Power suply (to be replaced soon)
-Newvision (Lilliput) 7" Touchscreen in selfmade bezel
-xtronic HQCT RDS tuner
-Ibus controller for steering wheel buttons and auto day/night switch (more info here)
-Navilock NL-302U GPS antenna
-External Creative Extigy Soundcard
-DLS Ultimate A7 amp.
-Focal 130K, 130V, 27V2 speakers

Software:

-RoadRunner with modified iDrive skin

-Windows XP
-RoadRunner with modified Simplistique skin
-iGuidance
-iBusComm

Future Mods:

-Bluetooth Handsfree calling
-Wireless internet thru G3 network

Here are some pictures of my install:

First of all, the car where it's all in:

Picture of the dash with the custom made bezel. I actually ripped appart an old BMW radio I had laying around for making it:

A little closer:

By night. Notice the buttons surrounding the screen, they illuminate. Also notice the night skin I made for the iDrive skin with spectrum analizer.

Picture of what's in the trunk, the huge DLS amp. and Focal sub behind the plexiglass.

On the left side behind a sliding door sits the PC:

On the left side of the steering wheel sits the CD-DVD unit....

.... Behind a wood grane finish!

The Creative Extigy Beneath his cover:

Picture of the amp by night:

Another picture by night. Those are multicolor LED's. Thats why one is green and the other is Red/Blue

If some of you are interested in the making of the bezel, I could make a worklog of it. I have all the pictures but need to sort and resise them.

[Edit] The bezel Worklog: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show...885#post931885

All other comments, questions are also welcome!

pate60 · 09-22-2006, 11:59 AM

nice work!

Enforcer · 09-22-2006, 12:05 PM

Indeed, nice work.

What 'modifications' have you made to the iDrive skin?

Care to share?

Bimmerstyle · 09-22-2006, 12:17 PM

@Enforcer

Thanks for the skin btw.

I did some small changes to make it match my personal needs and preferences.

-Made a night skin matching the BMW interior lights
-Removed the BMW logo on the menu screen and replaced it by the Idrive rotary commander and it controls Volume-track and Day/Night.
-made a "Play mode" screen and included a winamp spectrum analizer in it (as in night picture)
-some other small changes in buttons and labels: added play list label in audio player screen, changed behaviour of next-prev buttons in video screen,...

-Edit- Just noticed the 2.12 update you have made, the pic viewer looks like a nice one. Also the powerDVD screen seems nice becouse I was trying something like that with little succes. Gonna give it a try!

Enforcer · 09-22-2006, 12:38 PM

be interested in seing your night version, as I will be releasing a night version also in the coming months.

and also the spectrum one, see if it can be incorporated in the main iDrive skin. Anything I use will be credited to you.

Is there anything else you would like to see in it?

Das · 09-22-2006, 12:49 PM

what kind of wheels are those?

Bimmerstyle · 09-22-2006, 01:06 PM

For now I'm happy with it. I actually removed some items from it like the weather and phone because I have no use for the right now and for some reason the weather skin keeps on freezing my computer.

Here is a screencap of the playmode screen by night with spectrum analizer in it. The analizer actualy sits behind the skin. I found no other way to make it happen. Maybe you can?

I'm not really happy with it yet because the large volume buttons seemed to be a good idea running on my desktop but once in the car the little ones on the bottom are more handy. So I'm planning on changing this and make it look more like the actual audio player screen but with analizer. But it will give you an idea of what it looks like and how the nightskin looks.

If you are interested I can make a zip file of the entire nightskin and post it. But you will have to make some changes to it because it's not quite the same as the original anymore.

Bimmerstyle · 09-22-2006, 01:09 PM

Those are 19" 3 pieces RH phoenix rims. 9,5"x19" front and 10,5"x19" rear with falken 235/35/19 and 265/30/19 on it.

EsKALad · 09-22-2006, 01:17 PM

beautiful install...i must say one of the best i have seen...question tho...did you do the trunk like that on purpose? the leather/vinyl looks loose and pillowy...

Bimmerstyle · 09-22-2006, 01:23 PM

Thank You! Yes I actually did this on purpose. I placed a piece of foam between the MDF and the Vinyl. I wanted it to look like the interior of the car. Maybe the pictures don't show it but in real life it looks great like that.

Yevmeister · 09-22-2006, 02:13 PM

Nice,

Diesel, Nice, I like

Goodjob the screen fabrication is just flawless

Yev

jermaine · 09-22-2006, 02:26 PM

very very very nice,

please show the pictures of making the bezel.

I also have an E39 TDS

Enforcer · 09-22-2006, 04:15 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Bimmerstyle

If you are interested I can make a zip file of the entire nightskin and post it. But you will have to make some changes to it because it's not quite the same as the original anymore.

As a reference could you do that. (although my night skin has more contrast than that) there is an email contact on my website, use that. Also any info to set up the winamp spectrum analyser and plug etc. I will have a look at it.

Bimmerstyle · 09-23-2006, 08:48 AM

@Enforcer

I will try to send them in the next few days. I'm a bit of a buzy bee so I don't have a lot of time but I will do it for sure within a few days.

Maybe an idea for when you make another update: When using Freedrive, at the top right of the skin shows the speed you're driving but now when you're driving over 100km/h the "1" isn't visible. It's a very small bug but maybe you can fix it in the next version. When I send you the skin you will see I changed it in a few screens but not al yet due to lack of time.

Didn't have time yet to test v2.12. Maybe It's allready solved in that version. If so, you may ignore this remark.

Grtzz..

Enforcer · 09-23-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Bimmerstyle

Maybe an idea for when you make another update: When using Freedrive, at the top right of the skin shows the speed you're driving but now when you're driving over 100km/h the "1" isn't visible. It's a very small bug but maybe you can fix it in the next version. When I send you the skin you will see I changed it in a few screens but not al yet due to lack of time.

That was done deliberately due to space. As we use MPH going into to three figures is unusual. I didn't think about KPH people

in 2.12 changing that for (almost) all screens is a lot easier, as all the top info is now in just one file, so changing that will change it for (almost) all screens.

but will look at that for future editions.