Toyota Kluger 2004 - Pint

Pint · 10-07-2007, 07:31 AM

I started my project a few months ago and have had numerous "adventures". It all began a long, long time ago when I thought "Gee, wouldn't be great to have a car computer. Instead of buying and installing everything seperately, I can just get one of them".

It proved quite hard.....no not hard.... involved.

IMHO the two most important peices of Car Computer equipement are

Fuses
Adequate Wire Thickness

I've learnt a lot about those.
I have driven past a burnt out cars on the side of the road and thought to myself hmmmmm....... home wiring gone bad?

My story starts with a VOOM PC2.

Molex connecter fell off.
I had to get a replacement power cable. After a while that Molex connecter became too loose to. I have decided that IMHO molex connectors are a POS. I have cut it off and replaced it with spade connectors.

My story continues
Wiated a very long time to get plug adaptors to connect into the existing wiring harnes
My story continues
Lost my installation disks and manuals for the PC.... doh!
My story continues
Discovered I needed an amp
My story continues
Wiated a very long time for the AMP

My story continues
I wired up the PSU incorrectly - doh!
AMP wasn't turning on as I had put the AMP RMT into the external on/off switch connector(J9 and not J6). I

My M2 ATX PSU started misbehaving....
When I connected the IGN wire the PSU would power up and turn on the mother board..... For a few seconds at least and then sudenly switch it off.

After few days of trying different things I have given up on M2 ATX and order an OPUS 120w.
I wired up a switch on the live so I can get the thing to work temprarily whilst i wait for the OPUS.

My VOOM PC2 is in the car.
The sound through the AMP is rubbish. I'm going to get an external sound card methinks.......

I also took at the DVD drive - There's no room for it with it's big ugly 40 pin ribbon cable. I'll see if I can source a shorter cable. The ribbon cable was damaged becuase it was such a tight squeeze.

Pint · 10-07-2007, 07:38 AM

I cut the ribbon cable at the 40 pin plug for the DVD drive to shorten it to a third of the original lenght. After I did this, I checked no wire was shorting out with a magnifying glass.
DVD drive fits nicely now with a bit more room for airflow.

Installed an external 5.1 sound card, which fixed up the sound quality. I thought I had a fault sound card, until I figured out the left speakers were turned down. Doh!

Speakers still pop when I turn off as the PSU is still dodgy.

Pint · 10-14-2007, 10:32 PM

After I replaced the DVD drive, I couldn't get any sound out of the PC. I checked all connections which were all good.
On investigating the loss of sound my machine stopped working all together. The CPU fan starts up but then nothing. No signal to the Screen, not booting, nothing.

After reading threads and trying it with another PSU, have concluded by Motherboard is stuffed

Ordered a new one.

I'm trying to get the bluetooth hands free working on my laptop whilst I wait for the boards to turn up.

Pint · 10-22-2007, 01:14 AM

Recieved the Mobo and PSU. Replaced both and got my machine working.
I installed the computer into the car and it is running sweet.

I'll never take it apart again.....

I've installed the griffin powermate volume control knob, but I was unable to install the program. Waiting to see what Powermate say.

time to look into GPS solutions.

Pint · 10-22-2007, 06:56 AM

I had a lot of interference and whining from my speakers...

After a bit of investigation discovered it was my USB hub....?

I moved my external sound card to another different hub and it fixed the problem.

Pint · 10-24-2007, 09:20 PM

PC is very noisy.... plan to -

run my fans of the 5v rail
sit the PC on a heat exchanger
use a vacum air pump to suck out the air to compensate the fans slowing down.

Just waiting for the parts

and I've bought some GPS....

moboman · 10-25-2007, 03:21 PM

Do you have any more pictures than the three?

One way to help with pc noise is to use dynamat. Also you can get Enomeral bearing fans. I have one and it spins at about 886-1k rpm. Also the bigger 120mm fans do not make as much noise as the little ones.

Pint · 11-03-2007, 06:29 AM

okay....
I tried Speedfan but it wouldn't work with my ITX machine.
also tried powering my fans with 5Volts but as GRRMachine hinted, they wouldn't start up.

I had a look at quiter fans - but I could'nt find them in Australia and shipping was going to cost me an arm and a leg so I gave up on that idea.

I've gone back to the Fanmate solution. I took the fanmate out of it's plastic and shortened it's cable then plugged them into my fans and squeezed them into my case.

I also screwed a laptop heat exchanger - which is really just a piece of aluminium - to the bottom of my case to help with heat transfer.

My PC is now running quite. Although a little hot. I'll see how it goes and as a last resort put in a vacum air pump to suck out air and improve cooling. I'll post some more pictures when I get a chance tomorrow.

Good news is that I've installed my GPS

Pint · 11-13-2007, 09:33 PM

Fitted my GPS receiver and griffen powermate volume controller - check pics

Pint · 11-25-2007, 11:24 PM

added a Sony stereo microphone for use with my bluetooth hands free.

I'm just waiting for a 3.5 mic jack to USB adaptor before I can pug it into my machine.

Pint · 11-27-2007, 05:02 PM

added an on-off-on rocker switch which is proving to be very handy. And a USB port for plugging in USB drive and mobile phone.

The filling in and painting around the USB port doesn't look that great.... I'm not liking working with plastic.