Scion xB '06, in-dash Atom 330, Lilliput 889GL; details, pictures, links. Index: pg 1 - Page 68

rdholtz · 11-06-2009, 07:08 PM

Bad Week for Tires, Part 2

The tire I damaged was dismounted and analyzed. It's dead. There's a 3/4-inch (19mm) damaged area in the middle of the tread. It might be possible to repair that with a patch, but the tread isn't the only part that hit. The sidewall is terminally damaged, as well. The upshot is that the tire will never be mounted again: it's either garage decor or scrap.

Bummer. That's about $160+ off the car toys budget.

I never even got to see what I hit. What fun is that?

Grumble grumble grumble.

On the bright side of things, the wheel is undamaged, as far as we can tell. Whew! A wheel would cost more than the tire, if I could even find one.

I'll get the replacement tire ordered tomorrow.

rdholtz · 11-07-2009, 08:30 AM

Installation Day -- or Installation Weekend

With only a dozen solder joints to finish on peripheral wiring, I'll have everything ready to install this morning, so this afternoon begins the actual install-it-in-the-dash phase.

I'll do one last bench test with everything running through the last connections I made, and, assuming everything works, it'll go into the car.

colin · 11-07-2009, 01:43 PM

It's about time! I've been waiting for some good pictures in this thread for a while

Good luck!

rdholtz · 11-07-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by colin

It's about time! I've been waiting for some good pictures in this thread for a while

Good luck!

Thanks, Colin. Yep, it is about time. And the funny thing is, I thought I'd have it all in the car today. It's after 10pm and I'm still tweaking it on the bench. It's doing fine, now. Even though I have two USB ports that don't want to play nicely, I'll install it anyway. I can live without them, and I need to get some experience with the system.

I'll get those photos tomorrow while installing . . .

rdholtz · 11-08-2009, 09:56 AM

Installation Weekend

It turned out to be Installation Weekend, not Installation Day. The first Installation Day turned out to be a More Wiring and Troubleshooting Day. I made some good changes to the system wiring -- adding more disconnects so it's very modular -- and finally got everything ready to go.

Before installing the system, I put everything together on the test bench -- my desk -- and found two issues: the power-on LED wasn't working, and the four USB ports I added were dead.

I diagnosed the "no power LED" issue quickly. I had tried a solderless wire end on two connectors, and I immediately suspected them. I went back and replaced them with soldered joints, and the light came up fine.

The USB ports seemed strange. I took the top off the chassis and discovered that I hadn't reconnected them to the mainboard while I was in doing some tweaking. Oops. I reconnected them, and more testing showed two worked and two didn't, so I popped the top again. Close inspection showed the cable with the two dead ports didn't have the ninth pin wired to ground -- apparently it was a USB 1.1 cable, originally -- so I got out the fine soldering tip and built a ninth pin with a split lead, then soldered them to the other two ground wires. I put it all back together, and all the ports work.

As soon as I get Garmin Mobile PC installed and get the latest updates from Microsoft on it, I'll head down to the car and start getting it in there.

rdholtz · 11-08-2009, 08:06 PM

Installation Weekend Update

Seems like there's always one last thing before installation, and I found it: I had to pair the mini Bluetooth keyboard with the carPC. Then I shut the system down, disassembled everything, and headed for the driveway. The temperature was nice and it was sunny, with very little wind, so it was good installation weather. There was nothing in the PC system left to solder; it was down to just making connections.

But there was still the issue of the short in the dash. I healed that by re-doing the first two connections I made in the car. I made those connections when I was just getting back into soldering, and they looked pretty amateurish, compared to the ones I'm making now: way too much solder and way too little finesse.

I spent a couple of hours getting the cables to lay in the dash the way I wanted them, or at least as close as possible, shortening them up with Velcro cable wraps. I finally got to actually putting the PC in the dash but, sad to say, the end of the day and the loss of light caught up with me. The PC is only part of the way in the dash. I'm still working out what I need to do to get the cables to lay in there just right as I slide the chassis in, but I'm close. A couple more evenings and a bunch of patience, and I should have it figured out.

rdholtz · 11-09-2009, 09:42 AM

Cable Battle

That dash is really tight. It seems like there should be enough room, but the cables aren't bending like I'd expect them to. I may have to go back to guiding the cables with string that pulls them out of the way as the chassis slides into the dash. I'm going to try and get a mirror-on-a-stick down in there so I can see what's happening. If that doesn't work, Josh and I will rig a mini-camera he has and see if we can get that to help us envision whatever it is we're missing.

I got so frustrated last night that I was ready to just jam the PC into the dash, and I knew that wouldn't be good for anything. I had to quit working on it for a while. I'll pick it the work on it again tonight.

HiJackZX1 · 11-09-2009, 03:26 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

Cable Battle

That dash is really tight. It seems like there should be enough room, but the cables aren't bending like I'd expect them to. I may have to go back to guiding the cables with string that pulls them out of the way as the chassis slides into the dash. I'm going to try and get a mirror-on-a-stick down in there so I can see what's happening. If that doesn't work, Josh and I will rig a mini-camera he has and see if we can get that to help us envision whatever it is we're missing.

I got so frustrated last night that I was ready to just jam the PC into the dash, and I knew that wouldn't be good for anything. I had to quit working on it for a while. I'll pick it the work on it again tonight.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA, I dont mean to laugh, but it sounds like you almost had a HiJackZX1 moment. I get so frustrated with stuff like that. Like when I have to adjust my front center console, you should hear all the profanity thats pouring out my car, because there are so many wires running down the middle that once the screws are out, it wobbles and will not sit the same way. It just so happens that every time I work on that, the Jehovah witnesses are walking by, they literally come half way up my drive way and immediately turn around. Now when I did the second rear center console, I learned my lesson, built the PC into the frame, but made it so the case can be taken off without moving or f*#king with any wires, except the USB ports that are built into the console. In fact anything that had to do with wiring I improved, but because the way the front console is built, I have no choice but to deal with it.

rdholtz · 11-10-2009, 06:05 AM

How Would I do This Differently?

I think if I were to start this all over again, I'd modify the case so the mainboard sat in the dash with its back -- where all the connectors are -- facing out of the dash. In other words, the connectors would be on the passenger compartment end of the chassis, not way back in the dash. That's a major redesign.

But I'm not starting over. So I need to consider alternatives, and there's one other very good option open to me: go ahead with the screen mount modification, so the end can be open when I'm installing. That would mean I could see what's happening in the dash, and perhaps act to guide things through the small openings available. It's something I planned to do anyway, before I start building the bezel.

Instead of fighting the frustration, I think I'll tackle the new screen mount. Yes, it's a diversion from getting the PC up and running in the car, but it's a worthy one. With a little luck and attention to detail, it'll make the process of installation vastly easier.

Dexamenus · 11-10-2009, 07:02 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

I think if I were to start this all over again, I'd modify the case so the mainboard sat in the dash with its back -- where all the connectors are -- facing out of the dash. In other words, the connectors would be on the passenger compartment end of the chassis, not way back in the dash.

Been planning my build recently, and thats exactly what i have decided to do!, should make things much easier.

Loving these updates mate, keep them coming!

rdholtz · 11-10-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Dexamenus

Been planning my build recently, and thats exactly what i have decided to do!, should make things much easier.

Loving these updates mate, keep them coming!

I'm glad they help, Dex.

No matter which way we aim the connections, I've seen that we need to leave plenty of room for the cables. The VGA connection sticks way out, and next time I'd consider a right-angle adapter for VGA. They're available -- here's one from Antonline, for instance -- and you might want to choose one while you're developing your plans. That alone will change the space needed. Right-angle plugs for all the connections would be a good idea, but the VGA is the biggest space-user. We can get around the USB problems by using the pin connections instead of the ports, and some boards allow us to do that with sound, as well.

One thing that's on my wish list is a mainboard with onboard pin connectors for all the interfaces. That would eliminate the need to orient the mainboard in a specific direction, and give us the option to place the ports anywhere way we want.

I'd also consider a Pico-ITX board, but I don't believe any of those are available in the dual-core Atom systems -- not yet, anyway.

Dexamenus · 11-10-2009, 10:10 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

.......and some boards allow us to do that with sound, as well......

currently sourcing an audio header plug to dual male RCA's. Might have to custom make one as i only need it to be about 100mm long.

EDIT: hmm, turns out the header is the Inter HD audio, not AC'97 or analog, guess its back to the old plug at the back

Will stop hijacking your thread now

rdholtz · 11-11-2009, 06:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Dexamenus

currently sourcing an audio header plug to dual male RCA's. Might have to custom make one as i only need it to be about 100mm long.

EDIT: hmm, turns out the header is the Inter HD audio, not AC'97 or analog, guess its back to the old plug at the back

Will stop hijacking your thread now

Y'know, I never feel like this thread is getting hijacked. We've had some very interesting discussions, but it always come back to the carPC.

About that audio port: I know there are right-angle jacks for that, because I use one.

rdholtz · 11-11-2009, 05:12 PM

Revising the Chassis End Panel

The Scion dash is very deep on the right side of the bay -- where my power and VGA cables go -- but something is apparently catching somewhere as I slide the chassis in. The dash is very shallow on the left, and the cables on that side may be the hangup. I'm replacing the screen-mount end of the chassis, which was bolted on until now, with a pivoting panel hinged at the top. That panel will now swing up out of the way so I can see what obstruction is trying its best to make me crazy.

This modification will be good for the long term, too: after installation, I'll bolt the screen on, and the moving panel will allow me to change the screen angle at will.

I made good progress building the hinged end panel last night. I got it completely cut out and the edges smoothed. I drilled the mounting holes and fastened it to the chassis, and it fits just the way I envisioned. All that remains now is to drill two holes in the hinged panel. They'll be for the bolts that attach the screen, using the slot in the back of the screen housing.

If the weather stays clear this evening -- we were having the remnants of a tropical storm, yesterday -- then I'll do some chassis-in-the-dash fitting and see if I can look through the chassis to determine what the obstructions are.

If the weather stays crummy, I'll just finish the end panel and call it good for the day. Either way, I should be able to get pix of the new panel.

rdholtz · 11-12-2009, 07:14 AM

Revised Chassis End Panel

The weather stayed clear, so I was able to get some work done both in the garage and in the car. Although the new end panel isn't very pretty, yet -- it's not polished at all -- the forming work is done. I can say right now that I wish I'd had this idea in the first place. I can see what's going on in the dash, and I can easily mount the screen after installation of the chassis. The new system works great.

Here's a view of the hinged end panel from the touchscreen end:

Click images to enlarge.

The hinge is mounted -- with 6-32 machine screws and nuts -- through the holes used to mount the original end panel. The mount is offset 3/8 inch (~10mm) from the end so I can have a slight negative screen angle if I want -- for instance, if the vehicle behind me has particularly bright lights and I'm getting an uncomfortable glare.

The mounting holes for the screen aren't drilled, yet, but the bottom of the touchscreen will be right at the bottom of the end panel.

Here's a view of the hinge mount with the end panel swung up . . .

. . . here's a look from further back . . .

. . . and , finally, here's a look with the end panel swung all the way open:

With this new panel, it's pretty easy to see through to the other end of the chassis. I noticed right away that some cables are obstructing the chassis's motion, but they weren't the cables I thought were creating the issue.

I'll get some shots of the end panel with the screen mounting holes, and then -- this weekend, when I install -- I'll get some shots of it in the dash.

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