nasa

Ok,

Finally decided to create a worklog. I hope to cover my install history (been working on it for 1.5 years....), problems, solutions, etc. To set the stage, here were/are my goals for the project:

When I Started -- these were my main goals:

1. Have All my music in my car (48G) [Done!]
2. GPS [Done!]
3. cellphone integrated with system [Done!]


Now, I have added more

4. Traffic updates [0% there]
5. Quick boot speed [???]
6. Reliable [???]

--Every Boot returns to the same state

7. HD Radio [0% there]
8. Auto-uupdates (weather, traffic , gas prices, etc.) via BT phone Connection [0% there]
9. Voice Recognition/Control [50% there]

-- Use Mode button on Steering Wheel to Pause Music && Enable MIC, with VC always on....

10. Use as many of cars existing controls as possible.... [25% there]



Compenents in car (right now):

MB899 Intel Core Single/Duo Mini-Itx Motherboard 945GM with Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile 1.66GHz
Seagate EE25 40G
OPUS Mini-ITX Vehicle PC Case w/ built in 120w power supply
Xenarc 700TSV
BU-353 Weather-proof GPS Receiver with IGuidance 3.0
USB-UIRT
DVD Drive - Pioneer K06
D-Link DWA-130
Generic Firewire Card
Digital Sound processor
Car2PC
USB UIRT
Parrot CK3000

Power budget for Opus:

Output: 120W Ripple Regulation
+3.3V: 8A Max, 10A Peak 50mv p-p max 2%
+5V: 8A Max, 10A Peak 50mv p-p max 2%
+12V: 3.5A Max, 4.5A Peak 100mv p-p max 2%
-12V: 0.35A Max, 0.5A Peak 150mv p-p max 10%
+5V STDBY: 2A Max, 2.5A Peak 50mv p-p max 2%
Power supply overall efficiency >90%

Cpu/Motherboard/Memory:
max power req - Core™ Duo 2.0GHz w/ 2x 1GB DDR2; +3.3V: 3.02A, +5V: 2.81A, +12V: 1.76A

Seagate HD:


Transcent SSD:
+5v:

Firewire card:

Wireless network Card




Of course, this all has to go into a ride...
(older pic, when it looked all new and shinny)



Other setup Info:
My carputer is located in my trunk. It's mounted on a mdf board (with 2 rails, so I can remove the computer as necessary) which is screwed into the driver side wall of the trunk (there's a metal piece between the outside shell of the car and the fabric inside). I am using an Opus solutions case, which is to big to fit anywhere on the inside of the car.



I have an amp under the passenger seat, my DSP processor under the driver seat, DVD drive/usb hub/DSP control unit in my center console,


and USB UIRT/Car2PC behind monitor in the area that use to be the little cubby area (see next post for picture of monitor with the Parrot in the top left hand corner).

MP3Car.com

 

nasa

Ok,

Some post on my hardware setup. Up first -- touchscreen monitor. I have the Xenarc 700TSV as my monitor. I choose to place it in the little cubby below -- as removing the actual stereo would be VERY problematic for simpletons like me. I had this piece installed by a professional. He also made the piece the monitor sits in.

john05srt4

Nice.. see my sig for my 07 accord coupe i had last year done.

Talk to NeXson about a more OEM look for that xenarc.

__________________
My Accord CarPC

nasa

Hey John,

Was looking at you setup and noticed your using a car2pc. Which buttons from the headunit actually work?

Nasa

kandyman676

who was the business that did your screen install?

__________________
"If it works this good why F with it?" -KMFDM "Intro"

Strive for ethical wardriving: http://faq.wardrive.net/

My CarCPUs: v1 - 2000 | v2 - 2004
Mp3Car Meets: http://detrimental.org/eyecandy/MP3CarMeets

nasa

Kandyman,

Wyvon at a Tweeter in York, PA is the man who hooked up the mount for me.

TonyWare

If you get the radio attachment part from Honda for the 03 accord then that xenarc fits perfectly if you attach it from the back of that bezel attachment they sell... here is a pic of mine:





Use the remote control of the xenarc instead of the buttons that are hidden behind the bezel.

nasa

Solution: Parrot CK3000.

I had been waitng to see if either Streetdeck or Centrafuse would provide integrated software solutions, but after waiting (and waiting, and waiting) and reviewing issues with echo -- I just decided it was time to move on to a proven solution. So today, I got the Parrot installed.

Given my setup, which removed the HU out of the loop, the CK3000 was installed after my amp and before the speakers. A relay was installed to shut down the amp when a call is active (some people want sound still working while on the phone -- I just want the call, I get so few anyways )

Intial testing had very positive results. No echo problems and both parties heard the call load and clear (although the person in the car seemed to be far away).

I went with the CK3000 as it fit where I wanted to place it (the others were to large) and I didn't need streaming music from my phone (aka CK6000).

The Parrot is the device in the upper left hand corner of the picture in post #2 (it has the red and green lights....)

After a couple of months of use the CK3000 was dropping calls and people were having trouble talking with me... So, I took back to Best Buy and had them look at it. At the end, I ended up with the CK3100 (they didn't have any more CK3000). The CK3100 does work/sound better and the interface is nice. But it doesn't look as nice and integrated with the setup as the CK3000. I will post updated pictures soon....

MP3Car.com

 

nasa

Begining Status:

SWIX connected to steering wheel which is read by a USB UIRT and translated into command via GIRDER. Prior to this weekend I had just volume and prev/next buttons workings. Over the weekend I added support for the mode button which when pressed sends PLAY && system MUTE (for mic) commands. This will allow me to leave voice command active all the time and just activate the mic when necessary.

To Do:

Over the weekend I had a Parrot CK3000 installed. It has a nice little microphone. I already had one installed -- so I plan to remove it. The mic from the Parrot has a standard plug, so I plan to get a Y slitter and use that one mic. Once that's done I will be able to program voice command and meet this goal.

nasa

Reserve

nasa

Reserved

nasa

2003 Honda Accord Wire Layout

FUNCTION...................WIRE COLOR..............POLARITY..............LOCATION
12volts...................... white.......................+..............ignitio n harness
Starter...................... black/white...............+..............ignition harness
Ignition.....................black/yellow................+..............ignition harness
Accessory................. black/red...................+..............ignition harness
Second Accessory.......white/red...................+..............ignition harness
Keysense...................red/white or red/black...-..............ignition harness

Power Lock .............. pink/black .................. - ........... grn plug, L side of fusebox
Power Unlock ........... pink/blue .................... - ........... grn plug, L side of fusebox
**These wires will meter while using the passenger door lock switch.

Lock Motor .... yellow/black .... 5wi .... grn plug, front of fusebox
Unlock Motor .... yellow/green .... 5wi .... grn plug, front of fusebox
Disarm Defeat .... yellow .... 5wi .... large wht plug above fusebox

Parking Lights+ .... red/black .... + .... large wht plug above fusebox
Parking Lights- .... black/red or blue/red .... - .... in steering column cover

Hazards .... green/red .... + .... large wht plug above fusebox
Turn Signal(L) .... red/blue .... + .... large wht plug above fusebox
Turn Signal(R) .... brown .... + .... large wht plug above fusebox

Door Trigger .... green/red .... - .... grn 5 pin plug behind fusebox
Trunk/Hatch Pin .... blue/black .... - .... driver kick, harness to rear
Hood Pin .... yellow/red .... - .... hood pin switch in latch
Trunk/Hatch Release .... yellow/green .... + ..... driver kick, harness to rear

Factory Alarm Arm .... white/red .... - .... driver door module in door
Factory Alarm Disarm .... white .... - .... driver door module in door
Disarm No Unlock factory alarm disarm

Tachometer .... blue/red or blue .... AC .... ECM/PCM
**The ECM/PCM is on the front of the transmission tunnel.
**The connectors are on the passenger side.
**On the 4 cylinder models the tach wire is in the white 31 pin connector E, pin 25.
**On the 6 cylinder models it is in the gray connector A, pin 23.

Horn Trigger .... green/yellow .... - .... steering column
Speed Sense .... blue/white .... ECM/PCM
**The ECM/PCM is on the front of the transmission tunnel.
**The connectors are on the passenger side.
**On the 4 cylinder models the VSS wire is in the white 31 pin connector E, pin 26.
**On the 6 cylinder models it is in the gray connector A, pin 11

Wipers .... blue (L), yellow (H) .... - .... windshield wiper motor

LF Window up/dn .... red/black - red/yellow .... LF window switch in door
RF Window up/dn .... red/blue - red .... RF window switch in door
LR Window up/dn .... red/white - blue/black .... LR window switch in door
RR Window up/dn .... red/white - blue/black .... RR window switch in door

Sun Roof open/close .... green/yellow - green/black .... moonroof motor, rear of roof
**Only on the sedans.
**Coupes: the moonroof motor is integrated into the moonroof control unit not allowing
**access to the motor wires.

Radio 12v .... white/green .... + .... radio harness
Radio Ground .... black .... - .... radio harness
Radio Ignition .... yellow/red + .... radio harness
Radio Illumination .... red/black .... + .... radio harness
Power Antenna .... yellow/green .... + .... radio harness
LF Speaker +/- .... green/black - lt. green .... radio harness
RF Speaker +/- .... grn/yel - gray or gray/red .... radio harness
LR Speaker +/- .... blue/white - blue/black .... radio harness
RR Speaker +/- .... pink - blue/yellow .... radio harness


Seat Removal:

I originally thought that I might be
able to get to it by removing the front bolts, loosening the rear bolts,
and leaning the seat back

nasa

Over the 1 1/2 working on my system, I have gone through multiple pieces of hardware -- I am at the conclusion that most is not of high enough maturity or reliability to be mainstream... I hope this improves.

What has been reliable -- my memory module is the same one I started out with. My present motherboard and cpu have been going strong for the last 9 months (it took 3 iterations of mb/cpu combos to get to this point). Touchscreen has *worked* (once I figured out the correct settings) for a good year.

[12/04/06] Problem with no sound when audio clearly playing.
Resolution: Turn up the volume within Winamp....

[July 2, 08] Latest issue: Computer crashes at somewhat random timing. Testing today make me think it's related to the volume . I had the crash late yesterday afternoon (crash in this case = stuttering music, followed shortly by a blank screen (video still being produced as monitor light is solid) which I initally attributed to heat or power. I had it crash again, this morning --effectively limiting the idea of heat (it was a much cooler morning, and I had AC cooling the trunk). For whatever reason, I decided keeping the volume low could make a difference. Attempting that allowed the computer to run for the next 2 trips (about 25 && 45 minutes) without a crash. The next trip, I kept the volume low for about 35 minutes before raising the volume (much higher, but unsure what level I had raised it too) which led to a crash about 5 - 10 minutes later. Some further observations using SpeedFan, I noted that increasing the volume does increase the temps -- and no to slowly. Tested this at about 5am with outside temps around 70F, cpu temp starting at 121F. Raising the volume from 5 to 50 for about 10 minutes led to cpu around 126F. CPU is rated for temps from 0 to 100C, however, the MB is rated only upto 60C


[July 8, 08] Recurring Issue: Every so often (like this morning) my Opus 120W power supply will fail to power up as it's suppose too. It requires removing the power connector (maybe doing it a couple of times) and reconnecting it after a few moments to get it to start up again. This problem has been existing for a while now. I haven't noticed a pattern for when it works correctly vs when it fails to start. The problem has existed over multiple DC-DC adapters -- so I don't think it's that. But, if I assume that -- I'm not sure where I should be looking. I should note that I do have a valet switch that kills the 12V power to my computer.... However, it doesn't usually work. Well, the 12V is cut off -- but switching it back on doesn't mean the computer will restart. I have noticed this consistantly when I have had a computer freeze, that using the valet switch causes issues with trying to restart the computer. That said -- when my system does power up, power seems to work just fine

Other Issues I'm working:
- improve boot/shutdown speeds
- Fix my center console (doesn't open right)
- Make display more OEM
- Place the CK3100 in a better location
- Find ways to make usb mouse/keyboard wires retractable (or maybe a small bluetooth keyboard/mouse)
- fix broken aux cable
- add in a cable to recharge phone
- Configure my own rr skin to work with SN
-- need to use freq+/-, scan, tune, & surf radio commands
- my router doesn't reach my car...
- improving load times within RR (between different screens)
- determine wether power from usb powered hubs reaching back to my computer is a problem or not...

nasa

I had/have envisioned getting my steering wheel && stereo controls to work with my headless system. My first thought was to use SWIX for steering wheel control without much thought of the other controls. Then I learned of Car2PC, which I had hoped would give me *full* control. Well....

First off, just in case someone else out there is as dense as I am, I wanted to post what car2pc will do for you, using my 2003 accord as an example.

• Button
  Works
• AM/FM
  NO
• CDC
  YES
• Seek
  YES
• Repeat
  YES
• Random
  YES
• Tune
  YES
• Button 1
  NO?
• Button 2
  NO?
• Button 3
  NO?
• Button 4
  NO?
• Button 5
  YES
• Button 6
  YES
• Scan
  YES
• Volume Knob
  NO
• Steering Wheel Mode
  NO
• Steering Wheel Prev/Next
  YES
• Steering Wheel Volume
  YES

To help decipher if a button will work for you -- check to see if the button has actions the will apply to the CD Changer. Although car2pc says it will give you access to your steering wheel controls -- that is only true if the controls will change something with a CD Changer. That's why Volume control on the steering wheel won't work. The Mode button (switches between AM/FM/CD/CD Changer/etc) will only tell you when you enter/exit CD Changer mode.

Given the problems with using Car2PC for the steering wheel, I have implemented using the SWIX for that purpose (and it works, mostly). The SWIX works by sending IR commands to my USB-UIRT, which I then pass to Girder. The only problem I have with it, is the *responsiveness* isn't quite there. Especially the MODE button.

Once I got the SWIX working, I went back to get the Car2PC to do what it can. Well, that leads to my present problem. It turns out that both the usb-uirt and the car2pc use the same chip.... I have installed drivers for each individual device, but now only 1 will work at a given time. Specifically this is true if I use the Car2PC windows drivers. The non windows drivers do work with the UIRT, but not with the RR Car2PC drivers.

skuller

I can change volume on my steering wheel, from any mode.
And no problem with button functionality at all.
06 accord with car2pc

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