Kalenth

hmmm... any recommendations for an external sound card and USB replicator? I've found a few... but I can't tell any major difference except price.

...
....
this is what I found.

Zalman ZM-RSSC External USB 5.1 Sound Card - is what I ended up getting for a sound card. I should have it in by this weekend.


Blaupunkt THA555PnP - Amp. 5.1 in/out. Not super powerful, but honestly I do not need to wreck my ears, or my wallet on something ridiculously overpowered. Reviews thus far have been extremely popular, and setup looks to be fairly strait forward.

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Kalenth

I ordered the last of what I need to get this project off my desk and in my truck.

4X DC power unit, DC power supply for my laptop.

As for the laptop storage area, I ended up removing the panel above the glove box, moving the 2 metal bracers that are inside. From there, I had a considerable amount of space to use, probably 14" wide X 14 deep X 2 high. I cut out the plastic centerpost, cut 2 grooves in the bottom for the slide rails, and cleaned up the whole bit so it would look ok.







As for the dash components, I removed the cigarette lighter faceplate, removed the lighter (it will later be used to power the stuff internally). Then I took the faceplate off of my slot load DVD rom, and very carefully cut it into the faceplate. Some JB weld later, and now it looks like one stock piece.





Next is the mockup, main install, and sound connections.

The only thing left to figure out is how to auto-on this thing with the ignition. Any suggestions are appreciated.

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Foggin331

So far it looks pretty good.
I will be starting the install on my 2006 f150 next weedend.Have you tried out that sound card yet I am still tring to figure out what I am going to do for a card.

Kalenth

I haven't received it yet. It and the amp should be coming in this weekend. From what I have seen, either that or the creative usb sound card would be the all-in-one options for this type of build. I don't think that it needs external power, but I may have to wait and see.


on another note, I've been doing some side research on a remote switch for the laptop... I pulled apart a junk LT here at work and hooked up a PC switch to the terminal, it worked like a dream... so I'm trying to find a good quality button to use.

Anyone know how a resistor would work for a 12v to a 2v for a LED?... or I might use a Bulgin switch.

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cgndhhh

hey, nice to see another F-150 truckputer. I recently started running all my wires and components getting everything ready for my install as well in my f-150. if you havent already done so, i found that the brain of the HD radio (HDZ300) fits perfectly above the stock radiom, right underneath that center dash area. kinda hard to explain but mine fit perfectly. For my screen i am using the newer lilliput 629, the width fit perfectly snug into the double din Metra kit, and all i had to do was trim the area where the buttons are at the bottom to be able to fit it into the opening. I'll try and post some pics of my install also. and if you are still looking for some raamat, i was able to do both my front doors and the back wall with 1 roll. and i'll prob. wind up ordering another roll to finish the entire floor. you are right though its all about research,research, and more research. another neat trick if ur trying to maximize deadening road noise is to fill the gaps in the back wall along with your a-pillars and b-pillars with some non-expanding foam that you buy at home depot. i used about two cans on the back wall filling in the gaps.

rdholtz

That's a nice spot for the laptop. Since it's staying pretty much intact, it might be interesting to mount a couple of short shelf slides in there with a panel on them, and put the laptop on that. When you need to access the laptop, you could just slide it out and do whatever you want, then slide it back in.

You can find the bottom-mount shelf slides at a local cabinetmakers supply shop, or probably online, like here.

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Kalenth

HAHA! I am actually doing exactly that. If you can see the notch that I have cut out in the dash, that is for the left rail slide. I am using 0 space sliders... but the ones that I got are a bit long, so I am searching for some 12" sliders.

The overall concept is a wood stained computer desk that slides out with a small chrome knob. I am still wondering if it is possible for me to fill in the backside of the dash panel, and color it or coat it in leather/pleather for a better look.

last night I tried baking that dvd bezel....
I melted it. aparently 150 degrees on my oven is not accurate. It was in for about 10 minutes and it fried... so keep that in mind.

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Kalenth

@cgndhhh, I am actually mounting the HD receiver in the case that BLK02si built for me. Originally it had my MOBO in it, but with that no longer being used, I am mounting all of the other hardware in there, with a flex line binding all the cables for a cleaner setup.

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Kalenth

so... since I melted the front bezel of that $70 dvd rom... I have to buy another (unless someone knows where I can get a specific bezel)
I'm looking at this one:
http://www.myeglobal.com/productdeta...per-Burne.html

It looks to do the same thing... but the last one I had a SIDE to IDE adapter to USB adapter... and had to plug in a 4 post 12V power line... so this looks to be more efficient. (SIDE=Slim IDE)

sweet... I just found one on Ebay for 58$ shipped from the UK.

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Kalenth

Tonight's project was to finish mounting the dash cover... I got that completed. Hinges were drilled and everything was mounted flush. Last night everything seemed to break on me, so it was welcome relief.

The next thing to complete was a remote on switch for the laptop... many have seen this done as the "phone cord power button" take a look at some of the following photos and you will get the gist. PM me for specific details.


I started by removing the top part of the dock, exposing the circuits...


Then I cut the switch line going from the bottom right to the center area. It was fairly straitforward as it was already a 2 line switch.


Here is a closeup of the plug


Then I sautered the power button from an old dead computer to the existing wires... that is the easiest place for me to get a temporary switch until I go to radio shack.


Then I had to sauter the lines to the phone jack. I used a single twisted pair from a CAT6 cable.That was the hardest part, so just take your time. MAKE SURE that the prongs are not touching.


Then I hook up my test phone line with the temp switch to check the connection. It works. (SWEET!)


Final test to make sure it works. You can see the blue/white pair in the back, that is in the shell. The forward part is the phone line after hacking it up.


Finally I route the wire around anything that will smash or ground it out, or moving parts. Lock the top back down, dock the LT, and start that thing up.

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rdholtz

Great to see two minds aligned . . . the link I put in post #22 is for 12" bottom-mount sliders; maybe they'd work.


Another interesting cabinetmaker's trick: instead of a chrome knob, maybe you could use touch-latches. Push on the panel, and the latches give a little and pop open; you swing the panel down and use it. When you're done, you swing the panel up and they latch it in place. There's no visible hardware at all, so it looks even more OEM.

They come magnetic like this one or these, and non-magnetic like these. You might even adapt the one for glass doors here. There are bunches of these latches, in an amazing -- and sometimes ridiculous -- price range, from a few bucks to $25(!?!) each.


I wonder if a 1/4" plywood panel -- finished like the slide-out panel -- wouldn't look nice; it's be pretty easy to fit if you made the sides of the same material, matching the contour of the door. Leather/pleather would look good, too.

Of course, all this is easy for me to think up -- you have to do all the work.

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Kalenth

Hey! Thanks! Those are what I have been looking for. So far, I had used a flat magnetic clasp at the top of the dash cover... I think the magnetic clasp will feel much more tactile.

The chrome pull is going to attach to the internal tray. I am thinking about staining the wood shelf like the dash cover, and having a chrome pull just for fun.

The sliders are the correct length, but I am looking for the really thin ones that don't have a 90 degree bend to them.... at least for now. I wanted the slides to no even be visible... but I am having real issues finding something that will work exactly like I want. In reality, I need something that allows the laptop to exit the hatch and flex downward at the same time... with a flat rail, it will come out, but will be angles upwards. Curved railed I haven't found yet...
Maybe I can put the front of the rails on hinges, and the backs of the rails can lift and lower as the laptop comes out/in...

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rdholtz

If I understand your idea, it's to fasten the front of the rails to hinges, and leave the back of the rails unfastened. That seems workable; maybe you'll want to fasten the backs if them to a crossbar to keep them aligned. If the drop-down face of the dash would support them, maybe you can set it up to be the base against which the front of the rails rest, so it gives the keyboard a workable position.

Or maybe the backs of the rails can rise to meet the tube across the compartment, and that would give you the stability and support you want.

I've never seen curved rails, but I imagine it could be done. That would lots of engineering and machining time.

Maybe there's another approach to give you the same effect. What if the rails were fixed in the dash, and a single pair of wheels -- or guides, or whatever -- that rode in the rails were attached at the back of the deck? As the deck came out, the front wouldn't be attached at all, and it could drop down and rest on the door. That wouldn't be as graceful, admittedly, but it would certainly do the job. I see two issues with it: (1) making sure the door is strong enough to provide support, and (2) finding a way to retain alignment as you bring the tray out. Just a thought . . .

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.

Kalenth

I took a look today (since stores were closed and I couldn't go get my PC remote switch) at the rail systems.... I had the flat rails, and also the walker rails.... the kind that you see on a desk that unfold like a pair of scissors and extend then snap locked...

I think after much deliberation, I may end up using those 12" side rails, and just cut as much from the edge of them as I can. then, like you suggest, keep a vertical brace in the rear to control the rail posisiton, and hinge them at the front to allow some degree of motion.

The door itself is pretty sturdy, I have the hinges epoxied to the plastic, so there is a chemical bonf there now... and the other side of the hinge is bolted through some stamped steel bracers in the dash. I might be able to use it for some weight retention, but I am still working on how to connect everything on the interior correctly in a "one time go" scenario... that, and I eventually will have to sand down that whole section of dash and paint it to make it a bit more 007. I'm not a big fan of a gaping hole in my dash, even if it provides function.

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blk02si

Lookin Good Kalenth!

Just read through your recent updates, sorry to hear about the m10000.

I've been really checking into ITX boards and they are getting very cheap and very powerful!

I do like laptop idea, and the rest of your work on the f150, keep the pics, and the cool drawings, coming!

-Joe

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