1991 Volkswagen Jetta carpc - Page 2

peecee · 03-04-2006, 11:12 PM

Finally decided to mount all my pc type hardware in my pc type box. Box was an old castaway NTX form factor (or so I'm told) so I had to drill all new holes for standoffs. Mounted the DSATX, 2.5" hard drive and epia m10000 in the case. It looks super-cluttered because I had to frankenstein in a regular desktop psu while I'm still doing the initial configuration. I expect I'll move it to the car sometime this week, once I get my Lilliput.

It's at least in a box, which I'd rather have than what I see most of the time - motherboard mounted right to a piece of mdf or something. I have a generic case cover (no, it's really not a NetVista) and I'll be putting that on once it's ready to go in the car. Also got a shot of the back. I'm not sure if I like the way I have to mount everything, but that's the way it is...

And a shameless plug for all the reading I've been doing and the front of the case...

Cris · 03-05-2006, 03:47 PM

Looks good. I assume you're going to mount it in the trunk...?

peecee · 03-05-2006, 08:52 PM

Yes, I will be mounting it in a sliding shelf in the trunk. In the trunk picture earlier in the thread, I tried to show where it will be going. I'll be putting a "drawer" in between the rear speakers suspended so it's not in the way. I don't have that built yet, so I might just sit it in the trunk. I'm pretty excited. Unfortunately, the stupid Belkin USB wireless adapter isn't working right. WinXP recognizes it, and the drivers are installed, but I keep coming up with an error that the device has no drivers.

peecee · 03-06-2006, 08:58 PM

I ordered a temperature data logger and 4 temperature sensors from electronics123.com. Very cool little kit, but you defintely need some soldering skills to assemble it.

I don't know if I'm going to use it, as it only gets me half of what I want. I need to hook up another data collector for voltage. I may just order the phidgets stuff and be done with it. Having the 8/8/8 and a 2 port 2.0 hub available through a single usb connection seems like a much better option.

Cris · 03-07-2006, 08:42 PM

Looks pretty easy. I'm curios how it works, as I plan to make one myself.

PCModifiers · 03-07-2006, 09:51 PM

How useful is that book to purchase? Also is this the kit you purchased? http://www.electronics123.com/s.nl/s...it.A/id.379/.f

peecee · 03-08-2006, 06:10 AM

I would say the book is pretty good. I don't think it can replace the reference available here or elsewhere on the internet, but I like to have printed material for those times when I just want to read. It gives lots of very good ideas, which is the main reason I bought it. I can write notes in the margins to remind me to look stuff up on the internet later on.

Yeah, that's the kit I ordered. It's pretty cool.

peecee · 03-08-2006, 10:28 PM

More work done tonight. Got the lilliput in and got the "other" drivers installed. They are definitely much better than the drivers that come with the Lilliput. Also did the factory setup option to have the screen power on automatically when power is applied. I was considering the soldering technique, but fortunatley saw this first - whole lot easier to change factory settings than it is to solder something IMHO, at least for me.

It was a semi-nice day outside, so I decided to start running the wiring for the amps, computer, lilliput and yet-to-be purchased head unit. My only issue at this point is the screen needs to be molded into the center console. I was hoping I could get away with just recessing it in there, but that's not going to happen. Time to break out the fiberglass and see what I can come up with.

The actual carpc is pretty much done. I've settled on Road Runner and a handful of skins. I don't have the wireless working yet, but that's only because my access point isn't cooperating with my setup. I'll figure it out, I'm sure it's just some stupid setting.

Is there a simple and cheap way to provide 12v power in the house other than:

1. Buy a 12v car battery and charger or,
2. Buy an AC-DC converter?

I'd like to start tweaking my dsatx in the house rather than worry about doing it out in the car. I guess I could buy an AC-DC converter (I have a 3amp one that will not do the job) and be done with it.

peecee · 03-10-2006, 07:20 AM

I decided to attempt to cut my cord (figuratively) and worked on the wireless setup. Got the Belkin drivers installed, but my access point wasn't cooperating. After some fiddling, I was able to connect to the network. Woohoo! Lots of progress for such a little amount of work. Next up is to actually move the computer out to the car and run the monitor in temporary mode. I'll get some shots up of that when I do it.

Cris · 03-10-2006, 08:50 AM

Nice to hear that.

peecee · 03-20-2006, 10:25 PM

Hey now, I did some more work. Thanks to Biggy, I was inspired

to get back to working on my center console. I did lots of measuring and got it as square as possible. Didn't know that hot glue would hold the screen in place just fine.

What now? Do I just use fiberglass mesh to make the screen to console smooth? Should I sand the console and bezel to give the fiberglass something to grab?

evandude · 03-20-2006, 10:51 PM

I'll be quite interested in seeing how you handle that. I just installed a screen in my MKIII jetta, which has a somewhat similar center console. My console was made of polypropylene, and just about nothing really sticks to it securely, so I had problems with cracking/separation in a couple spots. From the pictures, and knowing that the MKII and MKIII are relatively similar, it seems that yours might be as well (it would probably have 'PP' stamped on it somewhere underneath)
Though, your console is differently shaped and is a much more 'natural' fit for the screen so even if it is PP then you might not have the same issues.

In any case, you should definitely check out some of the worklogs of other people's screen installs, there are quite a few ways to get it done, usually including some combination of fiberglass, bondo, and/or ABS sludge. an incomplete worklog of my screen install is here:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/fabrication/66145-my-try-abs-sludging-xenarc.html
and there are a few additional pictures of it further along in the process here:
http://www.eegeek.net/mp3box/xenarc_dash/

peecee · 03-20-2006, 11:40 PM

Yeah, mine is totally removable and nothing really looks like it has been taken out while I'm working on it. Pretty cool. Anyway, I've scoured the console and there are no material markings visible. It's fairly flexible, and I had always assumed the console was ABS. I saw your posts on abs plastic, but it wasn't really clear on if it was a structural bond or just a filler type material. I have acetone, so I need to make some shavings for myself over the next few days. I found some shavings in a bag on ebarf, but I've got a few broken consoles so I'll probably grind one of those up to get this one looking good.

evandude · 03-21-2006, 08:31 AM

well, take some acetone and put a drop or two on some unnoticeable location, like underneath, and see if it dissolves/softens it at all. If it's PP it will just sit there beaded up and do nothing, if it's ABS (or another acetone-compatible plastic) it should be pretty apparent.

If you use the ABS sludge method on a dash that's made of ABS, it's a real structural bond as well as a filler, and as described by some others who advocate it, it is a good solution because it is the same material so there are no issues with different thermal expansion causing cracking, etc. In the case of my PP console, it can't bond to the console, so it's really only a filler material. But, since I put the sludge on both sides of the console, and it bonded well to the screen itself, it sort of "sandwiches" the console, holding it in place.

peecee · 03-22-2006, 02:06 PM

Last night's adventure involved cutting this little shifter surround. I've got this idea that I'm going to put some usb and firewire connectors in a little compartment up front for emergencies:

It goes in the center console like so:

Now I just need to figure out a way to conceal them.

No idea what the emergency will be or if I'll ever use them, but I figure since I've got some spare ports from my usb hub for the front, I'll extend some connectors and add to the cool factor. This cutting took me about 5 minutes. I spent another 10 minutes after taking this picture to sand it up and prep it. since I'm doing some abs sludge fabrication on the center console, I figure I'll do something with this as well. Hopefully I can do this within the next few days. I also need to construct the carpc drawer for my trunk and lay down some speakerbox carpeting to give it a finished look, like it belongs in the trunk.

The carpc is pretty much complete, just waiting for the fabrication of center console and the wiring to actually power it. Since it's snowing here right now, I doubt I'll be doing it today. Maybe this weekend.

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