Ford F6 Tornado Project Log - Page 7

mrbean_phillip · 09-07-2007, 05:21 AM

Here is where I am hiding the Autoenginuity OBD2 interface, behind the instrument cluster, properly secured with cable-ties....

and, allowing me to replace the fusebox cover, a nice 90-deg interface cable

of course I still have the Mongoose FEPS interface as well, I will use it in cascade with the Autoenginuity

Then, here is the power plugs, feeding the shutdown controller, and the blue line will be the ignition on/off to the SC controller. The same plug will carry the 12V to the LCD in the fascia. Of course there are receptor sockets in the back of the console to feed the Macmini/SC-controller etc....all hidden very nicely. Will show pics of the completed console a little later.

mrbean_phillip · 09-07-2007, 05:26 AM

Ok, started with the fascia too, forcing a 10.4" LCD into the area where previosuly there was a 6" unit located - fun, I tell you

Here is the original spare unit I purchased from ASL Logistics in Melbourne for the princely sum of AUD $80- not bad.

This is the part I rather nicely removed, as it will house the original factory LCD, and radio-control buttons......relocated to the area that currently houses the tissue-box....

and Here is the space that will be required to house the new 10.4" LCD - nice, and big, but not overpowering....

I have stripped the LCD, now I can start fitting the thing, finally - whew...

XF_Falcon · 09-07-2007, 12:01 PM

Looks great man! Some very good ideas you are coming up with

So the air pushes up into the glove box and spits it out the back through that little hole near the power supply.. or is it the other way around?

mrbean_phillip · 09-08-2007, 01:15 AM

Hey XF Falcon,

The fan will draw air in from the bottom, and expels it at the top - the lid doesn't seal 100% onto the console, there is an airgap of around 2-3mm right around, as the lid rest on 2 stoppers at the front - so this is the way air will escape.

The slot at the rear is where all the cables enter to the Mac, ie VGA, power, on/off y-cable, and various USB cables.

The cables will be tied down on a stress reliever plate, and prevent them from vibrating out of the sockets

Will post a pic or 2 later, giving a better idea....

XF_Falcon · 09-08-2007, 04:08 AM

Cool man. Any idea if the air coming out of the gap between the lid and the console will create any noise, or if you can feel it on your arm and be annoying? :P

mrbean_phillip · 09-08-2007, 08:22 PM

No, it doesn't create any noise, and being dispersed around the circumference of the lid, you don't feel it either.

The flan probably flows around 67-70cfm, and is very quiet, being a 120mm unit, you can even run it from 5v or 7v if you have a high-flow unit, to dampen it if noisy.....but, decent fans, eg Scythe-range can be had in various ranges of flow capacity, at around $29 Aud from PcCasegear.

You planning something similar?

mrbean_phillip · 09-08-2007, 08:46 PM

Anyway, a few more pics as promissed -

Here you can see the rear slot through which the cables will coinnect to the MacMini

Here's a bottom shot, indicating how the wiring was done, relay location etc....

and another 1, showing bottom wiring to switch mounted in the console....

Here's a rearward view of the connectors....

and this is what it looks like with the console lid on....all hidden very nicely, out of the way, in a very practical location

Here's the mounting base I am doing for the LCD, made out of angle-aluminium, the screen at the bottom will be 30mm in from the face of the bezel, while the top will be close to flush, with a 5-7mm lip.....this way it will sit at a very much similar angle to the original LCD...

And here is an angular shot from the topside, showing what the screen would look like in the cut-out - this is the beginning stages of the mounting only, lots of work to do.

I need to find some solvent that will dissolve a thermo plastic, PPE/PPO (Poly-Phenyline Oxide)

The screen will be sitting in an aluminium frame, the base in the 2nd last pic the beginning phase of that frame, while there will be an aluminium backplate from bottom to top of the LCD, on which all the electrnics will mount

I want a very sturdy, indestructable LCD mount....

Let me know what you think so far, I am off to Bunnings to go grab a few things....

BiGGy · 09-08-2007, 10:11 PM

I love it! Nothing like working on the carputer on a sunny sunday morning eh? Some nice fab skills happening here. I remember getting into a BA once, looked at the dash and wondered if anyone could install a decent screen in this mess. You seam to be doing quite well. Try acetone for plastic breakdown.

mrbean_phillip · 09-09-2007, 04:54 AM

Thanx Biggy

With the curvature on the fascia, it's not easy working with it, but, I am managing.

Acetone doesn't disolve PPO. No problem, I am making another plan though....with aluminium and balsa wood.

mrbean_phillip · 09-15-2007, 09:25 PM

Thanx for the feedback, Guys - basically have a little time on weekends, so progress is rather slow, but we're getting there....

Update:
I have mounted the 10.4" LCD to the factory Ford Fascia (Bezel), and one of my aims was to properly secure it - not with hot-glue or anything such. I got hold of some angled-aluminium, and after cutting, filing, bending, came up with something that is indestructible - at least you will have to rip the bezel apart before the aluminium will let go

and an angled shot

I made some progress on the front too, this is just the beginning phases, using balsa-wood to buildup new sides/top/bottom, I will use a special plastic putty to fill up any gaps and voids, and blend it in proper, before repainting the setup - it looks rather nice, in real life better than on pics...but you'll get the idea....

Bottom

Left-hand side

Right-hand side

and top of the bezel

Finally 2 pics giving an idea of what booted setup will look like.....

and with Centrafuse front-end running...

Let me know what you think, this is the first Aussie Ford Falcon setup with this amount of hacking involved - I think the largest displays anyone fitted was 7.5" - the 10.4" looks so much better in real life, I cannot even compare either my 7" Xenarc or the Dynamix 8" to the real estate of this one

mrbean_phillip · 09-16-2007, 05:30 AM

I decided to mod the top part of the new frame, and the semi-finished product looks like this:

I got rid of the beveled-edge for the top, and chose to go the same route the original was at the top, it looks much better imho.

Here's a bad-quality full-view of the unit...

mrbean_phillip · 09-21-2007, 07:16 PM

Progress is slow, but consistent - I am nearly at the point where I can do the final touches to the front of the fascia.....

First on the agenda though, was to mount the electronics of the screen somehow - well, I was not going to be happy to have pcb's wrapped in tape or whatever, and let them hanging somewhere, so a better plan had to be made.

I measured/cut/filed a piece of aluminium, and made a backplate, that bolts to the rear of the mounting brackets of the LCD in the fascia, and all bolts very nicely together - the added benefit of the backplate provides stiffness to the whole setup, making it a lot stronger than even the factory original

Anyway, here's a pic from the left rear - as viewed from passenger side....

and here is one, with the power-button pcb connected - I will relocate some of the buttons on this board, eg "Power" and "Menu" so that they are "available" if needed.

Well, I am really happy with the end result, nice, compact and tight, and very sturdy....couldn't ask for more - I am really glad I decided to opt for the in-dash mounted solution, and going with the 10.4" screen.....

Feedback is welcome.

mrbean_phillip · 09-23-2007, 04:32 AM

Lots of work to do, in terms of finishing off the bezel/fascia, but made some good progress on the weekend.

I used a plastic filler/bondo-type thing, called Selly's - for sale at Bunnings, and it works like a dream - set rock hard in 20 odd minutes, depending on hardener used - difficult to sand, but yields a very good finish.....

Here's a shot of the bottom part, I used a primer to seal the balsa wood on this piece, need to sand it down and apply a few more coats, some spot-putty will come in handy to close the few pinholes...

and the newly fabricated top side - remember, ther used to be vents here, so had to use some balsa wood to make a new top cross-member - came out rather nice....

and a shot of the semi-finished front...

Booting Windows XP

and running Autoenginuity OBD-II software...

Feedback would be appreciated. thanx Guys.

BiGGy · 09-24-2007, 10:43 PM

Hey Phil.

Very nice work with the bezel, looks real clean. Im getting some addons together for my install now and im looking at OBD now. I browsed the Autoenginuity website and didnt see any support for Mitsu cars at all, though Ford they specialize in. What would you recommend for my Magna?

Looking forward for the FB integration, I am also going to buy one in the near future. Would love it if you can be real specific and take lots of pics of the FB install as I know I will have problems later.

qsilverza · 10-03-2007, 10:35 AM

Biggy, for my Bora I found one called VAG-COM. Surely there must be something similar out there for the Magna's ? (Damn I wish I lived in the Whitsundays !)

Mr.Bean, looks like you are very close to finishing, looks a treat and best of all it's all been done properly ! I only hope my work on my Car-pc/car will be as good when I start cracking !

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