Thread: 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Worklog

Funny, I thought I had updated after that last one. Things have been working OK, never quite perfect though since then, but I actually just moved the PC and the amp to the back just last week and was planning on posting an update of the change. I'll give more details and pics of the "Rubicon Redux" over the weekend.

Very nice

OK, sorry for the delay and lack of closure previously. I had lots of issues with the motherboard and video getting blown out. Somehow the video driver would get corrupted and actually manage to blow out the AGP settings on the BIOS killing any video out of the local ports, even though the machine worked fine otherwise (I could use Windows Remote Desktop or VNC just fine, though after a recent experiment, it appears that one of these may have actually caused the corruption in the first place).

So here are some other things that have gone on since my last post...

You may have read above that I simply put the pc under the driver's seat and the amp under the passenger seat. I wasn't worried about water... until... I was out surfing during a massive late summer thunderstorm (with no thunder or I wouldn't have been in the water!) I knew it was coming, so I put the top up, but left the soft doors and windows off. This was a lesson learned! Everything got drenched. Soaked to the bone, the entire vehicle. Even the stuff I had thought was safe inside the "instatrunk" (see pic) thingy that usually keeps things dry. The PC and amp managed to survive, but I lost my pocketPC cell phone. So I was now concerned, so I knew I would need to do something... eventually

Along comes the winter and I find that anytime the temperature goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I lose the hard drive. After much experimentation, reading, and personal experience, my theory is this: Since the 160 drive is uses FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) technology, and since the problem occurs well above what could be considered a freezing point for any kind of fluid, my guess is that at or below that temp, the fluid is too viscous for the drive to spin up to a speed that will report the drive as ready to the BIOS (the BIOS wont see it at all until the drive has been powered up for a few minutes). So again, I will change this eventually, but since its getting warmer now, there is no sense in spending money until it gets cold again.

There were also a few times when the temps went below 32 where the system would not even POST, and this can probably be attributed to capacitors on the motherboard. This only happened a few times, and since the winters here in the Atlantic City area have been getting progressively warmer, I'm going to dismiss it until it really begins to bother me.

So looking to deal with some of these issues, I finally got out and did something about them... sort of...


I finally made a decision to leave the instatrunk in permanently (its a screw in frame section that secures items when the hard top is off; I usually removed it in the winter) and to mount the PC and amp to it somehow, and run all the cables to the back. I originally intended to mount them sideways on the wall, but as I began the project I thought mounting it to the underside of the top would save just a tiny bit of precious room. I know, I know you are not supposed to mount the damn amp upside down because of the heat issues, but here is the thing, this is a small amp that has never ever produced any heat noticeable by touch, so until someone convinces me otherwise, its gonna stay upside down.


I need to find a 1 foot RCA jumper cable!



Cables have been run to the back. I could have run them under the console and carpet, but I had some perfectly matching gray cable loom on hand, plus it makes it easier to reconfigure, and I'm lazy.


So, how do I mount these things so that they are secure, but easily removed for maintenance and whatnot? Well, it took me a while until it finally struck me, something I have known about for years: 3M DualLock. Its like a super hardcore velcro style mounting system. I had used it in the past on some other projects and the stuff is unbelievable. I don't know why it took me so long to think of it. This worked well. Very well. Too well, in fact. Since I had to remove the PC to troubleshoot that video issue AGAIN, I learned that I used entirely too much of the 3M DualLock. I literally had to use a crow bar to pry the damn thing off. The stuff is GOOD, using the crowbar separated the two parts of the mounting strip, but the adhesive to the metals never moved, exactly as it should have worked. Its expensive, but worth it!!




I also added what was referred to in the MP3car.com video as a "valet switch" to do a hard power off for those times that i need to reset the system in cold weather or when the system doesn't complete the hibernate properly (which is still very inconsistent, and a whole other story altogether). I removed the cigarette lighter thingy (I don't smoke, nor will others in my Rubicon) and I had happened to find an almost perfect switch at RadioSuck that I was able to take a dremel to grind down a bit and plug right in and make the connections. This was a really really really key benefit as I had previously been reaching below the seat with one hand while I drove to pop the quick disconnect to reboot the system.



So it looks like I'm fairly well set at this point. One of these days in the near future I'll get a new 5 channel amp and hook up the factory sub that sits inside the center console, as well as the speaker boxes at the front footwells. For the long term, eventually I will re-sand and re-paint the dash bezel imperfections, but given how delicate the LCD is, its not really a priority.


Here is a nice crack.
NO NO, the crack in the dash bezel that I need to fix!!! Bottom left of the LCD!


One last thing I had forgot to mention: I had finally mounted the infra red receiver by drilling a hole in the bezel underneath where it wasn't visible. I had used some solid cat5 network cable to solder it a 3 inch extension from the LCD controller daughterboard. I mounted the daughterboard with tape onto the back of the LCD. This worked excellent for a while, enabling me to swap video sources and changing other settings (never needed). But one day when replacing the unit, I learned that I had mounted it a bit off center and managed to smash the daughterboard against the dash chassis. The IR no longer works. Oh well. Maybe I'll make that an excuse to get a transflective unit. Sorry, I forgot to get pics, but the hole I drilled is above the heater controls.

Here are a few other views of the final setup and the touchpad...






OK, OK, so I'm not into club music so much, but it is without a doubt my favorite music video. So when I post the crash pics, you'll know what the distraction was!



I'm mostly platform neutral since I use all 3 of the common ones, but Mac is my main use at home, plus I figured this might irk the fanboys on both sides, so I had to do it!

Originally Posted by a1wake

OK, sorry for the delay and lack of closure previously. I had lots of issues with the motherboard and video getting blown out. Somehow the video driver would get corrupted and actually manage to blow out the AGP settings on the BIOS killing any video out of the local ports, even though the machine worked fine otherwise (I could use Windows Remote Desktop or VNC just fine, though after a recent experiment, it appears that one of these may have actually caused the corruption in the first place).

So here are some other things that have gone on since my last post...

You may have read above that I simply put the pc under the driver's seat and the amp under the passenger seat. I wasn't worried about water... until... I was out surfing during a massive late summer thunderstorm (with no thunder or I wouldn't have been in the water!) I knew it was coming, so I put the top up, but left the soft doors and windows off. This was a lesson learned! Everything got drenched. Soaked to the bone, the entire vehicle. Even the stuff I had thought was safe inside the "instatrunk" (see pic) thingy that usually keeps things dry. The PC and amp managed to survive, but I lost my pocketPC cell phone. So I was now concerned, so I knew I would need to do something... eventually

Along comes the winter and I find that anytime the temperature goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I lose the hard drive. After much experimentation, reading, and personal experience, my theory is this: Since the 160 drive is uses FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) technology, and since the problem occurs well above what could be considered a freezing point for any kind of fluid, my guess is that at or below that temp, the fluid is too viscous for the drive to spin up to a speed that will report the drive as ready to the BIOS (the BIOS wont see it at all until the drive has been powered up for a few minutes). So again, I will change this eventually, but since its getting warmer now, there is no sense in spending money until it gets cold again.

There were also a few times when the temps went below 32 where the system would not even POST, and this can probably be attributed to capacitors on the motherboard. This only happened a few times, and since the winters here in the Atlantic City area have been getting progressively warmer, I'm going to dismiss it until it really begins to bother me.

So looking to deal with some of these issues, I finally got out and did something about them... sort of...


I finally made a decision to leave the instatrunk in permanently (its a screw in frame section that secures items when the hard top is off; I usually removed it in the winter) and to mount the PC and amp to it somehow, and run all the cables to the back. I originally intended to mount them sideways on the wall, but as I began the project I thought mounting it to the underside of the top would save just a tiny bit of precious room. I know, I know you are not supposed to mount the damn amp upside down because of the heat issues, but here is the thing, this is a small amp that has never ever produced any heat noticeable by touch, so until someone convinces me otherwise, its gonna stay upside down.


I need to find a 1 foot RCA jumper cable!



Cables have been run to the back. I could have run them under the console and carpet, but I had some perfectly matching gray cable loom on hand, plus it makes it easier to reconfigure, and I'm lazy.


So, how do I mount these things so that they are secure, but easily removed for maintenance and whatnot? Well, it took me a while until it finally struck me, something I have known about for years: 3M DualLock. Its like a super hardcore velcro style mounting system. I had used it in the past on some other projects and the stuff is unbelievable. I don't know why it took me so long to think of it. This worked well. Very well. Too well, in fact. Since I had to remove the PC to troubleshoot that video issue AGAIN, I learned that I used entirely too much of the 3M DualLock. I literally had to use a crow bar to pry the damn thing off. The stuff is GOOD, using the crowbar separated the two parts of the mounting strip, but the adhesive to the metals never moved, exactly as it should have worked. Its expensive, but worth it!!




I also added what was referred to in the MP3car.com video as a "valet switch" to do a hard power off for those times that i need to reset the system in cold weather or when the system doesn't complete the hibernate properly (which is still very inconsistent, and a whole other story altogether). I removed the cigarette lighter thingy (I don't smoke, nor will others in my Rubicon) and I had happened to find an almost perfect switch at RadioSuck that I was able to take a dremel to grind down a bit and plug right in and make the connections. This was a really really really key benefit as I had previously been reaching below the seat with one hand while I drove to pop the quick disconnect to reboot the system.



So it looks like I'm fairly well set at this point. One of these days in the near future I'll get a new 5 channel amp and hook up the factory sub that sits inside the center console, as well as the speaker boxes at the front footwells. For the long term, eventually I will re-sand and re-paint the dash bezel imperfections, but given how delicate the LCD is, its not really a priority.


Here is a nice crack.
NO NO, the crack in the dash bezel that I need to fix!!! Bottom left of the LCD!


One last thing I had forgot to mention: I had finally mounted the infra red receiver by drilling a hole in the bezel underneath where it wasn't visible. I had used some solid cat5 network cable to solder it a 3 inch extension from the LCD controller daughterboard. I mounted the daughterboard with tape onto the back of the LCD. This worked excellent for a while, enabling me to swap video sources and changing other settings (never needed). But one day when replacing the unit, I learned that I had mounted it a bit off center and managed to smash the daughterboard against the dash chassis. The IR no longer works. Oh well. Maybe I'll make that an excuse to get a transflective unit. Sorry, I forgot to get pics, but the hole I drilled is above the heater controls.

Here are a few other views of the final setup and the touchpad...






OK, OK, so I'm not into club music so much, but it is without a doubt my favorite music video. So when I post the crash pics, you'll know what the distraction was!



I'm mostly platform neutral since I use all 3 of the common ones, but Mac is my main use at home, plus I figured this might irk the fanboys on both sides, so I had to do it!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, "I love the destination unknown" music video. Also nice install.

I have just got a '07 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, and I am dieing to put a carputer in it. Could you make a video of what you have done?

The pics here are pretty detailed, so I'm not sure what a video will do for you that isn't here already. What specifically are you looking for?

I came across this thread some months ago looking for 'con pics for another project I've been thinking thru to while away this deployment. I'd previously thought about doing something much like what you've done but haven't been able to figure out how to balance my weekend offroad trips w/ installing a system like this. So, I've a question or two I was hoping you might answer.

After creating and installing the system do you still take your jeep offroad? If so, have you noticed any problems w/ shock damage from jarring on the trail?

Also, how moisture resistant would you say your set-up is? I live in Alaska and enjoy occasional weekends of mudding. I try to keep the interior dry and clean, but one more than one occasion I've had to either hose down the inside, or had water lapping over bottom sill of the removed doors.

I've got a few more questions, but I'll cut it off there.

Originally Posted by AK_jeepguy

I came across this thread some months ago looking for 'con pics for another project I've been thinking thru to while away this deployment. I'd previously thought about doing something much like what you've done but haven't been able to figure out how to balance my weekend offroad trips w/ installing a system like this. So, I've a question or two I was hoping you might answer.

After creating and installing the system do you still take your jeep offroad? If so, have you noticed any problems w/ shock damage from jarring on the trail?

Also, how moisture resistant would you say your set-up is? I live in Alaska and enjoy occasional weekends of mudding. I try to keep the interior dry and clean, but one more than one occasion I've had to either hose down the inside, or had water lapping over bottom sill of the removed doors.

I've got a few more questions, but I'll cut it off there.

I don't really take it offroad except on the beach when I go down to Hatteras, but things do bounce around quite a bit on the highway and I don't recall ever having any problems with shock/jarring.

With regards to the moisture issues, prior to mounting the system underneath the Insta-Trunk, I had it under the driver's seat and it was often subject to sand, and damp days. Once it actually survived a severe downpour while I was out surfing. Since it wasn't sitting in a puddle, it survived. More recently my LCD took the brunt of a thunderstorm that caught me offguard. Somehow water got behind the touch film. The LCD was fine, but it kept thinking it was getting tapped where the water was, so I simply disconnected the USB connector for the touchscreen and used the Alps Glidepoint pad for input/mouse movement. It took a week for the touchscreen to dry completely, but once it did, everything was fine.

My BIGGEST problem has been the operating temperature of the hard drive. Once it dropped below 55 degrees Fahrenheit it would not spin up enough for the BIOS to see it. I believe this is due to the Fluid Dynamic Bearing drive. I finally got around to swapping it out last week for a much larger capacity that specs show will work down to 32, so we'll see how that goes as it gets colder here in NJ.

The next biggest issue I've encountered is not environmental that I can tell, but the BIOS settings tend to get blasted occasionally for some reason.

Originally Posted by a1wake

The next biggest issue I've encountered is not environmental that I can tell, but the BIOS settings tend to get blasted occasionally for some reason.

That could be a CMOS battery issue; try replacing it, and make sure the terminals aren't corroded from the humidity.

Whether humidity affected the CMOS or not, it still can affect other parts of the PC, mostly in corroding contacts and gumming up fans. In most cars, humidity wouldn't affect the system too much as long as the PC is run regularly; the heat of operation would cook the moisture out of the system. But a Jeep is more open to the elements, so even the PC case cooling air could be high humidity; that's different from the normal automotive environment where the air is tempered by heat or A/C.

In very humid conditions, you might try one or more silica gel dehumidifiers sold for use in closets. They cost a few dollars and up. In normal operation, those are "recharged" by heating them to cook the moisture out, so you might consider rotating them. But the heat of normal PC operation might do a good job of renewing the unit, so you might start with just one and see how it goes.