Thread: Scion xB '06, in-dash Atom 330, Lilliput 889GL; details, pictures, links. Index: pg 1

EeePC in the Dash

One thing that's concerned me about just placing the EeePC in the dash (see the pix in post #397) is theft security. If it's just sitting there, it's an easy smash-and-grab target for opportunistic thieves. I think I can build a lockdown system along the sides of the keyboard deck to lock it in place. That would mean removal of the bezel to get the EeePC out of the dash, but that's a minute's work if you know how. Maybe that isn't great security, but the addition of an alarm system -- especially one that's just bloody deafening in the car -- should be a good deterrent. Some really bright strobes would be good, too, eh?

Of course, I think leaving very sharp edges on the holddowns is a good idea too. It isn't a booby trap, really, but I like the idea that, if some lazy bastard tries to steal it, they'd give blood for their bad idea. Iif they're bent on learning things the hard way, it'll just make the lesson harder yet. Hmmmm -- was that an evil laugh I just heard?

More on the Overhead Console

We've mentioned overhead consoles a couple of times in the discussions here, and I like the idea of putting one in the xB. RipplingHurst produced a very nice screen installation in the overhead console of his FX35. Between that and the ongoing discussions here, I've been pondering the idea.

There's plenty of space for an overhead unit in the first-generation xB; the ceiling is high enough that there's plenty of headroom. There are solid existing mounting points for a console at the mirror in front and at the dome light in the center. I don't think I'd run it any further back than the dome light, because I sometimes carry bulky stuff in the back, and I don't want to interfere with that capability.

HiJackZX1 pointed out in Post #388 that I could epoxy additional points to the roof, and additional mounting points would let me build it even lighter, because I'd need less rigidity.

The dome light circuit provides always-on power, so wiring shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't try to load the circuit too heavily.

In my relatively space-constrained vehicle, there are plenty of uses for an overhead console. HiJackZX1, suggested I make it in a T shape, so rear-seat passengers can have their own screens. It's a good idea, but that's really overkill for my car. I rarely have anyone in the back seat, and never for long enough that they'd need a screen. If my granddaughter rides back there (she's my most frequent rear-seat passenger), she has her own mobile entertainment systems -- an iPod and a portable DVD player.

I see several uses for an overhead console in the xB:

• a stealth location for the radar detector, as previously discussed
  
• screen location for a backup camera image -- just above the rear-view mirror
  
• additional interior "dome" lighting
  
• reading (map) lights
  
• SunPass (electronic tollroad pass) storage
  
• garage door opener storage
  
• sunglasses storage

So it seems pretty easy to justify a console. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to design one that works. That's the next trick.

Originally Posted by rdholtz

More on the Overhead Console
So it seems pretty easy to justify a console. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to design one that works. That's the next trick.

I know this is gonna sound strange, but here's a suggestion to help you to begin your search. Find the largest Pick-A-Part or auto salvage yard in your area and spend a couple hours checking out all the cars, trucks, and especially vans in the yard. Cost you a buck or two to get in and a half day of climbing through vehicles, but you will definitely get enough ideas to get you to your next stage. Who knows you may actually find exactly what you're looking for.

More About the Overhead Console

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

I know this is gonna sound strange, but here's a suggestion to help you to begin your search. Find the largest Pick-A-Part or auto salvage yard in your area and spend a couple hours checking out all the cars, trucks, and especially vans in the yard. Cost you a buck or two to get in and a half day of climbing through vehicles, but you will definitely get enough ideas to get you to your next stage. Who knows you may actually find exactly what you're looking for.

No, that doesn't sound strange at all; modifying an existing overhead console was my startup plan for this. Originally, I was going to grab my tape measure and head for a friendly used car lot to see what might fit, then go to the automobile boneyards and see what's in inventory. I suspect I should take your suggestion, skip the used car lots, and head directly for the boneyards. I found the Lexus overhead light at a U-Pick-It in West Palm Beach (Florida, USA), although that one -- the closest to me -- is pretty small. There were no overhead consoles in the cars I checked. As you suggest, it cost $1 to get in, and I took my own tools.

I also wondered if perhaps I could find a regular floor console that could be dismembered and flipped upside down for ceiling use. But that's a weaker plan. I think the existing overhead console is the best bet, because the doors and pockets in it will be designed for use in a ceiling.

Another option is to build one from sheet plastic. I've even looked at the long wallpaper tubs that you can find in Home Depot and hardware stores, but it would take a lot of fabrication to get something useful out of one.

I suppose we could make one in fiberglass. Fiberglass isn't my field, and, if that seems the way to go, I'd probably just PM Nexson and set up a design meeting so he could build one for me.

Before I get exotic, though, I think I'll hit the boneyards. That may not be for a while; I'm in Atlanta for a few more weeks, and I'll have to find one here. There's the SuperBowl to watch today; maybe next weekend.

More About the Overhead Console, continued . . .

I figured I had to delay the overhead console search until next weekend, because I wanted to see the SuperBowl. Then I realized kickoff wasn't until after dark, so I went looking for automobile boneyards to visit up here in Atlanta. I found that none are open. It turns out that Atlanta is in the heart of America's Bible Belt, and Sunday is a day off for a lot of folks. That isn't the way it works in Florida -- almost everything is open every day down there -- so this was a bit of a cultural shift for me.

The larger retail stores in Atlanta -- especially those in malls -- are open on Sunday. I sort of figured auto parts was retail, but apparently the auto parts yards don't see it that way. Man, if I owned a boneyard, I'd be open on Sunday and have that in large print in my ads. Saturday and Sunday seem as if they'd be the big days to go get parts. If one of the yards around here stayed open Sunday, they'd probably better than double their weekend business, because they'd likely get all the trade the others are missing.

So there's a mandatory delay of game until next Saturday. If the weather is as nice then as this weekend, it'll be a good day among the car carcasses.

In the meantime, I can still plan . . .

Overhead Console Installation Plan *** edited ***

In the console installations I've looked at, most of them appeared to leave the headliner in place, and were fastened through it, or had small areas cut out where they screwed directly to the car's steel roof for electrical grounding. I'll plan my console to work the same way, but I expect I'll have to do some modifying of the headliner at the front, where it's formed so it bulges out to make pockets for the sunvisors. There's nothing unde rthe bulge but air. I expect the idea behind the bulge was to make the visors seem more integrated, but it's going to make the console installation a little more challenging.

Whatever console I use, I expect to epoxy mount plates to the roof. I'll trim the console to match the contours of the roof, and then build a sheet metal support for it. I'll fasten the support to the mount plates, and fasten the console to the support.

That installation should be light and strong. I like the idea of light because it's a small car with barely enough power to do all I ask of it, including tow a trailer, sometimes. Anything I add reduces performance and payload. I like the idea of strong -- especially in the mounts -- because I don't want it to detach and clonk me in the head in an accident.

Overhead Console Lighting

One thing I may explore is whether I can replace the standard bulbs in the overhead lights with LEDs. Maybe just having additional fixtures will add so much lighting that changing the bulbs would be unnecessary. But using LEDs might reduce the power consumption of the increased lighting, and help keep from overloading the dome light circuit. Realistically, the bulbs are a separate part of the project; I'll figure out the console structure first, then consider the bulbs.

When it comes to additional lighting, I mentioned in post #386 that I picked up an overhead light from a boneyard Lexus. And, at Costco, I found a pair of five-LED fixtures that use 4.5V (3AA batteries). The lights are mounted in a tube, and they swivel as a group, so they can be aimed, to an extent. I'd see if I could add some resistance and incorporate them as additional lighting as well.

Overhead Console Color

Whether I build a console or find one in a boneyard, color shouldn't be a problem. The overhead is light gray, and Krylon Fusion -- which works well on a variety of plastics -- comes in a variety of colors and three finishes, including Satin Pewter Gray (2439). But the Krylon color isn't really important, because, once the plastic has a good coat of Fusion, I should be able to paint over the Fusion with almost anything. In this case, "anything" means any of the SEM colors, one of which is sure to match the color of the Scion's interior surfaces. I'll visit a paint store to find what color that is.

May as Well Make a Pair

If I do this overhead console, I better make two. Josh will need one for his xB. Luckily, although his car is a deep charcoal-like color and my car is silver, they have the same interior color schemes: charcoal and light gray.

Moving to DC Power

It's time to get the M2-ATX 12V-12V DC power supply installed. I've been frustrated with the USB issues I'm having, and I suspect it's because I have inadequate power to the USB peripherals. I've been using two Targus 4-port powered hubs, but they didn't come with power supplies, just power ports. They need 5V power. The EeePC is running a 110V power supply on an inverter; it needs 12V power.

Once the M2-ATX is installed, I plan to let it handle the on-off stuff. I won't be soldering anything to the laptop's power switch. I'll probably set the M2-ATX to disconnect from the car's electrical system after the ignition has been off for 30 minutes. The EeePC is set to go to standby after 20 minutes of non-use. Then, 10 minutes later, when the M2-ATX disconnects it (and cuts power to all the USB peripherals), the EeePC's auto-sensing system will sense the loss of external power and go to its internal battery for power.

Because the EeePC uses a maximum of 3W, it has very long life on battery. It will run XP for over 3 hours on battery with the external USB hard drive attached (or 4 hours running just its Solid State Disks) -- or it will happily sit in standby for several days without charging. Once its internal battery runs low, it does an orderly shutdown.

Combining that with the M2-ATX means the car's battery and the EeePC are well protected. There should be no loss-of-car-battery issues.

That's the theory, anyway. But I got a PM from a member who said:

I have the M2 in my carpc, and although it's suppose to complete cut off power when the battery voltage is low, it seems not to work. I know this because I took my car in for service, this lasted an entire week. When we tried to start the car, it didn't turn on at all. I have ready and have verified with other M2 users of this as well.

Hmmmm. I see four possible explanations:

• The service facility left something on.
  
• The M2-ATX failed.
  
• The M2-ATX wasn't wired properly.
  
• The M2-ATX wasn't controlling all the current-using devices in the vehicle, and something it wasn't controlling stayed on.

So, assuming the M2-ATX really will protect my vehicle's battery as intended, I'm going ahead with installation. ** crosses fingers **