2001 Pathfinder Carputer - My first install

**Eubey** · 08-25-2006, 05:46 PM

Yeah i changed my mind, now going to do it your way (kinda). I found a great mounting place for pc, will post in my worklog when I get it up.

**walstib** · 09-06-2006, 07:54 PM

Well I have given up on the Clarion head unit, I went to Crutchfield and got a new Sony CDX-GT805DX.

And a steering wheel control interface for Pioneer and Sony, a PAC SWI-PS. The Pathfinder has some proprietary closed source hardwired steering wheel controls that will only work with the Clarion

A Scosche OEM Amplifier Adapter to work with the BOSE amp.

And, of course, Nissan being so screwy, I had to get a friggin' "Diversity" antennea adapter. Leave it to Nissan to take something as simple and standard as an antennea and bastardize it. I wonder if Nissan is a subsidiary of Micro$oft?

The antennea adapter may actually work out for hooking up the SP-716 so I may be able to tune in TV stations. Crutchfield threw in wiring harness adapters, mounting brackets , the antennea adapter along with instructions and $20 off of Scosche OEM Amplifier Adapter that I had to have for the Bose amp.

Everything should be delivered Friday. Hopefully I will have sound this weekend!

**walstib** · 09-25-2006, 07:34 PM

So I got everything installed, almost...

The white cable hanging out below the head unit on the right is a USB female cable.
I still have to cut an opening in a blank plate so I can easily plug in devices as needed. Here is a shot where it's a little darker.

I also have a USB hub in the glove box for bluetooth, GPS and an itsy bitsy keyboard for those times when you absolutely have to type.
It's enough to get by with until you get home and can plug in a full keyboard.

I liked the head unit so much, I swapped them around so the head unit always shows. It was a tight fit and took patience to get the moitor in the top slot. Lots of stuff in the way. Below is a shot of the monitor closed and the radio faceplate removed. Doesn't look too inviting for thieves.

I still have not decided on a front end yet. Considering writing my own, but in my limited free time, it seems very doubtful. I'm convinced the software part will never be done.

**legacy05gt** · 09-26-2006, 10:51 PM

when did you purchase the screen? Did you do the switched power mod so that the lights aren't on unless the switched power is on?

**walstib** · 09-26-2006, 11:50 PM

I've had the screen for just over a year. It maybe has 10 hours of operation time. I have not modded it at all, don't want to risk it... I got it from yukki on ebay. Apparently he has not come through for some people lately.

**Gavitron** · 10-18-2006, 03:09 PM

This may be a dumb question, as this is my first time here, but why did you go with a Head-Unit? was it because of the "software" issues you describe above? Also, on that subject, what OS are you running in those pics? Linux? That "RoadMap" software looks pretty sweet, given that I've heard nothing good about the State of GPS software under Linux... Maybe I'm out of the loop, and things are indeed better than I imagined?

**walstib** · 10-19-2006, 12:53 PM

I went with a head unit because I wanted a good radio. Everything I had read about USB radios said they had fair to bad reception. Since the time I bought my head unit, there is what appears to be, a good alternative that will probably only get better. See this thread for details.

I was running xubuntu in those pics. RoadMap is a pretty sweet piece of software and works well. I found it to be less intensive than RoadNav, in my particular usage. Those seem to be the two leaders in Linux GPS. I was using Amarok for MP3s.

Since those pics, I have reinstalled a million times and am now running XP

and trying out Road Runner with a very sweet skin called CrystalBlue by Dalailama. I love it, but hate the fact that it is running on Winblows...

**Gavitron** · 10-19-2006, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by walstib

I love it, but hate the fact that it is running on Winblows...

Yeah, I'm on the anti-windows side, not just for "street cred", but because I think a few of my planned features would be much more difficult to implement under windows. for instance: relay control boards, Voice recognition, text-to-speech, wardriving, etc. The only hang-ups are that I know of no "Killer apps" in linux for either mp3 or GPS... I will take a good look at the info you provided. Thanks!

-G

**Eubey** · 10-23-2006, 11:12 PM

hey I got my head unit for my 99pathfinder professionally installed so my carputer project is officially kinda started. I was wonderin how you power screen in the pathfinder?do you have to butcher a wiring adapter or something to support both the head unit and the screen or what?

**walstib** · 10-24-2006, 07:30 PM

Well, I soldered all of the connections into the wiring harness and used heat shrink to insulate the connections. You will have to find out which wire is ACC and which is constant power and tap into them either by soldering, tap connectors, etc. I made all ground connections to the chasis.