[Guna]

Already looking good. Why is the part looking blue in the top pic but in the test mount it looks black? Have you already got it painted?

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Oh man, that is SWEEEEET. Really good looking. As stock and barebones as it can be!

Thanks Bro. I am a sucker for stock looking mods

Originally Posted by Guna

Already looking good. Why is the part looking blue in the top pic but in the test mount it looks black? Have you already got it painted?

No. Its the phone cam playing shady tricks. It matches the dash texture and is a wee bit darker in colour. Here is a shot from another angle, have a look.

[gotzuk]

Just hit a roadblock! :(
I had planned to mount the mobo, hard disk and gps antenna in the empty space behind the touch screen but the mobo just wouldn't fit!!

The only other place in the dash is where the OEM head unit currently sits. Removing it will allow me to place the mobo and hdd in this location and the psu and gps antenna can go behind the screen on top of the dash.

But doing this would leave a gaping double din sized hole on my dash, so I am looking at the possibility of taking an aftermarket (Pioneer, Sony etc., since I don't want to destroy the original unit) double din headunit's faceplate and using it as a cover for the empty slot. The slot loading dvd drive could then be attached behind the cd slot on the stereo faceplate.

I am also looking at the possibilty of using the keys of the stereo faceplate to emulate a USB keyboard, so that the faceplate control buttons can be mapped to the hotkey combinations used by Centrafuse and control (at least) the media playback.
I hope I can make this work, otherwise the PC will have to be mounted in a fugly blackbox under the seat/ in the boot.
Something I really do not want to do

[mav2000]

You can also use acrylic to cover that part. If you have the right dimensions, acrylic can be cut and bent as per your requirements. Also putting the motherboard in a place where it gets direct sunlight may not be conducive. So to for the HDD and PSU

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by mav2000

You can also use acrylic to cover that part. If you have the right dimensions, acrylic can be cut and bent as per your requirements. Also putting the motherboard in a place where it gets direct sunlight may not be conducive. So to for the HDD and PSU

The motherboard & hdd are being mounted behind the stereo faceplate and the psu behind the screen inside the dash top pod, so direct sunlight is not an issue at all.
For the faceplate, acrylic, though an easy way out, is not quite what I am looking at. Even with the best fit and finish, it would still be a jugaad.

Already bought an Arduino board, now need to find a non-working double din stereo whose faceplate/chassis I can hack to interface with Centrafuse.

[Guna]

You are putting a double din with non functionality front face, which means the current HU will be gone and you will cover that area with a dummy mask? In that case you could have installed the touch screen itself in that place right?

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by Guna

You are putting a double din with non functionality front face, which means the current HU will be gone and you will cover that area with a dummy mask? In that case you could have installed the touch screen itself in that place right?

Actually my thoughts.

@ gotzuK: You took all the pain just to keep your OEM & now this compro. How about the glove compartment?

Raab Rakha.

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

@ gotzuK: You took all the pain just to keep your OEM & now this compro. How about the glove compartment?

Originally Posted by Guna

You are putting a double din with non functionality front face, which means the current HU will be gone and you will cover that area with a dummy mask? In that case you could have installed the touch screen itself in that place right?

Arrey, No!

The double din will not be non functional. Almost all the buttons of the faceplate will work, only difference being that since there will be nothing behind the faceplate, the buttons will control functions of Centrafuse. For eg, the volume knob will control the volume, the eject button would eject the optical media in the DVD drive behind the faceplate, the power button will turn on/off the cpu. Even the LCD display can/will be programmed to display song/artist/time info etc.
As I wrote earlier, to do this the faceplate will give output to an arduino board, which in turn will emulate centrafuse hotkeys to the pc (via USB).

So the faceplate will not a be dummy, but fully functional. Think of it as programmable buttons/hotkeys to control the pc.

If it all works as I am hoping, then I will hunt down a non working OEM HU and replace the aftermarket face place with it. Right now I am experimenting with this stuff, so don't want to butcher the working unit installed in the car.

If all this doesn't work then I'll be a looking for a fugly black box to install the cpu under the front seats

[gotzuk]

The teeny tiny Arduino UNO got delivered today. Some more supplies coming in tomorrow. Can't wait to get cracking on it!

[Guna]

Originally Posted by gotzuk

The teeny tiny Arduino UNO got delivered today. Some more supplies coming in tomorrow. Can't wait to get cracking on it!

Tata Photon is just to give the impression of size?

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by Guna

Tata Photon is just to give the impression of size?

Yes Guna. Just that.

[mayankk]

this is really nice!!
I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but just cant find the energy to follow through!
About the faceplate, why not put a ipad sized bluetooth keyboard hinged on the right side of the din enclosure, so it tilts towards you?

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by mayankk

About the faceplate, why not put a ipad sized bluetooth keyboard hinged on the right side of the din enclosure, so it tilts towards you?

Can you post some links for keyboards which would fit on the panel? And how would the hinge system work?
Thanks

[mayankk]

Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 Case with Bluetooth Keyboard - Allymobile whole sale supplier

Somehting like this, which is made for the galaxy tab.
Its on bluetooth.
this would be approximately 8x5".
coul cover up the 2din hole completely i presume.
for the hinge mount, you could put a swivel mount inside the 2din space, bolted somewhere inside.
You know, like the swivel bases you get for gps unit's windscreen mounts, or something like a "bracketron" system, which basically attached to the back of the keyboard, and the inside wall of the enclosure in an L-sahped.

am just bouncing stuff which i had thought about.
a lot of retrofit will have to be done, i presume, but nothing majorly technical.
more on getting it to be mounted in place.

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by mayankk

this would be approximately 8x5".
coul cover up the 2din hole completely i presume.
for the hinge mount, you could put a swivel mount inside the 2din space, bolted somewhere inside.
You know, like the swivel bases you get for gps unit's windscreen mounts, or something like a "bracketron" system, which basically attached to the back of the keyboard, and the inside wall of the enclosure in an L-sahped.

It wouldn't really be possible to type on the keyboard in that position. I Tried
Plus the swivel mounts take up a lot of space which I am already short of.