Custom GPS Solution -- Finally Ready

Traveler · 21st December 2006, 17:03

Hi All,

After a lot of hard work, frustration, challenges and setbacks I have finally been able to build a GPS Solution for my car.

I thought people here would be interested to look at it

as all of us have been at one point or another been trying to do this.

I am posting some photographs on flickr that I took today for you to see the stuff.

Flickr: Photos from manikahuja25

Enjoy.

Questions Welcome , in case you have any

.

Thanks

Manik

Mr.Bangalore · 21st December 2006, 17:17

hi Mani

nice install..
congrats on your achivement..

can we all know the specs and cost incurred to do this and also the time..

thanks..

black12rr · 21st December 2006, 17:31

Really impressive , i am flattered by the tech involved and appreciate how much work has gone into get it working .

Can u post a detailed info and cost ? , how can the touch screen be input ? does the linux OS understand the touch screen ?
over to u

Thanks

Traveler · 21st December 2006, 17:37

Thanks black12rr,

It sure was a long journey to get here. Now for your questions.

1. I am using a Lilliput VGA Touchscreen monitor, so that I dont need a keyboard.

2. Yes Linux OS does understand the Touchscreen panel. Although I did a lot of testing, research and actual coding to make it run for this setup.

Regarding Cost and everything else. Please have a look at my previous post which has all the details.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...pe-car-pc.html

Hope this helps.

Manik

speedonline · 21st December 2006, 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by manikahuja

Hi All,
Questions Welcome , in case you have any

.
Manik

Hey Manik,
Nicely done, it looks really neat

. I have been contemplating to do something on the same lines.

Yup i have a couple of question:-

Were and for how much did you purchase the touch screen?
The USB Data Card Modem was purchased locally?

Ps. I like the idea of internet connectivity any where any time

ST7677 · 21st December 2006, 18:35

Very good. How effective it is in real life?

Also is there any special advantage over the readily available Navigation systems in the market (abroad)?

I faced another funny problem... Google earth images are updated quiet infrequently, so in places like bangalore, you would not know whether the road exists today or not... (it might be closed for construction, has now become a 1 way, etc etc)

a4_attitude · 21st December 2006, 19:34

gr8 install, would love to see in flesh...
is routing possible??
btw am using ique M4 Garmin
Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

Traveler · 21st December 2006, 20:42

Hi All,

Thanks for the encouraging responses. Most of the pricing related queries are already posted by me earlier. I have provided the link to that thread too.

Specifically I had to import the Touchscreen & GPS Mouse directly from Taiwan , so I placed the order , paid them through wire transfer ,then paid the Customs duty and then finally got the packages.

The USB Data card was procured via a scheme that HP is currently running with their laptops. So if you buy a specific HP Laptop you can get this USB Reliance Data Card by paying three months subscription i.e. Rs. 4500/-. No I did not actually buy a Laptop

, rather I found someone who recently did and struck a deal with him.

Regarding effectiveness, I have so far had this running in my car for almost a month, it has performed flawlessly, the data for Google Earth gets cached onto my flash disk and is quite accurate.

I cannot do routing, but then I can have a quick zoom in/out to whichever level I want and have a bird's eye view, from there I guess we all know where to go. I tried routing alternatives like the one provided by Mapking etc, but they just dont work in our conditions and are quite off the mark as well.

Regarding roads getting closed due to repair / diversion etc, even the Professional Routing Solutions that are there for India do not take care of it. Infact most of them are based on quite old data , for example DLF Phase V, Gurgaon appears just as a big blank area in the Mapking Software. Google Earth actually shows my house and my car parked outside

One big advantage of this is the coverage. It will function wherever you may go. Google Earth captures the entire planet, and Reliance does a pretty good job of providing connectivity. Caching the area locally on the Flash Disk does the rest.

Google Earth Data is updated once in a while (Last they updated on 19th December) and my System gets the updates automatically. Their data is by far the most accurate among all the one's that I tried.

sharathjeppu · 21st December 2006, 20:47

This is really neat. I am impressed.

Did you use any of the API provided by google earth to Interface with the GPS? Did your original plan include google earth?

Also, what do you use for connectivity to the Internet and how fast and reliable is it for screen refreshes. The reason I am asking this is beceuse even with a 256 kbps broadband connection, Google Earth is slow unless the images are cached. So how does it work in actual use in your system.

Traveler · 21st December 2006, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharathjeppu

This is really neat. I am impressed.

Did you use any of the API provided by google earth to Interface with the GPS? Did your original plan include google earth?

Also, what do you use for connectivity to the Internet and how fast and reliable is it for screen refreshes. The reason I am asking this is beceuse even with a 256 kbps broadband connection, Google Earth is slow unless the images are cached. So how does it work in actual use in your system.

Hi,

I use the reliance data card, although not very fast it can definitely keep up with the downloading and displaying of data if I drive around 50 Kmph. Once downloaded I cache it locally so the next time I dont need to download.

I have written a program that interfaces my GPS with Google Earth , I have not utilized any Google API although I do use their Network Link option to supply the data to Google Earth.

Thanks
Manik

theEnd · 21st December 2006, 23:50

Absolutely amazing Manik,

A lot of hard work must have gone into that and I have to say that the results are impressive. Very stealthy installation too (the ICE guys will love this). I cant believe that an Ikon (I used to drive one) console can be made to look like that.

Just one suggestion... if it doesnt involve too much of a hassle maybe you could shift the power supply and the CPU to the boot.. perhaps attached to the rear side of the backseat. Most people put their amplifiers there because you get plenty of ventilation and there's no chance of it getting kicked around.

manu · 22nd December 2006, 00:12

Wonderful Manik...
I agree that Google earth is updated a lot more frequently than the other mapping software data..

Traveler · 22nd December 2006, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEnd

Absolutely amazing Manik,

A lot of hard work must have gone into that and I have to say that the results are impressive. Very stealthy installation too (the ICE guys will love this). I cant believe that an Ikon (I used to drive one) console can be made to look like that.

Just one suggestion... if it doesnt involve too much of a hassle maybe you could shift the power supply and the CPU to the boot.. perhaps attached to the rear side of the backseat. Most people put their amplifiers there because you get plenty of ventilation and there's no chance of it getting kicked around.

Thanks for your comments, I will try and move the Power Brick to the boot, but I cannot move the CPU there due to cable length limitations. Also this console is a Baleno VXi 2006 model

Manik

gonecase_01 · 22nd December 2006, 11:05

hey manik
great install
how much did the whole thing cost you...
and can u use it as a music player also
i mean by attaching a amp and connecting the compos and sub

Traveler · 22nd December 2006, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonecase_01

hey manik
great install
how much did the whole thing cost you...
and can u use it as a music player also
i mean by attaching a amp and connecting the compos and sub

Hi,

Dont ask me the cost, it is almost 2.5 yrs effort to get this in my car. You can look at the link I posted for the H/W cost.

And yes you can also hook it up with the Amp and the Media Player is already installed in my Software. So you can actually rip out your Stereo and use this as the all in one unit.

The Screen also has input for a Rear View Camera and you could have that hooked up as well.

Other things you could now do would be to integrate the Car OBDII unit and get a digital dashboard on the screen as well. (I am working on this now..)

With a USB Relay Card you could also control the Power Windows and other stuff as well.

The possibilities are endless as you have a full CPU in the car.

Thanks

Manik

21st December 2006, 17:03	#1
Traveler Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,133 Thanked: 1,891 Times	Custom GPS Solution -- Finally Ready Hi All, After a lot of hard work, frustration, challenges and setbacks I have finally been able to build a GPS Solution for my car. I thought people here would be interested to look at it as all of us have been at one point or another been trying to do this. I am posting some photographs on flickr that I took today for you to see the stuff. Flickr: Photos from manikahuja25 Enjoy. Questions Welcome , in case you have any . Thanks Manik
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 17:17	#2
Mr.Bangalore BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bengalooru Posts: 368 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	hi Mani nice install.. congrats on your achivement.. can we all know the specs and cost incurred to do this and also the time.. thanks..
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 17:31	#3
black12rr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ridin earth now Posts: 1,278 Thanked: 339 Times	Really impressive , i am flattered by the tech involved and appreciate how much work has gone into get it working . Can u post a detailed info and cost ? , how can the touch screen be input ? does the linux OS understand the touch screen ? over to u Thanks
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 17:37	#4
Traveler Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,133 Thanked: 1,891 Times	Thanks black12rr, It sure was a long journey to get here. Now for your questions. 1. I am using a Lilliput VGA Touchscreen monitor, so that I dont need a keyboard. 2. Yes Linux OS does understand the Touchscreen panel. Although I did a lot of testing, research and actual coding to make it run for this setup. Regarding Cost and everything else. Please have a look at my previous post which has all the details. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...pe-car-pc.html Hope this helps. Manik
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 18:35	#6
ST7677 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,054 Thanked: 73 Times	Very good. How effective it is in real life? Also is there any special advantage over the readily available Navigation systems in the market (abroad)? I faced another funny problem... Google earth images are updated quiet infrequently, so in places like bangalore, you would not know whether the road exists today or not... (it might be closed for construction, has now become a 1 way, etc etc) Last edited by ST7677 : 21st December 2006 at 18:41.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 19:34	#7
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	gr8 install, would love to see in flesh... is routing possible?? btw am using ique M4 Garmin Cheers Wadhwa Ajay
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 20:42	#8
Traveler Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,133 Thanked: 1,891 Times	Hi All, Thanks for the encouraging responses. Most of the pricing related queries are already posted by me earlier. I have provided the link to that thread too. Specifically I had to import the Touchscreen & GPS Mouse directly from Taiwan , so I placed the order , paid them through wire transfer ,then paid the Customs duty and then finally got the packages. The USB Data card was procured via a scheme that HP is currently running with their laptops. So if you buy a specific HP Laptop you can get this USB Reliance Data Card by paying three months subscription i.e. Rs. 4500/-. No I did not actually buy a Laptop , rather I found someone who recently did and struck a deal with him. Regarding effectiveness, I have so far had this running in my car for almost a month, it has performed flawlessly, the data for Google Earth gets cached onto my flash disk and is quite accurate. I cannot do routing, but then I can have a quick zoom in/out to whichever level I want and have a bird's eye view, from there I guess we all know where to go. I tried routing alternatives like the one provided by Mapking etc, but they just dont work in our conditions and are quite off the mark as well. Regarding roads getting closed due to repair / diversion etc, even the Professional Routing Solutions that are there for India do not take care of it. Infact most of them are based on quite old data , for example DLF Phase V, Gurgaon appears just as a big blank area in the Mapking Software. Google Earth actually shows my house and my car parked outside One big advantage of this is the coverage. It will function wherever you may go. Google Earth captures the entire planet, and Reliance does a pretty good job of providing connectivity. Caching the area locally on the Flash Disk does the rest. Google Earth Data is updated once in a while (Last they updated on 19th December) and my System gets the updates automatically. Their data is by far the most accurate among all the one's that I tried.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 20:47	#9
sharathjeppu BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 159 Thanked: 4 Times	This is really neat. I am impressed. Did you use any of the API provided by google earth to Interface with the GPS? Did your original plan include google earth? Also, what do you use for connectivity to the Internet and how fast and reliable is it for screen refreshes. The reason I am asking this is beceuse even with a 256 kbps broadband connection, Google Earth is slow unless the images are cached. So how does it work in actual use in your system.
	() Thanks

21st December 2006, 23:50	#11
theEnd BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 534 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Absolutely amazing Manik, A lot of hard work must have gone into that and I have to say that the results are impressive. Very stealthy installation too (the ICE guys will love this). I cant believe that an Ikon (I used to drive one) console can be made to look like that. Just one suggestion... if it doesnt involve too much of a hassle maybe you could shift the power supply and the CPU to the boot.. perhaps attached to the rear side of the backseat. Most people put their amplifiers there because you get plenty of ventilation and there's no chance of it getting kicked around.
	() Thanks

22nd December 2006, 00:12	#12
manu BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 67 Thanked: 25 Times	Wonderful Manik... I agree that Google earth is updated a lot more frequently than the other mapping software data..
	() Thanks

22nd December 2006, 11:05	#14
gonecase_01 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 163 Thanked: Once	hey manik great install how much did the whole thing cost you... and can u use it as a music player also i mean by attaching a amp and connecting the compos and sub
	() Thanks

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