It's....ALIVE!!!!!!
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Yes, it's an Acura EL
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It's....ALIVE!!!!!!
Well, it took me almost 4 months and I've lost track of the costs, but my baby gets what might well be her last ICE upgrade. While amassing the parts necessary for the project was easy, the hardest part was the freakin screen. I wanted to mold it but was really apprehensive about making its viewing angle permanent - I had to get it right in the first try. No do-overs. I'll mainly post the making of the console, mainly cause I was too dirty and angry to take pics of the carputer install. Also this was my first time really getting into the whole molding thing. Please don't lecture me about using bondo-glass, I've already heard it. In fact, I've heard it enough to have started a second custom console and will use fiberglass this time.
No pics of how it sits in the trunk - it's a rat's nest and hidden anyway.
And now on to the pics:
No pics of how it sits in the trunk - it's a rat's nest and hidden anyway.
And now on to the pics:
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 So much freakin bondo-glass and bondo and such!
Finally getting to painting it up (oops forgot to take a pic of the primering and base coat):
Finally getting to painting it up (oops forgot to take a pic of the primering and base coat):
Last edited by TeLLy; May 26, 2005 at 01:35 AM.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
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The night before install - everything all gathered together for the final piecing together:
Installed but there was something wrong with my Opus and the inverter I'd bought as a backup was giving off too much interference so the screen wouldn't stay still.
But the next day I found out my Opus had a coil touching its metal case, thus shorting it. Fixed it and the system worked first try:
Props to my bwoy 909, and J187 for the screen moulding ideas. Pretty much all the other information I needed was found on mp3car.com - some of those guys have crazy setups!
Specs:
Hardware:
Intel P4 2.53GHz
1GB DDR
Asus P4P800VM motherboard
80GB 2.5" laptop hard drive
Plextor 16x DVD burner
Creative Soundblaster USB MP3+ sound card
Kensington wireless keyboard/mouse combo
Opus Solutions 150W DC-DC power supply
DIY extended SATA data and power cables
Xenarc 7" touch screen 16:9 monitor, custom molded into 2005 Civic Reverb center console
Rikaline 6010u USB GPS receiver
Antec Aria microATX case, hacked to bits with a Dremel
Software:
MS Windows XP SP2
Mediacar front end, with Acura logo skin
iGuidance 2.0 loaded with iGLoader
Destinator 3.5
Winamp
Cyberlink PowerDVD
FrodoDVD
Nero (latest version)
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,248
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 You can see in the last couple of pics how faded my gauge cluster bezel is...now I have to paint that again to match the console.
Please excuse pic quality, it's all off a cam fone.
Please excuse pic quality, it's all off a cam fone.
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I gotta see this in person man. A former computer nerd like me can't go w/o seeing all the little things that you have had to mess with to get this carputer project working. So many questions I want answered by seeing for myself... Does your CPU have Centrino Mobile technology? How stripped (like you said you were planning on doing so) is Windows XP SP2? To the point where it's like Windows 1/2XP SP1/2? What kind of ROM Drive did you put in (combo drive? DVD/CD-RW?)
Man... I am to hit up a Wednesday Timmie's meet just for this... ... and coffee of course.
- Marty
I gotta see this in person man. A former computer nerd like me can't go w/o seeing all the little things that you have had to mess with to get this carputer project working. So many questions I want answered by seeing for myself... Does your CPU have Centrino Mobile technology? How stripped (like you said you were planning on doing so) is Windows XP SP2? To the point where it's like Windows 1/2XP SP1/2? What kind of ROM Drive did you put in (combo drive? DVD/CD-RW?)
Man... I am to hit up a Wednesday Timmie's meet just for this... ... and coffee of course.
- Marty
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Originally Posted by TeLLy
You can see in the last couple of pics how faded my gauge cluster bezel is...now I have to paint that again to match the console.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,248
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 Same paint, but it faded in the sun...it was one of my earlier painting projects, was a bit of a rush job plus I never took care of the finish.
The OS actually didn't end up as stripped as planned, cause I ended up using the MediaCar front end and just dumped as much RAM in as I could afford while removing the unnecessary services and startup components. The processor is your standard socket478 P4, not mobile. And I did state what kind of drives are connected to the machine.
The OS actually didn't end up as stripped as planned, cause I ended up using the MediaCar front end and just dumped as much RAM in as I could afford while removing the unnecessary services and startup components. The processor is your standard socket478 P4, not mobile. And I did state what kind of drives are connected to the machine.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 Thanks J187, I always agreed that a smaller OEM-look screen was more for me. The big problem was how to set the screen so that even when the console is mounted at its usual angle (I dunno, like 60 degrees?) in the dash, the screen would be perfectly perpendicular to my view. I managed to do that thankfully, and it was pure luck too, I didn't get in the car or measure, I just kind of eyeballed it.
The Opus is powering all this shizznat no sweat, but we'll see how it does in the long term. I really like how it goes into hibernate automatically as soon as my deck turns off. I'd like to shave a few more watts here and there, like switching to ONE DDR DIMM instead of the 512+256+256 that I have now, to save like 10W. Stuff like that. When the Opus 300w DC-DC comes out I'll probably get that just to be safe, I've got more stuff I want to put in now.
To answer your questions...
Akutenshi - the short was occurring inside the Opus power supply's case. I opened the case and bent that piece of offending metal outwards, then stuck a little electrical tape on it for good measure. I figure more air circulating in that power supply is a GOOD thing anyway.
Kadenx - all this stuff was off the shelf at my local Canadian Tire. The primer was standard automotive stuff, then Duplicolor Metalcast Base Coat and then Metalcast Red. Finally I was in a bit of a quandary as to what clear coat to use, since this thing would be contacted by greasy, smoky fingertips all the time. I decided to try Duplicolor Wheel Paint clearcoat (the stuff used to finish wheel painting projects). I figure it'd be the most durable finish, and I was willing to even sacrifice a little bit of gloss to get a coat that wouldn't chip. So far I'm happy with that choice, it seems to be holding up. I hope it holds up until the next console is on.
The Opus is powering all this shizznat no sweat, but we'll see how it does in the long term. I really like how it goes into hibernate automatically as soon as my deck turns off. I'd like to shave a few more watts here and there, like switching to ONE DDR DIMM instead of the 512+256+256 that I have now, to save like 10W. Stuff like that. When the Opus 300w DC-DC comes out I'll probably get that just to be safe, I've got more stuff I want to put in now.
To answer your questions...
Akutenshi - the short was occurring inside the Opus power supply's case. I opened the case and bent that piece of offending metal outwards, then stuck a little electrical tape on it for good measure. I figure more air circulating in that power supply is a GOOD thing anyway.
Kadenx - all this stuff was off the shelf at my local Canadian Tire. The primer was standard automotive stuff, then Duplicolor Metalcast Base Coat and then Metalcast Red. Finally I was in a bit of a quandary as to what clear coat to use, since this thing would be contacted by greasy, smoky fingertips all the time. I decided to try Duplicolor Wheel Paint clearcoat (the stuff used to finish wheel painting projects). I figure it'd be the most durable finish, and I was willing to even sacrifice a little bit of gloss to get a coat that wouldn't chip. So far I'm happy with that choice, it seems to be holding up. I hope it holds up until the next console is on.
Yo man, that is crazy nice!! Unbelievable job. Color looks like wet glass, its ridiculous. 
I agree with you that the smaller screens look cleaner. Maybe when i get the courage to try this project I'll go with that size. Again man, major kudos!! 
I agree with you that the smaller screens look cleaner. Maybe when i get the courage to try this project I'll go with that size. Again man, major kudos!! 
I have that exact f***ing case Antec Aria with 3.2ghz 2gb of mem dvd-rw
I've always wondered about molding the case in my glove(maybe 2 long tho), getting a in dash lcd, relocat the HU to lighter area, and using my PC with a media mouse for my entertainment. Even a wirless key pad or just getting a touch screen with software.
I build systems like this like every weekend for alot of peeps
I've always wondered about molding the case in my glove(maybe 2 long tho), getting a in dash lcd, relocat the HU to lighter area, and using my PC with a media mouse for my entertainment. Even a wirless key pad or just getting a touch screen with software.
I build systems like this like every weekend for alot of peeps
Last edited by blackdragon; May 26, 2005 at 10:05 AM.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,248
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 I think a P4 chip that fast, along with a DVDRW, might be a touch too much for any of the DC-DC power supplies out there, and of course an inverter is too noisy and inefficient. I admit even my 2.53GHz is overkill....but hey I got that part for free anyway. If I had to do it over with my own moola, I'd grab a 2GHz at most.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,248
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 I WISH, Linux would clean up my skipping video. But GPS software for Linux is past my expertise, and every resource I have is WinXP-based, so I'll stick with that till I iron out the bugs.
Thread Starter
Yes, it's an Acura EL
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,248
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 Thanks 909 - coming from my carputer idol that means a lot. AllMotorSi, I can help you with anything on the carputer as long as it's something that I've worked with on mine. I'm still getting to know this shizznat myself.
