Work started today on installing a Mac into my 8...

The CPU will sit in the boot recess, screen will sit in the dash, Apple Remote will be integrated into the steering wheel.

Parts I have:

Mac Mini/MacBook Pro
Power Supply/Inverter
2 x Cooling Fans
Lilliput 7" Touch Screen
Mini DVI to VGA
Mini DVI to RCA
Apple Remote
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Wacom Bamboo Tablet (Just covering my input bases here)
New Single Piece Aluminum CPU Lid from a Mac Pro
6 Axis Hat Switch for Steering Wheel Mounting if Apple Remote idea goes **** up.

Parts I need:

Retractible Nav Dash...seen a few Ex Japan...anyone know where I can source one from Australia or New Zealand?
AuxMod - They all seem to be out of stock...or discontinued?

Anyway...first pics of the box construction as it sits in the boot...



Dean

 

Wont the exhaust heat that up?

Aside from that, it looks awesome.

 

Possibly...

Hopefully with some decent heat shielding foil (available by the roll) and 2 decent cooling fans, then the box wont get too hot....

I'm not worried about frying a Mini, as I have a few more to play around with, 1 new, 2 operational but with limited functionality, i.e. failed bluetooth/no Airport card...obviously I won't put the brand new Mac straight in...I will use a sacrificial Mini first...

Have people had cooling issues with Amps etc in the past in the boot recess?

Dean

 

It has been known to heat up amps yes. Now have electrical components fried out because of it, not that Im aware of. I didnt take the chance though.

 

Oh well, I'm prepared to trail blaze on this one.... :-)

 

Spent the day working on updating AMP for the front end...

Seems to be working well...

Quick screenshot with the RX8 Blueprint Background....

 

love the background

 

NICE..keep it up.

 

My Carnetix 2140 informs me on warm days that my trunk is in excess of 100F. My little epia-m in its travla c134 also reports some decent heat and a few times has actually been too hot to touch.... and I keep it in the center rear housing, well away from the floor of the trunk.

 

lookin good man

 

this is awesome! props

 

more pics!!

 

One part I can't source, if anyone can help out....an AuxMod, version 1...i.e. the basic one...thats the problem with living on the bottom of the world. I get to L.A. quite a bit,
but no trips planned in the near future, and I can't wait...

Fabrication of the perspex box started today...going to change it from my original plans, to allow better venting/cooling...given the exhaust may start cooking things...
Was going to have 2 extractor fans side by side on the side of the box, but instead, going to have one fan suck air in, and the other one sucking it out...fans mounted on opposite
sides of the box, with baffles, to ensure the air is 'pulled' through the entire box, rather than straight through.
All this means I am going to have to rethink the carpeting in the boot, and think about running some ducting in...

Also decided to go for rubber t-handle bonnet hold down type fittings to keep it in place, yet be able to take it out if I ever park in an undesirable neighborhood...

Will post more pics as and when decent progress is made.

Deano
www.deanknowsley.com

 

Okay, been a bit busy with the opening of a new store the past few weeks but....

I managed to source an unopened OEM Factory Nav Dash, complete, in plastic for $350 NZ ($200US)!

This changes my plans a bit....

Can anyone help with a link to getting video INTO the factory screen....I don't mind chopping wires and soldering. There is no Nav kit, so I am not worried about not being able to use the screen for factory nav... I just want an AUX source to that built in LCD screen... any one, pm me, or email would be even better...

dean@deanknowsley.com

Cheerd

Deano

 

Ah yes a device like that does exist. I forgot where that thread is.. but it definitely exists.

 

The AVElectronics switcher interfaces with the factory LCD to get an aux signal in. However, if your car didn't come with navi then you don't have the wiring harness for it under the dash. You'd have to create your own and run a ton of wires to wherever you put the box. It also only takes in composite or s-video I believe, no vga but I'm not sure. Also, it's very expensive. Where is the Lilliput? Myself and a few others have successfully swapped the 629 into that factory factory plastic piece. This may be a better option and you could keep the touchscreen functionality and factory look.

 

The avelectronics switcher is pretty expensive. I went with http://www.tvandnav2go.com/ and got the video switcher for $150. Had it for over 3 years with no problems.

 

Still have the lilliput, but I did have another idea for it....nevermind.
Looks like I will mount that in the OEM unit.
Does anyone have a good take apart DIY for the NAV hood (and installation of a LCD screen)....thats not in Greek..?
Its more about taking apart the Nav Dash without breaking clips...

Deano

 

There is really no breaking clips.. just a bunch of screws. I swapped my Lilliput 629 into my oem nav housing with no trouble at all. It's almost like it was made for it from the factory to fit perfectly flush.

Just take it apart and go at it slow, you'll make sense of it then.

 

Awesome. Ta for that...screws it is.

I suppose I will just dive in and do it.

Alz0rz, on you puter, you have some gauges, ie temps etc...can you explain that for me...obviously a windows thing...where is it drawing the information from to indicate on the gauges?

 

This is a closeup of how good the Lilliput 629 fits into the nav housing.



The gauges are displayed through a program called DashCommand. DashCommand is integrated into my software frontend called Centrafuse. DashCommand pulls live ECU data from the OBD2 port. The look of the gauges is just a skin for DashCommand.

 

Mark your gear positions with a sharpie or something before you take everything apart! It makes putting it back together a LOT easier without recalibrating. Some people fit the the original circuit board back in for some motor control with the piece, or there is another thread I've posted on with a circuit I've designed for a little bit more stock operation. What model lilliput is it? If it's the 629 is it the 2008 LED version? alz0rz and myself have swapped them in without any problem as you can see from his picture, and like he said, it's almost made to fit in there. Another member I was helping though had a little more difficulty and he thinks he had a 2008 629, maybe we got lucky?

 

Ohh, that's right I forgot to mention the gear position.. that is a pain in the ***. Mark it and don't spin it!

I do have to thank Chainu for answering all my questions when I was doing the swap!

 

Been continuing on the software in the evenings....

a couple of screenshots so far of the modded AMP front end GUI....
background looks a bit too messy, need to dumb it down...





But it seems to be working fine....

 

Oh and the Lilliput is a 619GL-70NP.

Now when I put the Nav dash on the workbench, where do I connect 12V to test the raising and lowering of the screen... I had a look in the Workshop Manual for the Electrics, but the Screen Dash doesn't seem to be in there...unless I missed it...?