Touch Screen LCD

[burnin240sx]

What’s a good touch screen LCD? I’ve seen these 7 inch touch screens on eBay all the time. I’m thinking about getting one but haven’t seen any reviews about them judging from the specs they look great for my in dash dvd/navagation system.

Here’s a link to one.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...&rd=1

I have check out the manufacture and they seam like a good deal I’m just wondering if anyone here has used them. Or if anyone knows of a touch screen that they have tried out.

[Simmsled]

thats cool!

[whiterps13]

you could go that route and hook it up to a computer, but for most people this isnt conveniant at all. what i would suggest as more of a practical approach is a higher end unit from pioneer, clarion, kenwood. etc.. these would power all of your speakers, play cd/dvd/cd-r/mp3, have navigation inputs, and so on. if you want to replace your headunit this is the only way to go..

[burnin240sx]

you could go that route and hook it up to a computer, but for most people this isn’t conveniant at all. what i would suggest as more of a practical approach is a higher end unit from pioneer, clarion, kenwood. etc.. these would power all of your speakers, play cd/dvd/cd-r/mp3, have navigation inputs, and so on. if you want to replace your headunit this is the only way to go..

Let me clarify my project for you. I have addressed all these issues. This is just the last step of my project. And my setup will outperform most head units. Here’s my plan

In the dash I will have the DVD-ROM drive and LCD. I’ll have it molded to look stock like it belongs in the dash.Here is my DVD drive that will play everything

Looks just like a car CD player so it would look all phony like a pop out tray.kind of like this



The and for the sound side of things I’ll use the sound blaster ls2 here are some specs24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96 kHz to analog 5.1 speaker output SPDIF output up to 24-bit resolution at selectable sampling rate of 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz EAX ADVANCED HD™ Audio Technology

User-selectable EAX ADVANCED HD MUSIC presets, pre-configurable DSP modes simulating various acoustic environments Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) = 100 dB (2V) Crosstalk (Left/Right and vice versa) = -100 dB Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1 kHz (A-Weighted) = 0.004 % Frequency Response at -3 dBr = <10 Hz to 22 kHz

Them there are some good specs for me and the remote for the amp can be wired into the ignition since the car has to be in the on position for the amps to play anyway. On the GPS side I’ll have the Delorme - New Earthmate GPS with street atlas 2004 and it features voice navigation. That will work well with the microphone mounted above the drive in the head liner.

And what will control all this is a fantastic piece of software called media Engine this is the best part of the project

Media Engine is a user interface to be installed on a Microsoft Windows Based PC in an automobile. It features a media file player based from Winamp that uses an internal Microsoft Access database to organize media within the program.And it interfaces directly with everything, windows media player, winamp, the GPS software, and it can be adapted to just about any software within the program. And the best part is the interface is FULLY customizable. Here are a few examples.











And the computer can be setup to run off the battery and go into hibernate mode when the car is turned off with some simple wiring.

The best part is that I can tie this into the SEMS I have planed for the future KAT. And while I’m running stock I can use the consults for engine tuning and graphical readout of any sensor.Here’s a link to some screenshotshttp://300zx-twinturbo.com/conzult/sxscrnshts.htm

Did I mention I was a computer science / engineering major?oh yeah this can all be done for around 1k.and don't get me started on the speakers and the sub box construction i have planed

but to reiterate my question is this monitor a good choice or is there some other product out there like this that i don't know about?

[burnin240sx]

oh yeah then theres the satilite radio with pc graphical interface

http://www.xmradio.com/xmpcr/specs.jsp

[whiterps13]

wow thats pretty impressive. let us know how it turns out...

[MainEvent212]

:crapped my pants face...

oh...well we need to make one in that case

[Simmsled]

its cool... its the programming that is a pain in the a s s.

[hannibal]

Lilliput and Xenarc are the two big names for 7" VGA screens. Still a lot of debate over which is better (brighter, quality, etc). Check out http://www.digitalww.com Theres a link on the bottom of the first page to a nice comparison of the two.

I'm interested in your setup. You planning to use the Opus PS??What about a case? Where ya gonna mount it??

[burnin240sx]

kewl mang, thanks for the link.I'm thinking about using a itx motherboard. just to give you a idea of how small this bad boy here's a picit's only 17 cm x 17 cm.i might just custom mount it somewhere like in the center console. maybe even fab a new center console.

here's a link for some more detailshttp://www.essencompu.com/nupplysingar.asp?ID=2881

[burnin240sx]

on the ps i may just use a power inverter with a simple cirut toshutdown the comp like a turbo rimer or maybe i'll be just lazy and use a switch untill i just buy the ps. basicly havn't decided on that aspect yet. still in the process of replacing the head gasket right now.

[ayjay]

that's pimp man! you find a touch screen lcd yet? you could always just do what my buddy does with his setup... he has a mouse that sits on his passenger seat and he uses it to run winamp haha and he has a full 24" tower in his trunk...sooo ghetto/poor, but i guess it works :pface

[hannibal]

Ive been reading over at http://www.mp3car.com Plenty of good info over there.I think the biggest choice is whether to use a head unit or not. If you have an aftermarket stereo (or an OEM one) that has aux inputs, I would keep the head unit. If you choose not to use a head unit, you have to run sound from your PC to an amp (or amps).

About the power inverter, I heard that can be a major source of 'noise' in your audio system. http://www.mini-box.com sells a few dc-dc power supplies. But they dont include a shutdown controller. You would still need to find a way to do this. http://www.opussolutions.com sells the best (IMO) dc-dc auto power supply. It has a built in shutdown controller and it regulates the incoming 12v (Voltage is 10-14v in your car) power. It costs about $150 for the 90W version, and $190 for the 150W version.

The mini-box site has a 'power simulator' to help you estimate how much power your PC needs.Its all about the install. When I eventually do this, I want an OEM appearance. That Audi pic above looks great to me. I hope to have something along those lines.Oh and those Lilliput screens can go as low as $150 on Ebay.

If you dont have your heart set on that MB you linked to, check out the newer version EPIA M. I think it comes in 800MHz and 1GHz. But it has a faster chipset with better on board video, 6 channel audio and uses DDR266. To save space on your in dash install, consider a slim laptop DVD drive. Hard to find a slot load slim drive (Mac makes one-needs an adapter for PCs)

Wow that was my longest post ever. But this stuff so cool, I could talk about it all day.Hit me up if you wanna talk some more...

[burnin240sx]

real theres a laptop slide dvd. thats an even better idea. thanks for the heads up. nice to see there's other car nuts like me out there. and as of the tower in the trunk. HELL NO i'm not that getto geek.

[ayjay]

i wish i was as nerdy as you guys

[burnin240sx]

well i have installed said system and here are a few pics cause i'm to tired to do anything else after this install.

[burnin240sx]

i'll host the pics tommorow so u can see the big picture.

[Rex]

See the link in my sig to uplaod/post pics on NICO (if you need host). We WANT to see bigger pics .

[whiterps13]

that looks sweet.........

[nupe500]

dude...more pics...and details...

[burnin240sx]

i'll try to take some pics tommorow it that i just forget and i get home after dark so the pics wouldn't do it justic.

[burnin240sx]

here you gohttp://www.nissaninfiniticlub....13021

[BaliLover]

What do you do for an FM radio? I don't like to always listen to recorded music, sometimes I want to just hear random stuff. Is there a way to get an FM tuner into the system?

I like the idea of an MP3 computer setup in my car, I wouldn't need the extreme GPS setup you have, but what I would like to find is a little motherboard like that with built in WiFi so I can pull the car in the garage and connect to my network to add new songs.

My other question is, what kind of heat can a setup like this handle without a fan? I know they offer the MB setup with a fanless option, but what are you doing for a hard drive, they tend to generate alot of heat and are sensitve to shock from what I remember.

[burnin240sx]

You have your choice of the d-link fm USB radio or xm- pcx radio.Media engine supports both. Just plug and play.

The mobo has a fan on it and it doesn’t get that hot inside the car where heat is a problem. And the hard drive is not that sensitive to shock. But it you’re worried about it. Then mounts the HD sideways that way the heads bounce off track instead of onto the platter. For me this is not an issue because the magnets on the head in my opinion are strong enough to handle the vibrations and not hit the platters.

[BaliLover]

I've got some misc. questions about your setup that would be easier to ask in a chat program like AIM or better suited to email. Please drop me a line at either [email protected] or on AIM at MarkJMyers

[hannibal]

Hey burninLooks great man!! Clean install with the Lilliput screen.few questions, where did you put the PC? (in a custom case?) Did you find a place up front to mount the DVD drive? Oh, and any reason to chose Media Engine over MediaCar and others?I assume you did all the trim and fiberglass yourself. That is the part I suck at. When I go thru with this, I'm gonna hit you up for some advice. I guess I should get in line behind Bali...

Bali, anything you can add onto your home PC you can put into the car PC. USB radio tuner, wifi card (USB??), etc. Ive never seen a MB with built in wireless, but that doesnt mean theyre not out. But I'm almost positive VIA doesnt make a mini ITX with wireless.

[BaliLover]

I know that many of the newer laptops have built in Wifi, so I hoped that maybe one of the ITX Mobos would come with one also since i've seen some of them are rack mounted. It would be cool to just pull into my garage and be on the net.

I was also curious about the case, I found one that looked to be designed for car use, it fit in a din slot but was pretty long so depth would be an issue. The thing is, $160 for a case is pretty tough for me to digest, esp since its not exactly a big thing. 2x7x10 if I remember correctly.

I was looking into one of the Via M series or MII series since I see there are Dc-Dc convertors that will just plug into them, and I can pick one up with good power for a fair price.

I'd also like to find a way to m ake this system easy to remove so I could use it in the car and at my house but I'm not sure of a good way to approach this since I'd have a number of cables in the car running to the PC and I wouldn't want to have to spend 5 minutes to remove it and replace it everytime I went for a drive.

[hannibal]

http://www.travla.com/Products/C137/c137.htmlif youre talking about the casetronic c134/c136, the biggest issue is that it doesnt regulate the 12v power input or include a shutdown controller. Ive looked at the case and I cant see how to fit these in the case. If you could find a place to put them behind, the dash, then I think its a good option.

Couple of ideas for easy removal-laptop with docking station

2 DVD drives-put one in the case thats only used when its in the house. that way you can leave the other mounted in the car, and just disconnect it from the PC when youre ready to move it.

USB, USB, USBI plan to run a USB hub up to the front of the car (under the dash). All my devices would attach here. (DVD, keyboard/mouse, remote sensor, touchscreen input, etc) That means only on USB plug (plus power and audio connections) to remove to pull the system out.

These 2 cases give you more room, but you cant fit it in your dash.http://www.travla.com/Products/C138/c13 ... 203688.htm

After looking at some of these cases, I agree theyre a rip off. Ive read about lotsa guys building simple custom cases from hobby boxes, battery boxes (for relocated batteries), or even cutting up an old full size case.

[burnin240sx]

i made my own mounting bracket for the mother board and the hd out of sheet metal and i used the brass motherboad mounting screw so it was rasied off of the metal. here's some pics of what behind the LCD



and the hub is in the glove box but it could be hid beind it.

[burnin240sx]

I spliced the LCD power into the power supply with a 12v Molex connector that was for a fan and the cig adaptor the screen came with. And I’m using amps for powering my speakers. I made a bracket for the HD and I screwed it in the back and on the side so it would not bounce around. It’s very sturdy.