Versa Car PC Project

The Nissan Versa Tech Discussion forum is the place to discuss Versa performance modifications and maintenance.
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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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1. How do you find the GPS unit? Does it work well?

Its pretty good, gets GPS in about 60 seconds from exiting my garage. Comparable to a Garmin GPS performance. I have it on top of my CD receiver as it is magnetic and attracts to the metal case of my CD receiver.

2. Where did you purchase the LCD screen?

www.mp3car.com store.

3. The OBD unit you purchased, you mentioned that you had to send it back to the manufacture to have it rewired. Can you tell me which company you purchased it from? Was it ScanTool? Also the software and the GTR skin, did it come with the unit?

Scan Tool. Needed to send it back to get updated firmware and rework for power management. Before, it took power from the OBD port which was powered all the time, even when the key was not in the ignition. After the rewire, it takes power from the USB port, which is powered by the car PC. When the car PC is off, so is the OBD tool. The software is to show the data in digital gauges is Dash Command and the skin was made by a member of the mp3car.com forums. Dash Command allows for skinning so you can upload a skin to the software and get different skins for gauges.


OhSnap!
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:57 pm

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Will, thanks for that prompt response.

I had a look at scantool and noticed that one of their products has the ability to power via usb:

http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/pc-b ... dlink.html
(Can be powered from OBD or USB, for even easier firmware updates)

Is this the same thing you did with your unit? I will need to look into the same setup as what you had done with your OBD2 unit as I dont want to drain my batteries also...

Did you purchase the dashcommand software? or is it download-able?

I forgot to ask previously, does the LCD show any type of burn in yet? Does it see direct sunlight when you park the vehicle outside? If so, has it shown any type of fading, or weird response to your touch commands?


Thanks,
Snap

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Yes, that is the same scan tool I use. When you buy, make sure it is powered by the USB, not the OBD port. Although it only consumes 300mA from the OBD port, its still power...might as well go with USB powered only so the PC will power up when needed. Also, if you end up buying it, buy an ODB cable that has a 90 degree bend in it. As the connector is above the foot pedals and pointing downward, the supplied OBD connector will stick out at your foot when you are in the driver seat.

I purchased Dash Command but I'm sure you can find it somewhere.

The LCD is fine, works great for me. No burn in, no fading. I do park indoors unless I'm at work. Touch is USB controlled so it is plugged into the car PC. Response is like a normal touchscreen. Sensitive enough and no problems with phantom touching going over bumps or anything like that.

OhSnap!
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:57 pm

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Ah, good good.

I was initially going to go with the following: Asus AT5IONT-I. It's a good MB from the specs page, but I've heard alot of ppl having issues with it being very finicky with memory, and also heat issues.

I then took a look at the following: Asus E35M1-I DELUXE and although the Atom beats it on some benchmarks, it's looking more inviting as the graphics seem to do a bit better then the ION2 on the Atom board.

Seeing as the prices for the SSDs are slowly dropping (turtle's pace), I hope it is feasible by the time I get started on this project.

I'm glad to see you went the PicoPsu route. This little bugger is quite nifty. The Picopsu I will be using will have the auto powerup and shutdown after ignition off. I had some worries regarding hard shutdown as I don't want to corrupt the data on the drive. So this PicoPsu should help as it has the ability to control the timers for shutdown / powerup.

I will keep in mind the GPS unit you had purchased. Since I am looking to replace the headunit outright, I will be looking for a USB FM tuner. I should be able to tether with my cellphone since the Asus E35M1-I DELUXE comes with bluetooth.

This will be a slow progress as we have a new addition to the family and she's been keeping us quite busy. Perhaps soon sometime in the summer I will have a go at it.

As for now, I thank you again for your responses and look forward to posting the transformation from start to finish here.

Cheers,
Snap

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Sounds good. The Pico PSU is great. Its been about a year and I have had no problems. I can have the PC booted and during engine crank, voltages may drop to 6-8 volts and the pico still powers through. Different pinouts on the PSU allow for different actions when switched power is off. Either immediate shut down sequence, 30 seconds, 60 seconds or more. If I could do it over again, I would have gotten a 32gb SSD for the OS, and a 2.5" portable HD for media. Its just a pain to transfer music and videos right now since I only have a 4gb usb key.

I like those mobo's, ones with built in wifi are handy if you have wifi in your parking garage. Zotac makes some high powered mini itx applications you should check out. As for processing, if you are running a 7" LCD at 800x600, you don't need to be running HD content at 720p so processing power isn't an absolute must.

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Small update. Created low key Nissan backround and added as the front end's wallpaper

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Last edited by williamk10 on Sat May 21, 2011 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Kustom Versa 13
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 9:19 pm
Car: Nissan Versa

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What was the price range for this job?

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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About $600. If I didn't get GPS and ODB, it would be about $150 less (hardware and software)

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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So i guess things like this never get finished.

I hated having cut into my dash and the 3M Carbon Fiber tape wasn't working out too well for me. I packed up my dash and will be sending it away for some custom love. I am getting the LCD frame and CD player bezel molded and painted into my dash for the OEM factory look.

He can take this
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And make it into this
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Check out his thread here:

http://www.mp3car.com/fabrication/12635 ... g-dsl.html

Packed and ready to go
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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Picture of the touchscreen LCD out of the case

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Pictures of the custom work being done

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P.G
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 4:57 am
Car: 08 Altima - 2.5S MT
Location: Saudi Arabia

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My Firs Post :naughty:
My Name Is Marwan And Iam New Here .


You Did A Very Nice Work Man...
Iam Thinking To Do The Same On My Altima... :)

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Dash is back, here are some pictures. Installation back into the car coming soon

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anthony870
Posts: 420
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:11 am
Car: '11 Nissan Juke 1.6L Turbo S
'09 Nissan Versa 1.8L S H/B (traded)
Location: Bell Buckle, TN

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that is awesome. I've been watching this for a while and am amazed at the detail you've put in. wish i could do something like this. how much did the custom fabrication cost if you don't mind me asking. keep up the good work

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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$180. Worth it, at least for me. I can't stand my ghetto fab work so I'll stick to what I do best and save money by working on the PC and wiring, and let someone who knows what they're doing earn the money I saved and do the job right. I'll get some installed pictures soon.

EDIT: Here it is, installed. OEM!

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shorside
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2009 3:02 am
Car: nissian versa,sentra

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it looks awsome maby i can do something like that too

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anthony870
Posts: 420
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:11 am
Car: '11 Nissan Juke 1.6L Turbo S
'09 Nissan Versa 1.8L S H/B (traded)
Location: Bell Buckle, TN

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that looks amazing. love it. keep up the good work

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P.G
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 4:57 am
Car: 08 Altima - 2.5S MT
Location: Saudi Arabia

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Looks very nice.
But dont you have to cover the electronic parts in the back??

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williamk10
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 pm
Car: '07 Versa SL
Location: Richmond, BC

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Everything is pretty neat and tidy back there. I zip tied all the cables and the circuit board of the touchscreen has been out in the open since I have had the PC in place and I have had no problems.

DEVST8r
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 3:59 am

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luv this setup


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