Mazda 6 Carputer
The idea was there for a long time and after a couple of weeks of deliberations and research I decided to take the risk after all and go through with the install. It took me a couple of weekends to complete, but let met tell you... it paid off! It's head turner! I'm really happy with how it turned out.
To begin with, the victim was a Mazda 6 (2003 model). It was a brand new (and my first) car. Hence, I decided to take things slow with the project and measure everything five times before I started the actual 'build'. The entire project was built from scratch - the enclosure for the computer, the amp rack, audio/data wiring. Here it is, my car in all its glory before the install:
Building the computer
After finalizing on all of my computer hardware I was ready to begin work on the enclosure. A quick pseudo-3D model in CorelDraw to verify the dimensions, and I was ready to hit Home Depot! The case is made out of 1/8" MDF. I added the 'step' at the top of the box to accommodate the shape of the trunk (this way, it fits snugly in one of the corners). The top hole was made for a fan, and the bottom two (on the sides) were for incoming/outgoing wiring and for air circulation. The air is sucked in from the bottom and is being pushed out at the top.
I used standard heavy duty carpet (same stuff they use for subwoofer boxes) to cover the outside of the box. Inside the enclosure I used soundproofing / no static mat. Then I simply installed all the components and the 'carputer' was ready to go. The power supply is hidden in the bottom section below the fan. The shiny controller is mostly for 'wow' effect, but it does allow me to control the speed of all the fans and monitor five temperature probes throughout the case. I figured, better be safe than sorry!
Coming from a computer background and all (I'm a Comp.Sci. major at U. of Waterloo) I wanted to build something to show off. Hence, I got UV fans, added a plexiglass window on the side and stuck a single 1W Red-Orange LED inside. The end result: it looks awesome at night.
Installating the carputer
Wiring took me a couple of days to finish, I had to run a lot of new wiring to the trunk. In case you're wondering... yes that is 4AWG, and no I don't need that to power the computer. I also power my audio amps from it - I had to run a good capacity wire to handle the load. (150W power supply for the computer, 2x500W amps) Wires in place, it was time to test the setup - I switched on the ignition, crossed my fingers and hit the power button... And what do you know! It came alive!
Next, it was time to install the touchscreen. I had to take apart most of the dash to take out the 'map compartment'. Once that was out I fabricated a DIY bracket to hold the screen, spliced the video cable on the touchscreen and added my own connectors so I can easily unplug/remove the screen if such need ever arose.
I wired my on/off button for the computer to the red button right beside the stick-shift. (Bulgin momentary switch... in case you're wondering). Wiring complete, touchscreen installed, it was time to work on the software. I decided on Windows XP, I figured plug-and-pray would be a nice feature to have.
First drive and software
My first test drive had me ecstatic - I was bouncing all over the place. Not only was it working, it was also plain awesome simply because I did it myself. The exposure is a bit too high on the photo but you get the idea - GPS is awesome. I started with MapPoint but switched to IGuidance shortly after I gave it a try. It's a great app: voice directions, good detailed maps and a huge POI (Point of Interest) database.
Below is a snapshot of the interior at night - you can see the keyboard on the left, it fits perfectly into the glove compartment and it stays there most of the time since most of the functions are done via touchscreen.
In the trunk, I removed the spare tire and made a fiberglass enclosure to fit in that area to mount two JL amps (one for the speakers 300W/4 channel, one for the sub 500W). And last, but not least... I substantially trimmed my Windows XP install to decrease the boot times (17 seconds on average) and also replaced/made my own bootscreen. In case you're wondering, "Atenza" is the japanese model name for Mazda6. By popular request, you can also download the bootskin after the jump:
If you're interested you can find a lot more pictures at http://www.igvita.com/carputter
All that for GPS?
Nope! Here is a few teasers of what I else I have done with this setup:
- I have all of my mp3's with me at all times
- I have access to the internet from my car! (Hotspots)
- I can run performance diagnostics on my engine - log/view data through CAN interface
- I have GPS!
- I have voice recognition!
- I can pair my Bluetooth cellphone with the computer to get hands-free calling
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