OK - so if we're gonna stick a DVD player into a SEDAN equipped with Navi, why not install a PC? What are our options? Having not delved into my wiring, I am looking to some DVD-modders out there to assist with the in-dash wiring.

Here is an equipment list that I have begun to put together.

Laptop: IBM Thinkpad (X22) w/ media slice containing the DVD.


Keyboard: FingerWorks iGesture mini-KB


Power: 72w-12v IBM Power Adapter


Audio Adapter: Generic cassette adapter



==========
OK - so basic stuff is out of the way....now how do we install & mount. I am sounding this out for your input before I attempt. The part I am unsure about is actually splicing it into the Nav display.

Concerns:
1) Power on - laptops require you to press the power on. This will require remote wiring of the media slices power button.

2) Laptop screen - well, since its there, why not use it in addition too the navi? that way you can display nav info while others are watching a movie (splitters/switches I am guessing, along with the Fn-F7 display toggle) I wonder if there is some bulk cabling avail to remote mount the LCD? I might be able to get some IBM guys to look into this, but I may have had my bridges burnt since my company opted to go with Dells this year. 12" screen - so where does it go? Perhaps a stow away under the rear seat that pops out and raises up? Ceiling mount drop down...but the the sunroof is there?....hmmm.. kinda seems a waste not to use it.

3) Video to Nav..so we can use an S-video to RCA connector. right?

4) Audio to dash...use the CD/Cassette adapter and wire it internal to the radio per other posts on DVD/Navi mods. One question on this: when i have previously used the adapter with my laptop to play MP3s & DVDs on road trips, i have had to eject the cassette every couple of hours to fool the deck into thinking the cassette switched sides. Has anyone experienced that too?

5) Keyboard - I was thinking that it might be cool to mount the mini-keyboard in the cup holders. One problem is that the drink holder opens the wrong way. It would be so cool to have it open the other way so that the keyboard faces you and is attached to the back of the compartment lid.

6) finally...laptop mounting. I am opting to use the media slice so I can remove the laptop when I want to for upgrades & maint. The DVD in this unit is located in the media slice (base or docking station). Should it be located under the driver seat? I was thinking about, perhaps, mounting it in the trunk with the DVD tray facing the pass-thru in the backseat. That way passengers drop the arm, open the pass-thru and pop in a DVD. I could also mount a tray under it for game controllers, which would then stow out of the way too. The laptop is also protected from idiot valet's by being located in the trunk. thoughts? concerns?

I am so hoping to get some input on this! I am serious and have the stuff to do it, I'll I need is a 3/4 baked plan!


'03 Sedan 5a: Silver/Graphite, Premium, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
SolarGard Quant. Tint 19% r, 28% fr, & just a tad more than 4" of 52% on the windshield

 

I've been playing with the same idea of adding a laptop to my G. I don't have the installed navi system but figured for about $1500 I could bet a laptop w/ DVD player and add a voice activated Delorme Earthmate system http://www.gpsnow.com/em.htm w/ the GPS reciever running off the USB port. I was wondering about getting an external LCD screen or touch screen so I could put the laptop under the seat. How easy is it to hook up an external screen to the lap top? Any Ideas on mounting?
Thanks-

04 Desert Platinum, Premi Pkg, sport tuned.

 

If you have an s-video out on the laptop, no problem. Most PCs come with an S-video out to RCA cable.

otherwise, there is the circuitous route of VGA out to PC/TV converter to RCA out.

The X22 that I have does not have an S-Video out (my bad) So now I am looking at a dell. I will modify the docking station's power on button to be remote mounted. Also, the dell has wi-fi built into the monitor screen for internet access. You can get a wireless earthlink account for around $49/mo which is supposed to work everywhere your cell phone works.

I will also use the S-Video out and run it thru that NAV/TV Tuner that everyone seems to be using

-T

'03 Sedan 5a: Silver/Graphite, Premium, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
SolarGard Quant. Tint 19% r, 28% fr, & just a tad more than 4" of 50% on the windshield

 

Thanks for the info. I'm also looking at getting the Dell 600M for the setup. Keep the board posted on how your project goes.
-TS

04 Desert Platinum, Premi Pkg, sport tuned.

 

not to burst your bubble or anything, but the converted video output out of most laptops (including my Thinkpad) is crappy on a 20" TV, it would probably be worse on a much smaller screen. I hope you don't plan to use it for anything besides DVD, otherwise text will be pretty hard to read

 

Hum, you can use the Xenarc which comes with VGA input so you don't have to worry about the quality of it, it is just a small lcd monitor for a computer...

I was really into putting a carputer in my g35, but i decided to save the money for something else... check http://www.mp3car.com These people are experts in that field and can help you with any problem you come along with... (be sure to search in the forum b4 u ask though)

As for audio input, i've heard different story about tape adapter in, mostly say that it is better to find an aux in, or audio in through amps... fm transmitter is one of the other way to output the audio, a good fm transmitter is around $100 i think, the quality could be better than tape adapter (i'm not sure on this), and you don't have to worry about wiring and all that...

I think the biggest problem of putting a labtop on is how do you start it remotely? From what i read on the other forum, many have screwed up their labtop in the process of wiring it... (they said the wiring in labtop is somewhat very complicated)



<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by neohh on 09/16/03 11:12 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

I plan on remote mounting the power on button from the docking station, thereby bypassing any mods to the laptop.

S-video should give you a pretty good image or the PC/TV tuner which is yucky!!

Using the NAV/TV tuner system from avelectronics, i think I can also connect in the audio from the headset OUT to a RCA Y splitter to the NAV/TV INs with a phono to RCA converter bit.



'03 Sedan 5a: Silver/Graphite, Premium, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
SolarGard Quant. Tint 19% r, 28% fr, & just a tad more than 4" of 50% on the windshield

 

check this out:

RCA /Phone Y adapter Radio Shack $4.99





'03 Sedan 5a: Silver/Graphite, Premium, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
SolarGard Quant. Tint 19% r, 28% fr, & just a tad more than 4" of 50% on the windshield

 

OK - now that i have had a little time playing with this idea, I have altered my equipment and plan....

Dell Latitude D600 laptop <--- HAVE

*Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100 is a key component of Centrino Mobile Technology
*1.40 GHz Pentium® M Processor
*Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Service Pack 1

No mods to the laptop, as it will be docked in the port replicator under the seat.

Dell D/Port Advanced Port Replicator <--HAVE


Power-on switch to be removed, extended and located elsewhere. Laptop will not power-on with the ignition, but will require a manual power-on to conserve batteries and remain "stealth".

Airline/Automobile laptop power adapter <--HAVE


Nav/TV Tuner <-- HAVE

The NAV/TV Tuner will allow me to splice into the factory in-dash DVD-NAV display. I will use the Dell's S-Video OUT to the Nav/TV Tuner's S-Video IN to bring the laptop's video to the factory DVD-NAV display.

RCA / Phone Y adapter Radio Shack <-- HAVE

Will use this Y-adapter to convert the laptop's audio out phono jack to the NAV/TV Tuner's RCA audio in jacks.

KB & MOUSE OPTION 1
Natural Point's Smart-NAV

Will mount the "eye" in the ashtray so that it can be hidden.

Will use the "ring" control

rather than the wand or "third eye" dot:


Will use their on-screen keyboard and "dwelling" for character input or mouse clicks.
See it in action

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE OPTION 2:
VGA-out on the laptop to a 7" Xenarc touchscreen LCD, S-video goes to the NAV/Tuner. That way it can also be used independently of the NAV/TV Tuner, allowing for navigation and computing at the same time.

This would replace the $300 Natural point smart nav ring setup, but add a $500+ Touch LCD and a $120+ mounting bracket.


Which will be mounted on the passenger side of the center console, under dash where the utility power is.

i will create a custom flip out mount that extend out and then flip the screen in between the ash tray and the shifter. It will not be automatic our anything..picture this mount vertically (up and down) against the passenger side of the center console:


Additionally, I will probably add on an external USB Hard Drive enclosure with a big-GB hard drive or extra storage (AVI's, MP3s, etc...


Next post....wiring and mounting designs....
comments, criticism & caveats always welcomed...

cheers, ted


'03 Sedan 5a: BS/G, Prem, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
Quantum Tint 19% r, 28% fr, & 50% w/s
Clear Corners, 350z Duct http://www.cardomain.com/id/socalted

 

Hey Ted;

I think you're kind of swimming upstream here. Why not use a 12volt PC (mini-tower; fits a full size P4 moterboard) instead of a laptop? They are much cheaper, and eliminate the mounting issues; they can be mounted in the corner of the trunk. The Xenarc monitor is a good idea, but why not get one that fits in the standard NAV cubby. The Xenarc gives you touchscreen capabilities, and you could add a wireless keyboard/mouse for good measure. A computer based NAV system with GPS antenna is a great option. Someone on this board has already done this install in a coupe.

04 G35s 6MT BS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

is there anyway to hook up a dvd player to a lcd flat screen monitor? i was playing with the idea of simply mounting a lcd in my car. it would be like getting a high definition screen double or triple the size of a regular car monitor.

G35S 6MT
Technosquare ECU
350Z Springs & Struts
6-wire ground kit

 

does the nav tv tuner allow you to connect a S video in or audio?

04 G35C 6mt/aero kit/nav/premium

 

Nice, it looks like you are making great progress. The Dell 600 is a good choice and is the Laptop I am looking at getting. Let me know how well it works. FYI, I tried out one of the FM transmitters from circuit city which plugs into your headphone jack and transmits the signal to an FM station that you can tune your car stereo to. DON'T bother with it. The reception sounded so crappy that I took the device back that day. You are much better off sticking with the cassette adapter for the audio.
Let us know how the progress goes as I will be using your advice for my system. I'm especially interested in how well the xenarc software workes for the touch screen. Does the keypad icon dissapear after a few minutes of non use so you can get a full screen when watching movies?
Thanks for all the info!

04 Sedan. Desert Platinum, Premi Pkg, sport tuned.
Racing and pacing and plotting the course.

 

++ Buddha: I went out and checked....ever had one of those days? I must have mixed this NAV/TV tuner with one of the others I was looking at in the early days.

NO S-VIDEO on the NAV/TV Tuner !! Guess that decides it - I'll be using the Xenarc Screen

+++RacerX - why use a cappucino box when a laptop brings out more of "whoa - cool!" reaction? In all seriousness, I am in IT and have lots of cool stuff to play with. With a laptop, especially wireless, i can remove it from the car by simply undocking it - or send updates to it while the car is in the driveway. No matter what, I will get more processing power and a smaller footprint than from a boxed unit.

+++ Nuttyprof - where the hell would you put that thing?

-T


'03 Sedan 5a: BS/G, Prem, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
Click here for mods

 

OK - so getting ready for the Showoff Classic on Dec 13th at Pomona Fairplex

Looks like I will not have the Xenarc mounted the way I want it to be, so here's what the temp install will be:

Laptop in trunk

Xenarc (TEMPORARILY placed on the center console, in front of the arm rest, over the tip storage cubby - will probably use velcro or somethig to hold it.

Audio out from laptop to NAV/Tuner audio in.

Will also connect the docking stations S-video out to an RCA adapter for the audio in's mated video in...that's just so the NAV tuner is not blank while I am selecting some tunes.

This the temporary setup, just to get a proof of concept.

The one problem I am working with is that the wiring harnes I cut for the docking stations "power on" button seems to lose power over the distance from the docking station (trunk) to the "button board" dash mount and then running back to the ttrunk. Evidently, all power for the laptop runs through that little board in series. If there are any eletronic gurus out there, would a thicker gauge wire allow for less loss/resistance? Unfortunately, the wiring for that little board (8 of them) are like 28g or something. I am currently extending them with a CAT5 cable, but that is solid copper and something like 22g

Any ideas?

thanks, Ted

'03 Sedan 5a: BS/G, Prem, Aero/Body, Sport, Nav
Click for MODS or Vote at Online Showoff