# Mission Possible



## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

Here's the Mission if u choose to accept!

Plan:
carPC that i can integrate my guages, a/c controls, obdII output, RF 360.3 (on screen adjustabilty), roto style mouse(like in Bmw) and can i have optical output?.... can any one point me in the right direction bcuz im an audio guy not a computer geek yet! and give me thorough explainations without going over my head..


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

have you seen something like this done? 

I dont see how you are going to integrate all the car systems and aftermarket and all those interface devices. you would need to be an electronics engineer to get the hardware working and a software engineer to write the code to display it all.


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## quietfly (Mar 23, 2011)

minbari said:


> have you seen something like this done?
> 
> I dont see how you are going to integrate all the car systems and aftermarket and all those interface devices. you would need to be an electronics engineer to get the hardware working and a software engineer to write the code to display it all.


even most EE's will have an issue with this as all the systems mentioned are different in most cars. (and we don't even know what car the OP wants this in...)


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

if dakota digital can make displays..... how hard would it be to get those same displays on a comptuer screen?


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## quietfly (Mar 23, 2011)

ok, its not difficult to do ANY of things you asked for individually, maybe the AC controls would be a pain. However integration of all those different systems would be a PITA. For Example my car is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, it uses a CAN bus system, and to integrate with the stock system of my car takes a lot of work. as of right now only two companies sell an OEM integration unit that talks to my car's internals, and both systems are closed, so if you hack the system and it bricks, you've just made a 1200.00 paper weight.
And btw Dakota Digital uses a lot of VFD's hooked up to analog system controllers, so if you don't have one of the 30or so cars they support, you are stuck with the "universal" system which is a bunch of vacuum fluorescent displays in a fancy panel. 
nothing wrong with it, but certainly not integrated like you talked about.


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## quietfly (Mar 23, 2011)

also, most of the info that dakota digital pulls, can be achived with a simple odbII to (android or ipad) connector and a free- 90.00 program. but again displaying info is not a problem, however CONTROLLING those systems is not so easy.


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

ok screw /ac controls i was askinfg about display really, my initial plan is to make my dash symetrical.... get rid of the instrument cluster and make way for my hlcd's


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

You would need some OBD-II interface hardware if your car is OBD-II and a program written to interpret the data and convert it to a GUI that you can use.

If you have an OBD-I car,it should be a little easier and you can use a micro controller and a program to interpret the various voltages sent to the instrument panel. I have thought about doing this, but I know nothing about creating a GUI. I suggest doing a lot of reading.

It's not hard to integrate A/C either...if your car doesn't use a proprietary CAN protocol. you should check out mp3car.com, I think they can help you more


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## quietfly (Mar 23, 2011)

so what type of car?


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

4th gen honda accord (92)


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

I got the same car!
Are you going to use a 10" in portrait.

You can do gauges and climate control integration, you don't have OBDII.
You would be best using the RF OEM software.
yes you can use optical to the 360.3...I think


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

i have given it some thought and maybe just use raspberry pi, 10" touchscreen, 1/2 din eq, with a trunk mount eq....... just to simplify bcuz im so green at the integration that its frustrating me..... unless u can assist me in the correct path


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

I can try, although I'm still learning myself. Where would you like to begin? BTW this may take months, maybe years to finalize, it's definitely not plug and play


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

a good foundation, i'm building a stealth system however would like a brain to eliminate extra components.... music is my main goal everything else is extra... first a good board


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## Fetus (Apr 14, 2011)

If you're going with Raspberry Pi, you could take care of most of the AC with a relay module, if you really wanted to. You may need some sort of servo control for the air zones.
Quite a few people seem to be having success with using the Raspberry Pi to read the OBD data also. 
Not too sure what sort of issues you may encounter with the 360.3 software on ARM architecture. There are x86 emulators around, though. This is outside my personal experience, as I haven't been able to buy a Raspberry Pi yet...


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

i dont wanna incorporate my 360.3 into my system now..... i had to many issues with my Altomobile drive 30 and dqs..... plus i really love the feel of an analog volume control, so if i can take care of everything else with the R-Pi unit but once again im greeeeeeen when it comes to the lingo cand components neccessary to achieve my goals


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

A good foundation would start with good hardware or software.
Let's start with hardware since that is a little easier to begin with.
You said stealth so I'm going to assume you want a small motherboard, Mini-ITX is a good form factor. Do you want Intel or AMD?


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

wuts the pro's and cons


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

At this level, it's just brand preference.
I used to be an AMD fan, but ever since the Core series processors came out, I've been Intel. You can build a fairly powerful and effecient Mini-itx nowadays. 
You'll want: 
optical out from the motherboard for audio. A dedicated card may reduce jitter and increase sq. 
Several USB ports to interface with the A/C and gauges.


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

ok, that sounds about right..... is there a sound difference in cards? i dont want am/fm, dvd/cd drive nor satellite radio. would like the nice mouse like german cars and a 10" touchscreen and have the volume control from a central location via mouse


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## Fetus (Apr 14, 2011)

I have plans to use my Griffin Powermate for volume and track control, in conjunction with a touch screen for easier navigation of menus, etc. 
If you need more functionality, check this baby out...
Amazon.com: 3Dconnexion 3DX-700028 SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse: Electronics
It's designed for use in CAD and 3D modelling programs, but they have beta software so it can be used in other programs like media players. Once this software improves, I'll probably grab one...


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

Fetus said:


> I have plans to use my Griffin Powermate for volume and track control, in conjunction with a touch screen for easier navigation of menus, etc.
> If you need more functionality, check this baby out...
> Amazon.com: 3Dconnexion 3DX-700028 SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse: Electronics
> It's designed for use in CAD and 3D modelling programs, but they have beta software so it can be used in other programs like media players. Once this software improves, I'll probably grab one...


 thats what im talking bout!


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## sh.moto.2 (Jul 2, 2010)

i wanna get the system done but dont feel like starting bcuz "stealth sq" systems are extremely hard to build! however IMO the most satifying


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## sonikaccord (Jun 15, 2008)

Mp3car.com: Providing the latest news on in-car entertainment, and a community to connect people.
I forgot to give you this, have fun.


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