The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

garystockton · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 16:49 Post subject: In-Car computer

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place, but ...

I've been looking at getting a decent GPS that can take additional maps, and be useful for storing / retrieving route and track information, and have narrowed the field down to the Garmin 276CS, which is the standard in sunny SA but is horrifically expensive IMHO for what it offers.

So I decided to see what could be fitted ito a car-computer, and have looked at a few devices so far, from places like www.kustompcs.co.uk and www.carcomputer.co.uk, as well as one or two other interesting sites!

So far, I've identified that I can have a nice remote system that starts / stops with the vehicle's power, has an 8" touch-screen and wireless keyboard / mouse for not much more than the Garmin.

I'm not interested in turn-by-turn city navigation becasue the on-board sat nav does a great job of that. However, I do want to use stuff like Windows, e-mail (it has wi-fi and 3G abilities) Bluetooth, and run Garmin MapSource / MultiMap for planned routes / tracking etc.

So - has anyone any experience of setting this up, known issues (the base unit is 'rugged-ised' to a degree, but not to MilSpec due to costs, so the HDD may be an issue, although 48gig flash drives are available). Any ideas on where to mount it all in a LC120, for example? I don't want to stick an oldish notebook on a ram-mount up on the centre console, although this is an option - i like the touch-screen use.

Also, some of them allow you to interface to the car audio system via the original DIN connector, and so you can stick a copy of your iTunes library on the PC and construct paly-lists as you go Smile

Additionally, ther is an option to hook into the vehicle telemetrics and get all sorts of interesting data back - like all the telemetry stuff you no longer get on the LC5 (sadly) e.g. consumption figures, range, etc.

Any ideas, folks?

Cheers

Gary

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wildsmith · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 18:05 Post subject:

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the hard drive, mine has been working fine for the last 7 or 8 years and AFAIK none of the other systems I've put together for friends have had drive issues either. Personaly I'd avoid in dash units even if they're an option because there will be heat issues with those. Where to put the box of tricks depends on the size of main box you go for. The mini ITX stuff can be about 17.5x24x6 but there's also pico ITX which is much smaller. The main box doesn't need to be particularly close to where the screen will go so you may be able to find room in the boot in a side panel? For mounting the screen you should be able to get something better than a ram mount but it may need to be custom made. Show us a picture of your dash and maybe we can suggest something? Linitx.com is another place to look for bits and is where I source mine from. If I get chance I'll take a picture of my 100 series monitor mounting in a bit and post it to see if it gives you any ideas.
_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

garystockton · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 18:29 Post subject:

Cheers.

I was considering swapping out the display from the Toyota OEM system and replacing with the one from the new system, but also wondered whether there was a spare input socket (DVI or similar) on the original I could use instead Laughing

I had a look at linitx as well - some nice stuff! Also looked at TerraLogic, which looks great but will be a tad OTT I think Wink

See here
MobiTough

wildsmith · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 18:54 Post subject:

I don't think the OEM display can take an extra input and even if it could I have even bigger doubts it would give a touch input back to the computer. IMO if you're happy with the current functionality of the OEM set up I'd add to it rather than replace.

This is my monitor in driver position:

Passenger position:

Low profile:

Put away:

Behind the dash panel is a simple H shaped bracket I made that picks up on an existing solid structure in the dash.

Computer under seat (mini ITX):

Seat in normal position:

_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

24Seven · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 19:06 Post subject:

Very nice Jon

I have just fitted a Ram Laptop mount to mine, just the same as Paul's, it does nominate the whole passenger side though.

Do you have any info on your screen and mount please?

Also in general, what about a net book + your setup for the screen? It could be a quick and easy way of getting a basic setup?

wildsmith · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 19:24 Post subject:

The screen is from Linitx and has an ordinary PC 15 pin VGA lead for the picture and USB type A (normal flat one) lead for the touch screen feedback so it would/does work with a laptop so yes that would get you going.

The bracket is nothing special but here you go:

Once I could measure where it came to on the dash, I cut the box section short and welded a nut in the end. The monitor swivel is a standard small VESA pattern job bought from CPC with a bolt welded in the base that turns into the bracket nut.

As you can see the monitor has a short lead that connects to that multi-way plug and at the other end it brakes out into the 15 pin VGA, USB, power etc, very handy!

That's just one idea, I did something quite different for Steph's 80 and Paul Driver has one of those in his 80. You just need to work out where you might put a monitor and then see what fastening points might be handy.
_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

garystockton · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 20:58 Post subject:

OK - this is the dash of my 120:

Any ideas on monitor fitting would be useful!! The Toyota phone bracket can be removed - I've an iPhone, so the car-kit is useless to me - I don't even know what model phone it's for Wink

Was there when I got the vehicle.

Cheers

wildsmith · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 22:32 Post subject:

Can you do a couple of different angles to improve depth perception? e.g. from drivers POV and passenger side about in the middle of the window? What's the black rectangle in the mirror position to the hazards switch?

How unintrusive an install will you settle for? My first thought is something like I've done for a couple of 80's which is a piece of small box section running verticaly from the passenger side of the centre console up just in front of the dash somewhere around where that black rectangle I was asking about is, and find somewhere up there to put a fastener into and keep the top rigid. Stick a pivot on top and away you go. Can't quite tell from the picture if that works. Are you willing to put a notch in the dash panel to pass a support through if that was the only way? That section of plastic below the black rectangle looks like an obvious place to start. If there's something solid behind that panel to pick up off then maybe it could work like my hundred install instead of the 80. Are you any good at removing trim panels to investigate Laughing

_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

garystockton · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 22:35 Post subject:

OK - will go take more pics shortly. The black rectangle is the passenger air-bag sensor (IR I think) (i.e. checks for pax in that seat to activate airbag or not...) so can't really be blocked I guess.

Cheers

Landcrusher · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:06 Post subject:

I think that you'll find that it's just the warning light. The airbag sensor is in the seat. It needs a medium sized dog or child of about 5 to set it off! When I had a 120 I had the dash off more times than I can remember.

LC
_________________
HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

wildsmith · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:16 Post subject:

Do you use the ash tray? It's not ideally placed but it might be another option as a starting point for a bracket and they've usually got nice solid metal above them for some reason Laughing

_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

wildsmith · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:20 Post subject:

Landcrusher · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:27 Post subject:

Yeah, that's all it's is for really. To get the panel off you start by the centre bin and lift up the two curved trim pieces. They you pull off the two vertical trim pieces. There are four bolts that hold the stereo bit in, then it all really just pullsl off. No mystery - but you must start at the bin and work forwards. There is a metal space frame in there which you may be able to pick up off, but you'd need to see in there.

LC
_________________
HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

garystockton · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:36 Post subject:

Don't use the ashtray (don't smoke) so that area is available, sort of. Will need to get to the Centre Diff Lock switch which is in that area (the centre switch of those 4 - seat heater, seat heater, CDL, power outlet). The trim around the OEM touch-screen comes off pretty easily from what I've read. Whatever / however it gets fitted will have to be able to swivel so that SWAMBO can naviagte too, and sort out the music, etc. (she's a better navigator than me, anyway Laughing

)

The twist-switch for the TEMS settings will soon be defunct ( Laughing

) when I replace the shocks with OME) but the Downhill Assist Control may still get used - that's the switch to the left of the rotary one.

More pics:

The CPU (decided on the Vroom2) will need to go somewhere else - no room under the seats or in centre console (ICE DVD player in there Shocked

)

Thanks, folks.

wildsmith · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 0:37 Post subject: