After a long and arduous series of battles with trunk heat, I have come full-circle and reverted to a glovebox-based CarPC system. For a little history on my previous 4 NSX CarPC installs, see this thread: http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56305
This time I elected to base the install on a Mac Mini. There are a few reasons I chose this platform. It's relatively cheap for an all-in-one solution. It's a very small form-factor. Finally, I had recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro, and am quite happy with VMWare Fusion's abilities to run Windows software under virtualization.
For this install I was able to reuse a few parts, but much of the wiring had to be redone to support the new configuration. The only hardware I had to purchase was a Carnetix CNX-P2140 power supply, the MacPac cable, and the Mini itself. I also upgraded from a Zetoolman V1 to a V3 sub, but that was not a required part of the new system..
The Mini was $479 for a refurb 1.8 Core Duo w/Superdrive, 512mb ram. It needs a bit more ram for the virtualization to run smoother, but it works OK as is. The power supply, which takes care of starting and stopping the computer, as well as powering the monitor, runs $129. You can get away with a cheaper one, but the CNX-p2140 is quite nice, with USB support for monitoring all the voltages, temps, and configuration on the power supply. The cable that connects the power supply to the Mini runs about $25.
The Mini just BARELY fits into the glovebox, but it fits very nicely. Nothing is needed to hold it in place, since the fit is so tight. You guys with a passenger side airbag might have trouble, but I was able to fit it in, and route all wiring, without cutting any holes into the glovebox. The two wires you see running along the front left are the VGA for the display, and USB for all the devices. The USB could be replaced with a smaller cable that would fit through a factory hole in the back of the glovebox, but the VGA would require a hole or a custom soldered cable in order to hide it. That's a project for later, since it works just fine with the cable running along the hinge.
The power supply sits in the space atop the plastic air duct that runs behind the glovebox. There's also a 7-port USB hub that lives above the glovebox in the space between the glovebox and the dash. All the wires are wrapped into harnesses and protected with split-loom and electrical tape.
Hardware that was reused from my previous installs includes a Holux g-213 USB GPS receiver, which is tucked neatly away underneath the dash, behind the NavPod. The stick mouse, which used to be in my cointray, has been relocated into the ashtray (without modifying the ashtray of course). I have put a Griffin Powermate control knob into the coin tray, which functions as volume and playlist control.
There's plenty of finishing touches still left to do - I haven't put all the lower panels back in place, and the interior sure needs a good detailing. The factory radio will slide back into its location, and will be hooked up to the amp so that I can still use the radio if I feel like raising up the fishing pole.. The screen in the NavPod needs some adjustment too.
I boot the machine in OSX, and run Windows in virtualization. For music I use Itunes. Currently the only thing I use Windows for is Navigation. I haven't tested it out too much, but so far, it would seem that the USB GPS device seems to work quite well despite the virtual layer. I couldn't get my Valentine1 USB device (V1VD) to work under virtualization yet, but it's also hooked up and tucked behind the NavPod.
The Mini sleeps very fast, but still consumes a small amount of power when in sleep mode. Others leave their Mini in sleep mode for many days. However, I chose to enable 'safe-sleep' mode, which replaces the low-power sleep with what windows users know as 'Hibernate'. This is a hidden feature which can be enabled in modern Macs. Safe-Sleep takes a little longer than regular sleep, but it is still plenty fast.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the install so far. The Mini comes out quickly and simply for alternate use or safe storage. The sound quality is reasonably good, although I may end up using an external audio device at some point, as I have heard that the headphone jack is prone to early failure.
-Josh
This time I elected to base the install on a Mac Mini. There are a few reasons I chose this platform. It's relatively cheap for an all-in-one solution. It's a very small form-factor. Finally, I had recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro, and am quite happy with VMWare Fusion's abilities to run Windows software under virtualization.
For this install I was able to reuse a few parts, but much of the wiring had to be redone to support the new configuration. The only hardware I had to purchase was a Carnetix CNX-P2140 power supply, the MacPac cable, and the Mini itself. I also upgraded from a Zetoolman V1 to a V3 sub, but that was not a required part of the new system..
The Mini was $479 for a refurb 1.8 Core Duo w/Superdrive, 512mb ram. It needs a bit more ram for the virtualization to run smoother, but it works OK as is. The power supply, which takes care of starting and stopping the computer, as well as powering the monitor, runs $129. You can get away with a cheaper one, but the CNX-p2140 is quite nice, with USB support for monitoring all the voltages, temps, and configuration on the power supply. The cable that connects the power supply to the Mini runs about $25.
The Mini just BARELY fits into the glovebox, but it fits very nicely. Nothing is needed to hold it in place, since the fit is so tight. You guys with a passenger side airbag might have trouble, but I was able to fit it in, and route all wiring, without cutting any holes into the glovebox. The two wires you see running along the front left are the VGA for the display, and USB for all the devices. The USB could be replaced with a smaller cable that would fit through a factory hole in the back of the glovebox, but the VGA would require a hole or a custom soldered cable in order to hide it. That's a project for later, since it works just fine with the cable running along the hinge.
The power supply sits in the space atop the plastic air duct that runs behind the glovebox. There's also a 7-port USB hub that lives above the glovebox in the space between the glovebox and the dash. All the wires are wrapped into harnesses and protected with split-loom and electrical tape.
Hardware that was reused from my previous installs includes a Holux g-213 USB GPS receiver, which is tucked neatly away underneath the dash, behind the NavPod. The stick mouse, which used to be in my cointray, has been relocated into the ashtray (without modifying the ashtray of course). I have put a Griffin Powermate control knob into the coin tray, which functions as volume and playlist control.
There's plenty of finishing touches still left to do - I haven't put all the lower panels back in place, and the interior sure needs a good detailing. The factory radio will slide back into its location, and will be hooked up to the amp so that I can still use the radio if I feel like raising up the fishing pole.. The screen in the NavPod needs some adjustment too.
I boot the machine in OSX, and run Windows in virtualization. For music I use Itunes. Currently the only thing I use Windows for is Navigation. I haven't tested it out too much, but so far, it would seem that the USB GPS device seems to work quite well despite the virtual layer. I couldn't get my Valentine1 USB device (V1VD) to work under virtualization yet, but it's also hooked up and tucked behind the NavPod.
The Mini sleeps very fast, but still consumes a small amount of power when in sleep mode. Others leave their Mini in sleep mode for many days. However, I chose to enable 'safe-sleep' mode, which replaces the low-power sleep with what windows users know as 'Hibernate'. This is a hidden feature which can be enabled in modern Macs. Safe-Sleep takes a little longer than regular sleep, but it is still plenty fast.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the install so far. The Mini comes out quickly and simply for alternate use or safe storage. The sound quality is reasonably good, although I may end up using an external audio device at some point, as I have heard that the headphone jack is prone to early failure.
-Josh
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