[sorry the pics suck, i'll get some daytime ones tomorrow]

Anyhow, lemme break down what I have:

2005 JDM Toyota OEM Navi unit (by Fujitsu)

DVD/CD/MD triple deck setup

200mm wide unit (approx. half an inch wider than double din, making this a PITA to install)

The unit plays DVD's without mods, TV works the same...great reception, just needed to buy an antenna, touch screen (of course), voice navigation (in japanese, freaks everyone out hehe), and it even has a customizable opening screen and wallpaper feature that i'm taking full advantage of =P MP3's by touch screen is alot easier to handle than with buttons alone =)

What I've done so far is had the stereo area molded and painted for the unit. I was originally planning on moving all the A/C controls to the glove box but there are way too many wires for me to deal with. (extending the harness will seriously take like half a day) I'm not thinking I'm going to mount it under the new head unit and cut out a rectangular window so that I can get to the controls. I'm also in the process of adding a rear view camera....thing comes in hella handy if you like backing into parking spaces like I do. (or If you want a better look at the girl in the car behind you but that's another topic hehe)

What I'm still trying to do is figure out if I can use a lexus navi disc with this unit....right now the Japanese disc is fun to talk to but it places you on what looks like the moon and it's obviously pretty useless in the Navi aspect unless you like annoying your friends with the navi voice. I got a good deal on the unit so even if the Navi turns out to be useless, the other functions more than make up for it.....but the goal is still to try to get it to work nonetheless.

So yeah....this is far from finished but I thought you guys might like to see how it's turning out...

 

another bad pic....I promise I'll get some better ones up tomorrow...

 

last crummy one for tonight =P

 

looks nice....must have been a real mission to modify the brackets behind that panel to get it to fit the wider unit but it looks like it was worth it

 

Good project and that font looks straight out of the disco

 

you might as well build a carputer...save yourself a lot of headaches, plus you get everything a computer does...

Here's an old picture of mine, redoing it as we speak...

Let me know if you want more info on exactly what I did...

Tony

 

i want the 411

 

Actually, I figured this unit was as useful as a carputer and less of a headache....less weight....less worries about cooling.....and it's all in one.

The brackets were the easy part....it still uses a double din bracket so I got one that mounts the unit a little highter than stock.

 

I think you're underestimating these little mobo's they're making now a days. I've had mine crammed behind the monitor for as long as I've had it and have had zero heating issues. The only thing I couldn't fit behind there was that harddrive you see taped to the side. Also, mounting any 3.5" HD that way is crucial to the life of it in your car. Mounting hard drives flat could cause the needle to crack the platters while on rough roads.

Also, I don't think you can store 500 videos, video games, 5,000 mp3s, run GPS, browse the net, and TONS more on that now can you?

 

See that's the thing, it's still a PC which means the HD has to be able to handle the vibration, there are some cooling issues that need to be addressed, and then the weight of it all. All in all, I'm not saying my unit is better than a carputer, just a more simple install and easier to work with overall.

Video-wise I can play DVD's, VCD's, etc. There's no need for storage of them, just plop in the disc and watch. BTW, where is your DVD drive located? As I said, for TV, all I added was some antenna (lightweight stick on the glass type) and I was good to go. I suspect you need to add a seperate tuner unit to add TV to your setup.

No need for video games....just wasn't an issue...

GPS, of course I can...it's a Navi =P Whether the navigation is fully functional in the U.S. is another story....i need to get off my **** and borrow a 2004+ Lexus navi disc to check that....

Internet connectivity isn't there but once again, not needed.

I'm not sure how your carputer is set up power-wise but pc's doesn't usually take well to the on and off of a car.

The unit I got can be totally controlled by voice. Not just the navi but even the audio/tv/dvd/etc. Not impossible to do with a carputer but not simple or quite as funcitonal either.

The added rear view camera for backing up is also a nice little thing that integrates with the unit. Once again, not impossible with a carputer, but the thing was literally plug and play.

So yeah...this thing is damn good and exceed my needs with some little tricks here and there. I looked into carputers before I bought it but I decided this fit my goals for the car better.

And for some better pics.....


custom opening screen....


behind the touch screen


mp3 playback.....like i said, good stuff with a touchscreen


custom wallpaper (i closed the functions so you could see the whole thing)

 

Definitely a cool little device roo, I've seen those things go on eBay and always wondered if someone would pick one up.

I have a slim slot load dvd that i never installed, simply not needed when I can rip it down to 700mbs and put it on the HD...

TV is also not needed, but can be installed like you said with a tuner card...

Power is handled through a special DC-DC power supply by Opus, turns on when ignition is on, turns off when key is out of the ignition. Safety features to turn off PC when battery is low so you can still start your car and it won't drain your battery.

Voice activated features of the carputer are easily achievable by using a program designed by our very own CL member "0l33l"...

Rearview camera is also possible and plug and play friendly, just tap it into your backup power wire and when you switch over to reverse, the screen pops to the reverse camera.

I plan to add 3-4 cameras for the heck of it, they're so cheap now a days...

Nice job with the console also, where did you relocate your Climate Control?

 

Can those mini-pc's really handle all those add-ons? I mean, aren't they limited as far as how many inputs they can accept? Like I said before though, I don't doubt that they're capable of just about anything my unit has....i just wanted something clean, easy, compact and simple.

climate control? i don't need no stinkin' climate control!!!!

j/k

I was planning on relocating it to the glove box but the amount of wires on the harness is intimidating to say the least. I'm looking at cutting a small rectangular "window" below the unit and mounting the climate control there. (just about the same place as yours)

Depending on if I can get the navigation functional, I'll be adding a second monitor right above the one I have. The unit I have has the capability to control an additional screen so I can have the Navi on the main unit and have TV, DVD, etc on the other monitor.

 

Do you worry about security of the nice unit so visible?