18 November 2005
Written by
Yours Truly (
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Published on November 18th, 2005 @ 10:36:49 am, using 3282 words, 34851 views
Project Day 1
The Leatherman Tool: We'll be using this a lot.
Well, here we are again, returning to the project which was supposed to begin in the spring of 2005, but because of other projects and random new distractions which got in the way, it looks like it's going to be a winter 2005/06 project. In case anyone is just joining us, this project involves the installation of a mini-ITX computer, retractable in-dashboard LCD touchscreen, gps receiver, wireless internet, mp3 audio (the equivalent of a 250-disc CD changer), and an aftermarket headunit into a 2001 Acura 3.2CL (non-navi). The system will be hardwired into the ignition switch: turn the key to start the car and the computer boots up at the same time. Almost hands-free.
This isn't to say that the last year was time lost, however. The last several months have seen many new developments in the world of mini-ITX computing, and in the realm of mobile LCD displays. In many ways, waiting the amount of time I have may prove to be a blessing in disguise, as the hardware which is available today wasn't around a year ago, and I would have been left wanting to tear apart my car again to upgrade the installed parts.
Anyway, on with the show... Yesterday afternoon I gathered together my Leatherman Wave Tool, a long-shaft screwdriver, some duct tape, and a digital camera, and began the surgery... The steps shown here, from photo #1 to photo #41, took about 75 minutes to complete. (The time it took to complete this write-up? A little longer).
This post is the creative work of Yours Truly and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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24 May 2006
Written by
Yours Truly (
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Published on May 24th, 2006 @ 05:58:58 pm, using 1849 words, 31513 views
EDIT: Acura ITX Roadrunner skin now available in green
I've been working on a skin/template design for the RoadRunner touchscreen front-end application, since I decided to use RoadRunner instead of Media Engine. Both applications are quite good, but I found RoadRunner to be a little more flexible for the specific applications/tools I plan to use in the CarPC project.
The Acura ITX skin has a built-in audio player, audio browser, on-the-fly playlist builder, movie browser, video player, embedded PowerDVD dvd player, embedded Microsoft Streets and Trips, embedded iGuidance, on-screen keyboard, equalizer and mixer, blind man's screen, external applications menu, and skin switcher.
Yes, I can build custom interface designs for your own car computer project. Get in touch by leaving a comment or contacting me through the email form.
Here are some preliminary designs of the touchscreen interface...
Each of these images is reduced from the 800x600 actual size:
1. The splash/loading screen... The Acura ITX system runs on a stripped down version of Windows Media Center (approx 250Mb) and is configured to bypass the login prompt. When the system boots, or resumes from hibernate mode, the user is immediately presented with this screen:
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24 November 2007
Written by
Yours Truly (
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Published on November 24th, 2007 @ 10:23:11 am, using 988 words, 15103 views
It was long past due getting rid of Microsoft Streets and Trips and replacing it with iGuidance on the car computer. Don’t get me wrong, S&T is a more-than-decent GPS mapping application, but it falls short in two very important areas when it comes to being used in a mobile computing environment. Specifically, it has very small navigational controls and poor rerouting functionality. Streets and Trips is a great application when running on a small 12- or 13- or 14-inch laptop screen, but when running on the small 7in or 8in touchscreen typical of most carPC installations, the navigational controls are very difficult to manage, especially considering the fact that you’re behind the wheel of a ton of moving steel while trying to navigate the GPS screen. It’s bad enough some of us engage in cellphone conversations or eat breakfast while driving. We don’t need the additional distraction of hunting down minutely-sized buttons on a dashboard mounted touchscreen…
…so I decided, at long last, to integrate iGuidance v4.0 into the Acura ITX mobile computer…
The iGuidance v4.0 application comes with three versions of the program on the installation DVD (PocketPC, Laptop, & UMPC/Car PC). For use in the carPC system I chose, obviously enough, the UMPC/CarPC version. Installation is fairly simple, finishing quickly and requiring a reboot of the computer prior to first-use.
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12 December 2007
Written by
Yours Truly (
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Published on December 12th, 2007 @ 11:02:53 pm, using 639 words, 13983 views
I designed this version of the ITX skin for Roadrunner touch screens for a fellow car computer enthusiast from Sweden, who contacted me via this site, requesting a custom-designed ITX skin based on the original skin for the Acura ITX carPC project. He intends to display his vehicle, a Nissan 200sx s14a (240sx), in Sweden’s largest car show…
We discussed his needs and requirements over the course of a couple days, settled on a price based on the amount of work required, and I set about designing a series of screens and RoadRunner scripts customized to his vehicle and the color-scheme he requested.
Here is a sampling of the screens which I designed for his car computer system:
1. The Loading screen
This is the screen which is presented after the car computer system has booted up and while the RoadRunner touch screen application is first loading. Here we see the Nissan s14a prior to the overlaying of any of the ITX Skin’s menus.
2. The Main Menu
Once RoadRunner has loaded, the main menu, shown here, is presented to the user. This screen gives access, via the lozenge buttons across the top, to the Audio Player, Audio Browser, Video Players, and embedded GPS navigation.
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18 May 2006
Written by
Yours Truly (
)
Published on May 18th, 2006 @ 06:40:28 pm, using 624 words, 13068 views
If you missed the first two parts of this story, you can read all of the details here:
Fabricating the Dashboard Chassis, Pt 1
Fabricating the Dashboard Chassis, Pt 2
The next stage of the Acura car computer fabrication process involved cutting a sheet of plexiglass to function as a stand-off layer between the metal headunit chassis and the burlwood ABS trim which will be visible to the outside...
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23 June 2006
Written by
Yours Truly (
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Published on June 23rd, 2006 @ 06:35:34 pm, using 431 words, 13047 views
The dashboard installation of the Acura ITX mobile system is now complete. I've reinstalled the rear seats, as well as the entire dashboard and center console, reversing the procedure outlined in the original dashboard removal thread. The reinstallation went pretty smoothly, and once it was complete I removed the protective plastic sheeting over the burlwood woodgrain trim and the touchscreen. (Some of the photos show some remnants of the adhesive layer of the protective plastic sheet which covered the burlwood woodgrain. I've been trying to remove it all but it's pretty tenacious, so any little surface distortions or smudges you may see in the woodgrain panel can be attributed to that. Rest assured they'll be dealt with).
With the mini-itx system installed in the trunk, and the wires run from the battery to the trunk, the system is ready to run (at last!).
Here's an overview shot of the finished installation, showing the screen in a closed position.
If you'd like to see actual captures of the Acura ITX skin, you can see them in the Acura ITX Front-End Design for Roadrunner post, or read the full text of this post to see additional photos of the installed system.
UPDATE: Additional photos have now been added.
This photo shows the main menu screen of the Acura ITX skin I designed for RoadRunner:
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12 September 2007
Written by
Yours Truly (
)
Published on September 12th, 2007 @ 12:37:35 pm, using 645 words, 12283 views
I redesigned the original Acura ITX blue skin in a green version for night driving. I’m still not quite sure about the exact shade of green and might, in the coming weeks and as time permits, attempt to shift the green to approximate a more striking neon shade of green, as well as increase the saturation of the shadowed areas so that they approach black, providing a higher contrast to the overall design.
The following screens were taken directly from the Photoshop master file for this skin layout, and not from a running copy of Roadrunner. Hence, no in-action text or album art can be seen in these screens. I hope to have some photos up in the next few days which will show the Acura ITX skin running in the car PC environment.
For a different view of this skin, in its active context, feel free to take a look at the original Acura ITX front-end design for Roadrunner post, which displays the same screens (among others) in the original blue version, captured from a running copy of Roadrunner, and which show such things as music playlists, GPS maps, album art and embedded PowerDVD software as it is displayed while the skin is running.
1. The splash/loading screen:
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