I think you're doing a great job and it looks like you have plenty of support from the forum...

Although I've got all the parts for a Car PC I'd really like to see a 2-DIN bracket option, just in case...

Another thing for me, probably for quite a few others, is the final fit and finish of the product... it's perfect that it's going to be in OEM Piano Black but if you could make it look and fit like a Mazda created piece, it would be very hard to pass up.

Oh, and I hope you plan on doing international sales!

 

The slot at the bottom is actually going to be somewhat of a pain due to the shifter. The CD/DVD would eject right into it. The best spot for it would need to be above the screen.

As far as the sofware you are looking at, it is a free Media/Application Player from: http://www.mediaengine.org/

They have a skin maker as well so you can make it look like anything you want.

Our plan is to make it look and fit as OEM as possible.

Once we get everything setup we will shipp them anywhere.

 

kick ***. Doing a great job, if it all pans out ill definetly order one in the future.

 

Good this makes me happy that I have to put off my carputer project yet again (damn going to a private college is expensive when you are not rich). If it can be done by just pushing the HU back a little I will be all over this

 

I would like to forcast the future by thanking you for a cool add on for my 8, and curse you by causing my loved ones stress in finding me as I will either be tinkering with the CarPC, driving for the sake of driving or just sitting in my 8 and staring at the carputer.

.

 

Well we did push back the HU on Slim8 and the screen fit, so it has been done

LOL...we have been staring at this thing for hours too, and watching movies

 

Its not too hard, just lots of screws!

 

I'm down with that.

 

That square lcd seems a bit odd to me. Any way you guys can do a more traditional widescreen one?

 

You guys are doing a great job keep it up. I'm sure everyone is very appreciative.

I had another quick Q. Once you guys get a final product out, is this going to be a DIY type of deal? Or are we going to have to bring our cars into you guys in order to get it installed?

If it is a DIY, is it going to be labor intensive?

 

We will be doing them in the traditional 7" widescreen. We only did that one because that is what we are installing in our 8s

We are going to try and make everything as diy as possible. As well as documentation to help you.

 

I have an interesting idea. Is it possible to create a serial/parallel/usb device that the computer can use to determine whether or not the headlights are on? That way software can dim the screen or even switch from white text to red to match the stock HU. The stock head unit appeantly knows about it since it turns red backlights on.

I am pretty decent with software development, and implementing a UI like that to match the gauges would be a fun project - I have loads of time.

 

Well the Media Engine software I mentioned before will do that by time. You just set the start end end time for daytime and it dims the screen for you. It is also an open source code so yeah you can start with it. Let us know what you come up with.

 

Actually the more I think about it, more questions are raised.

- How would the pc tie in to the stock Bose sound system? There needs to be some sort of pre-amp I think, and even a beefy one for the non premium audio systems.
- I bet the steering wheel controls don't work any more.
-How does the power system work?
-What does/will your current solution do with the factory harness?

Ideally I'd like to build a small circuit that you plug the factory harness into. It would pass all the right power and signals through to the climate control board and myabe the power for the pc? It would then look for steering wheel controls and headlight signals (or anything else pertinent) and report that to the pc, using the serial port.

I'd need to find the same connector that is found on the back of the stock head unit. Maybe I can appeal to someone who has theirs out to take some pictures and find the part # that is probably printed on it. Perhaps order it from digikey.com or so if they have it.

Just thinking out loud here....

 

Since you guys are in dfw, will I be able to just pick one up when you guys go into production

 

I was thinking. Why not have your panel extend farther down to also include the relocated AC controls eh? That would be slick, seamless/OEM look? Make it the same piano black, too... nice

 

That's why it's just easier to keep the stock headunit and instead mount the screen in the stock nav screen position interfacing the headunit via a PIE adapter and Car to PC adapter...

 

This is what I use, and the steering controls still work:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ght=audio+link

Everything factory can stay, you just trim a few peices in the back and wedge it back.


Of course.


Though about that, but if we make a seperate kit that move the controls to the ashtray people can also do what ever they want with the top part. Get the 2 din model, 7" screen, 8" screen, and so on.....

 

I actualy have the Audio Link in my car.
I don't see how that would tie in to the PC, since it still requires the stock headunit.

 

Remeber you push the head unit back.....

 

any news on the above the a/c mold?

 

In development, we are trying to make a harness extesion for the AC controls.

 

Man the amount of strategery and conceptual thought to this is pretty astounding..thanks for your efforts....I am sure you are taking lots of stuff into play and hopefully taking lots of digipics to help people along.

so can you make a noise cancelling white noise emitter that washes out female voices that say "you spent what on a carpc? Why dont you spend that on me"?

 

^^^^