Hey all,
I am starting a project to install a PC in my truck. Not sure if anyone is interested, but I am gong to post my progress here.

So this is my very first Auto PC. I have done a lot of research before starting this project reading hundreds of posts, and believe I have a great working plan. I will be building this over the coming weeks and will post my progress.

Summary is this:
- 10" Touch screen computer running Centrafuse
- Black Acrylic custom panel
- EEEPC 701 Computer
- DVD/Media player
- Backup camera
- OBDII Module

Parts I am using:
$30 Back up camera (E0717) http://www.eonon.com/Camera/E0717.html
$130 10" Monitor with VGA and Composite Input (E1102) http://www.eonon.com/Stand-Alone/E1102.html
$50 Touch Overlay 10.2 Inch Touch Screen Overlay for EEEPC 1000
$35 GPS (BU-353) http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-3.../dp/B000PKX2KA
$16 Hi Gain WiFi Adapter http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Mini-...1625614&sr=1-3
$85 DVD Player http://cgi.ebay.com/slim-1-2-din-car...item3a561fdbbe
$99 AM/FM/HD Radio (MCS-DIR-HDR) http://www.mo-co-so.com/Directed-DMH...cs-dir-hdr.htm
$29 OBD (MCS-OBD-323-USB) http://www.mo-co-so.com/product-p/mcs-obd-323-usb.htm

Check back often for updates!

 

To remove the center dash unit, remove one screw located just above the "purse hook" on the passenger side (or follow this tutorial: http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=42516), then the entire unit will pop off. Unscrew the HVAC control deck and unplug the cigarette lighter adapter, and the unit will come completely off.

 

Use a drill or a soldering iron to get the little nubs off the back of the unit and it will pop right out.

 

And..

 

I am designing this in AutoCAD, and I have access to some tools which will cut this out. I have decided to use black acrylic for the new face. I looked at others using fiberglass, bondo, etc., and I thought this would be much more simple, and cheaper too.

The current design is below. I am awaiting all the parts (in the mail) to double check measurements and tolerances, then I will test it out on a sheet of (even cheaper) plexiglass to ensure all items fit. Once this is confirmed, I'll have the acrylic cut out and will heat it in the oven to shape it to the radius needed to fit in the old radio bezel.

 

Okay, so I received the parts and began to verify size and tolerance...one thing I can say is do NOT trust the printed height & width of products...verify upon arrival.

Yellow is engraving, red is cutout.

 

 

So this is a pretty slick monitor. It has a built-in VGA input, a composite (commonly referred to as "RCA") input for a DVD, etc., and a composite input for a "Back-up" camera. It has a 12V+ trigger to auto-switch to the composite input #2 while the vehicle is in reverse, then switches back once the trigger goes back to 0V.

The bad thing about this monitor is that it has a very sleek look of edge-to-edge glass. While this is nice, this leaves no place for a touch screen overlay. Because of this, I have to recess the screen behind the acrylic and create my own bezel. There are buttons on the front of the unit (power, input, adjustments of brightness/contrast/etc.), so I will be relocating these buttons since I can't easily display them through the acrylic. I will be soldering directly onto the circuit board to relocate the buttons.

4 screws on the back, and you can open it. Be careful to disconnect the speaker wires as you open it.





Remove the two screws on the touch-button board...


Then slip a screwdriver under the board to peel it up (its glued)...


And then the board is free to solder remote wires onto.

 

I needed to put this behind my own bezel, so I am relocating the buttons that are on the front of the monitor. To do this, I have to solder directly onto the daughter board and complete the capacitance circuit.


After I determined what was needed, I soldered the wires onto the respective places to bring the buttons out remote.

and

and the put-back-together product.

 

Updated the bezel drawing to have some text and bring the monitor buttons to the front. I also changed the Dodge logo out for my own, so as to not infringe....