New paint + SSD mount + GPS + newsetup

So first off, the SEM classic coat didnt match. so scratch that. waste of 15 dollars. i bought some black plasti-dip aerosol ($6 @ home depot) today and will try that out when i get a chance. its supposed to be a decent match. otherwise im gonna go to SEM color coat satin black and give that a shot.

I was able to get some scrap aluminum sheet about 0.08" thick from the scrap at work. i work for a local government agency and our sign guy had a bunch of 12"x3.5" pieces of scrap so he let me have one. I'm gonna bend up the sides and mount it to the same platform taht the pc will be on. and mount the hdd inside of the U shape.

I got a new skin for iGo8 that Spawn from Digital car put together and what a world of difference. the only problem im having is that only california maps seem to work. which luckily for me i live in california, but i go to reno and tahoe sometimes and always seem to get lost. so hopefully ill find some better maps.

I've also connected the m2-atx power supply to the system with my 300watt PSU supplying the 12v line with a toggle switch emulating the ignition. This allowed me to get all of the cable tied and squared away as well as organized and ready for the top of the case to be put on.

i'm very tempted to reinstall windows on the hdd because its running a bit sluggish. but im not sure. its kind of hit or miss. i'm gonna see what happens once i get a codec pack on there and videos working better.

Oh, and I'm still waiting on Lilliput factory to get back to me regarding the flipping of my screen. I may have to get a newer 629GL to do so. I have the right model, but hte firmware is from 2007 instead of 2009 like the new one. when i tell it to flip, it just stays normal. its strange.

Bezel at 95% completion

Bezel: It's painted. Some dust got on it after i wet sanded down the first coat and ill have to sand it back down and throw another coat on it. I need to wear gloves next time because im apparently allergic to something in the SEM Classic Coat paint that makes my skin break into hives. SWEET!!! Here's a pic after the first coat:



GPS: I switched from DeLorme Street Atlas to iGo8 and WOW. What a difference. iGO outperforms delorme by a mile (no pun intended)

All moved... almost

OK. So I will officially be all moved in tonight (probably). I moved in December, but left a lot of stuff at my parents. I unfortunately do not have a desk or table to put everything on so I will have to figure that all out...

But I have the fascia kit and a the bybyte kit. and im gonna try to figure that whole dilemma out. So i'll get that worked out.

then the whole software doings.

i jailbroke my iphone so i can tether it now. so thats good.

ill update soon hopefully.

XP SP3 install

Tonight (hopefully) I will install XP onto a dummy ATA drive. I just need to scrounge an old ATX PS and the old hard drive. Shouln't be too hard with all the crap I've got scattered about.

I plan on installing XP SP3, then using nLite to strip it down to all the necessary files. I am going to run it with EWF (Enhanced Write Filter) and HORM (Hibernate Once, Resume Many). I'm going to run roadrunner and haven't decided on the GPS software I will use for navigation. Probably either Delorme Street Atlas, iGuidance 2009, or Garmin Mobile PC.

My main objective right now is to get XP installed and everything running without EWF, HORM, or nLite. This shouldnt be too hard. I then plan on reducing the size from there (under 512mb ideally)

Fabricating the dash

My last resort is going to be to buy a fascia kit from italy and modify it for my lcd. i realize this might be the easiest way, but i cant justify spending the money like that. id rather spend money and mess up something from scratch and learn from my mistake then buy a 120 dollar piece of plastic just to mess it up and end up in the same boat i was before. so here is my idea...

16 guage (or thinner) aluminized steel. cut as a frame for the lcd. bent into a U shape with the screen opening milled out. mounts for the screen and the circuit board placed on it with some stand offs and support bars.

then taking a piece of styrofoam and tracing my full scale autocad mockup of the fascia kit. ill then scrape out the styrofoam and use as a mold and start dumping in some duraglass. eventually once i get the duraglass strong enough, take it out of the foam and clean it up and get it ready for the cage. mount it to the cage.

i will need to fabricate some steel mounting brackets to actually mount to the car as well. this shouldnt be too tough. i will just replicate the mounting system currently in use.

i am going to make it so the cage mounts to the mounting points of the vehicle with some slots to get it adjust correctly. and then the fascia will mount to the cage with a series of of slotted screws so I can adjust the fascia to line up perfectly as needed.

i think i covered it.