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DIY: BMW E46 In-Car PC Project (Carputer)

314K views 236 replies 114 participants last post by  FurnicK 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all! I***8217;m posting my DIY project of installing a computer system in my BMW E46 Coupe. The project is complete right now and took me around 2 weeks. Prices are in GBP but in US all the parts are definitely cheaper!

My plan was to put the pc case on top of the battery cover using special suspension mechanism and the radio (without its face) below the case (between case and battery cover). Battery cover seems solid enough to hold the weight of these two. Then, cables will be routed from trunk, below the rear seats, through the middle of the car and continue under the handbrake, gear stick, ashtray, and end up in dash.

I have bought:

1. VIA Mini-ITX motherboard (***163;60 - Ebay)
2. 512 MB DDR SDRAM (***163;13 - Ebay)
3. 80GB 2.5" Fujitsu HDD (***163;55 - My PC shop)
4. 3x 40mm Cooling Fans (***163;4 - Local electronics shop)
5. Laptop hard drive to IDE converter (***163;5 - Ebay)
6. Full aluminum case (***163;39 - Ebay)
7. Xenarc 7000 TSV Touchscreen (***163;200 - Ebay USA)
8. M2 160W ATX DC-DC Power Supply (***163;43 - Shop)

9. Kenwood KDC-W6531 (***163;110 - Ebay)
10. BMW Multistalk Adapter to keep steering wheel control (***163;33 - Ebay)
11. Antenna extension plugs

12. CUSTOM Made Bezel to accommodate the Touchscreen in the place of OEM radio and climate control. I have fabricated the bezel using resin. It will be painted with black metallic paint to match interior trim.
13. OEM BMW climate control relocation unit
14. BMW ISO plug to Kenwood plug converter

15. Lots of cables:
- 60m of cable (to wire Radio from dash to trunk (You need 13 wires total for the BMW ISO Radio connection and 2 for PC On/Off)
- 10m of shielded communications cable to link radio faceplate with the rest of the radio (radio in trunk, faceplate next to hand brake)
- 6m Shielded RG-58 cable for antenna extension + plugs
- 6m Shielded 2-wire cable for multistalk adaptor connection
- 4m XGA Extension cord (NOT VGA)
- 3x5m USB Extension leads (1 for Touchscreen and 2 for extras)
- 100 male/female connectors
 
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#62 ·
Thanks ;)

Since the project is back from the dead, here are some updates:

After the carputer installation, I decided to add an amp to my system. To my surprise, the setup with the amp installed was full of interference. So bad music was inaudible. Filters did nothing to solve the problem so I moved to drastic measures. First thing was to move the entire carputer/HU installation to the left side of the car's lining, right there where satnav drives are mounted. The Kenwood headunit was also replaced with an Alpine 9873RB model and the amp was replaced with an MB-QUART PAB5400 Premium 5Ch (Instead of an old Legacy amp I had laying around). The new headunit also required a compatible steering wheel control module which I purchased as well (genuine Alpine).

To make the installation as good as possible, I replaced all wiring from trunk to dash with high quality thick power wires and high quality speaker wires. Since at the trunk I have an ISO plug for the speakers, I connected the amp's high power output speaker wires to the plug, therefore eliminating the need to run new wires to the speaker network.

The amp was grounded using 4AWG wire to a grounding point and the power was drawn directly from battery, with an 80A Rockford Fosgate fuse inline.

The RCA outputs from the headunit were connected with the amp using RG58 shielded cable with gold plated RCA plugs.

Result: Crystal clear sound without interference even with the BMW speakers. Can't pump it though because I'm afraid I'll see a speaker cone flying

Electrical Drawing (SmartDraw 2007 Pro):



The amp in the box: MB Quart PAB5400 5-Ch Amplifier


Kenwood unit Out - Alpine Faceplate connected using cat5e network cable and RJ45 plugs (instead of parallel plugs, as seen on the carputer project) I know the area there seems rather abused but the next project is to carbon fibre the entire centre console.


Good to disconnect battery's negative before doing any kind of electrical work on the system. The 4AWG amp wiring is seen and the power wire for the carpc is the thinner one running along the rear part of the trunk.



This is how it looks in the left lining: A bit messy but once cables are tidy, it looks really clean. In the v2.0 of the carpc I'll do a custom made box for the computer.


The alpine steering wheel control module.


HU inserted into the satnav slot and secured with 2 screws on each side. Perfect fitment although I had to cut the back of the plastic insert to make the HU fit.


Some electrical tape and cable ties to secure wires




The amp installed. Upside down using self taping screws (2cm length). Once in place there's no way to move it.


Remote/output/power/ground from one side. This Amp has the wire consealing plates and the connectors are very solid and high quality. It accepts 4AWG wire for power and ground and 8AWG for remote. I also managed to place all the amplified signal wires together in a rubber tube so it looks clean.


The 4ch input from the other side. Short wires and high quality is the key here. The good thing is that power cables are completely on the opposite side eliminating any interference







Now all the covers are back in place and the only thing that is visible is, the amp of course. All wires are consealed very well behind it.
 
#63 ·
Left lining back in place


The head unit appears once satnav cover is opened. For the space below the head unit I will install a DVD drive, on/off switch for the carputer (cutting direct power from battery) at least 15A capable, ethernet port to upload new media on the carputer's hard drive, a usb/card reader on a custom faceplate covered with the same grey fabric.



And of course I have the headunit's drive to listen to audio/mp3 cd in case a passenger hates my techno/trance/house music taste.


The thick tube contains the amplified signal wires and the 4 thinner wires the HU's aux out. Cable ties will be replaced with something more neat.


Not much on the other side, only power and ground. There's a ground terminal already present behind the lining.


The amplifier in operation. Doesn't get hot all, not even warm! I was worried that the upside down orientation would create heat issues but everything seems fine for now!
 
#64 ·
4-Port powered USB 2.0 Hub
Slim-line DVD ROM drive in a usb enclosure

Workbench

Emptied glovebox. I had 2 ideas about where to mount the hub. One was on the sideway below the BMW torch and the other one on the top of the glovebox, fusebox cover. I eventually mounted it sideways next to the torch.


They grey cable is the USB 2.0 coming from the trunk where the carputer is located. The other is a 5V/Ground line, coming from the 5v out of the carputer's smart power supply. The power supply is capable of delivering over 150W of power from 7V up to 27V without altering output voltage; 3.3V, 5V, 12V.


The USB hub




For this mod I used velcro with 3M self adjessive. With this way, the hub is easily removed from the glovebox for other uses.


Hub in place


I also have this mini keyboard which I will mount next to LCM some time


The carpc software automatically detects inserted media from usb sticks, dvd/cd rom, and generates playlist. The DVD Drive: Laptop drive and USB enclosure. Got the drive from ebay for $9.00 and the usb enclosure for $5.00


I noticed while testing that the drive would not operate when I connected the 2 cables - USB and Power from USB. It was drawing too much amperes from the USB host, so I threw another powered hub in the car pc area. Didn't want to damage the motherboard by drawing too much current.

Mounted the drive below the headunit. Didn't even have to remove the lining. I just slide it in place and secured it with ultra strong double sided tape.
 
#70 ·
very nice DIy, i have a lot of these parts sitting in the garage for a long time now, your thread makes me want to get started finally

one thing i wanted to add is the place i planned (or plan) on mounting the usb hub....

mounted with a custom filler faceplate in the rear ashtray, so you can slide the window up to hide it when not in use :)
but your way is very nice as well (and in better reach of the driver) . just thought id share the idea to continue the stock look
 
#73 ·
Total cost was around $1000..

The M2 is a smart PSU. It needs a switched (ignition) 12v, constant 12v (straight from battery) and a ground. When you switch the ignition off (or use an on/off switch to cut the power to the switched line), the PSU continues to power the car pc and sends a signal to the power button header on the motherboard. There are jumpers on the PSU where you can set a waiting time before the signal is sent from 4", 30", 5' and never. I have it set after 30".

The rest is windows XP setup, in power schemes mod, there are options what to do when the On/Off button is pressed, just like a normal pc. I have set it to hibernate. Therefore, when the PSU sends a pulse at the header on the motherboard, WindowsXP initialize the hibernation procedure.

You can have it to go to standby mode or do nothing as well, but the PSU will monitor the car's battery voltage level, and when it drops below a certain threshold, it will force the carputer to turn off, so that you can start the car later.
 
#76 · (Edited)
Software is Centrafuse and is available from fluxmedia.net. It's a bity pricey specially if you get the version with the maps. I have the full version which works perfectly with my AyAySir USB GPS Receiver. The Map plugin is from Destinator. Maps are released every 6 months IIRC. Since another 3 friends of mine did a similar installation, the centrafuse cost was divided between us (we bought a single license :4ngie: )

There are a lot of plug-ins and the OBDII is one of them. Centrafuse v2.0 has its own Bluetooth stack implemented which means it supports a variety of bluetooth dongles and more important, the connection is much more stable than before.

I have a USB bluetooth dongle which I use to connect the Centrafuse with my Ipaq business navigator phone. The phonebook, sms messages, calls are automatically transfered in the carpc. I can make phonecalls too and voice is routed through the car's speakers. Unfortunately the OEM BMW microphone cannot be connected in the Mic-in to the motherboard for some reason, so I had to buy a normal microphone for PC. I took it apart and placed it in a discrete way at the top of the driver's pillar. There's a list of supported phones in fluxmedia's website. Most are Windows Mobile Phones / PPC.

In order for the OBDII to work, you will need an ELM327 based interface. It is the only IC that is supported in Centrafuse. I bought the interface from ebay for $40. It works very good and provides a lot of real-time data in a nice interface. The screenshot is from the older version. I now have the latest version which is more attractive. The bad thing is that the OBDII port is right in front of the gas pedal, and if you have the hardware connected you will definately kick it at some point :eek: I'm in the process to find a used OBDII port with wires so that I can "copy" the existing port (have 2 obdii ports) somewhere out of the way.

Carsoft,BMW-Scanner and other hardwares will NOT work with centrafuse.

I'm also in the process to get a USB radio since Centrafuse also provides a radio plugin. There's a list of compatible radio tuners too.
 
#77 ·
It's a lot easier than it looks. Taking panels off from the E46 is very easy, in fact you need a philips screwdriver only! You can even use the screwdriver in the trunk toolkit.

Also, instead of using a parallel interface (see page 2) to make the Radio to Faceplate connections, it's MUCH easier to use RJ45 plugs with female-female straight connectors (not crossover) and some patch cat5e cables. GL when you start the project!
 
#80 ·
It's fine to keep the stock HU, as long as you fabricate/buy the AUX-In cable, to allow input from the carpc's soundcard. But you would still have to mount it somewhere with easy access, because you cannot change the input source from anywhere else (i.e. steering wheel controls), unless you plan to keep it forever in AUX-In mode ;) .

An Alpine or Kenwood unit will go up to $200, + $70 for the steering wheel controller and you can split it like the way I did and mount the faceplate somewhere within reach, retaining full functionality (changing folders in Mp3 mode, input source, etc etc). You don't need high-end HU for this purpose specially if you are satisfied from the stock HU.

The aftermarket HU faceplate can be mounted in the euro tray below armrest, in the front ashtray with a little bit of work, in the compartment on the left side of the steering wheel (fits perfectly in there) or even in the glovebox for stealthy installations.

If you don't split the HU, you can put it in the glovebox, below passenger seat (if you don't have electric seats) by butchering the first aid box and in the compartment left of the steering wheel.

Stock HU will only fit in the glovebox since it's larger than aftermarket Headunits.
 
#82 ·
Thanks.

I have managed to get a new armrest console and I plan to copy it using carbon fiber. So the radio faceplate location will be somehow molded in the custom carbon fiber console, more McLaren F1 style. Once the initial mold is done, I will be able to mass produce the console too :)
 
#83 ·
So, some updates - software updates. I have installed the new version of Centrafuse. At least 512MB ram required and a good CPU (Celeron 1+ GHz will do fine). Better navigation, microsoft speech included for voice commands, better GUI, integrated bluetooth stack for super stable bt operation. Now the only thing left is to run a microphone from the front to the rear (or use a usb mic) so that I can enable voice commander. Here are some screenshots (green line on top of the screen shows that I have to upgrade to the high performance touchscreen :p ):







Empty space for custom applications




GPS Navigation: AyAySir USB GPS with Destinator






Coming soon: Radio!












 
#87 ·
I think this version also supports custom themes so I might make a bmw based one.

GPS software offers 2D view as well, the voice navigation is crisp and clear, it mutes music when it's going to give a direction and then automatically resumes, can switch between metric/imperial systems, etc etc.

And since it's a computer, you can have whatever GPS software you want on it, PC Navigator, iGo, Destinator etc. (Destinator comes as default).

Im planning to do this install, this winter. Right now we just finished building my buddies for his Audi TT. Next will be mine. Great DIY!!!!
Thanks :hi:

how can you connect the pc to the monitor???
With an XGA cable - NOT VGA. Long distance VGA cables are prone to interference, specially in a car environment. XGA cables are thicker with better screening (shielding). I have 1x3m XGA extension from carpc [trunk] which ends just below the center console and from there the original cable of the touchscreen is used.

Pending plans:

Radio receiver (centrafuse has a list of supported devices) to have a completely carputer integrated solution.

BT voice commands:
I have successfully paired my HP iPaq 614c WM6.1 phone with centrafuse. Now I need to get a powered mic for everything to work. The original mic from the old Nokia handsfree kit that was installed in the car cannot be used :censor: and neither a regular PC mic because of the extra cable length I need (remember soundcard inputs are in the trunk). So I will either get a cheap usb soundcard to put in the front and configure windows to use it only for recording or get a very very good amplified mic.

OBD:
The ebay kit with an ELM327 OBDII - USB interface works perfectly with centrafuse. The major issue is that the OBDII port is located near the gas pedal area and it's not easy to have it connected all the time. Half of the times I will kick the cable out of the plug so I need to fabricate or find a 90 degree OBDII plug - If such thing exists.


More to come! :pimpin:
 
#88 ·
Perfect DIY! I'm planning on starting a project like yours as soon as i get the time and money.

How do you like your monitor as far as visibility in the daytime.. are you happy with that brand?

Also.. I'm trying to decide which route to take with audio. I currently am using the stock headunit with an ipod adaptor. I want to be able to keep my steering wheel controls and I want to keep an ipod hookup for friends that want to listen to hook up. How would you recommend keeping both of these. Should I get an aftermarket headunit and steering wheel control adaptor or should I just get something like car2pc or the such?

For the OBD, is it possible to purchase another female OBD connector and splice into the current one or anything like that?

Anyways.. these are just a few of the questions I've had..

Thanks for taking the time to make such a great diy.. sick setup you got.
 
#90 ·
I've got the Xenarc touchscreen.. When I got it 2.5 years ago it was the top of the line. At noon or when direct sunlight hits the screen i can't see anything. My other friends changed 3-4 touchscreens since then. I plan to change it with the moded Lilliput which claims to have perfect visibility under direct sunlight. For $600+ I have to think about it twice though.

Most of the aftermarket headunits have Ipod adaptors and BMW steering wheel modules so not an issue. I have the Autoleads version for my Kenwood unit and the original Pioneer steering module for my Pioneer HU. Both work perfectly fine. I can't really help if you are looking to keep the OEM HU.

For the OBD, I have already bought 1 female and 1 male and I made a 90 degree angled extension. When plugged, only the cable shows a bit. I'll post pictures tomorrow when I finish the plugs. Now they look ugly because I used a jigsaw to cut their plastics
 
#91 ·
Haven't really thought about it to be honest.

Startup time with 512MB RAM:
4 seconds for the PSU to send ON command to motherboard after 12v signal reveived
11 seconds from bios screen to windows. Not that much time.

There is a Windows XP performance edition, which is basically windows xp pro but with all the themes, drivers, startup crap, twain, etc etc support removed. Just the simplest version of windows. Put that on a SATA hard disk, turn off BIOS time consuming tests and you can have it to boot in less than 10s
 
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