A CarPC is the popular term for a user-installed and managed computer interface to the car. This was an extremely popular hobby back before infotainment systems were pretty much a standard in modern cars. Unfortunately, nearly every project was aimed at simply being able to play MP3s in the car and (in my opinion) that is what killed the hobby. These turned into very expensive MP3 players and not really much else.
The goals of a successful CarPC are to add convenience features for the driver/passengers and to expand on the capabilities of the car itself. It needs to integrate itself into the car and not be a distraction. And yes, it needs to play MP3s, but that should be its most minor function.
Some popular uses of a CarPC are:
1. Provide navigation for the user
2. Provide for multimedia playback
3. Provide internet connectivity to other users in the car and also to provide live information to the user
Before displays were common in cars, many people paid high prices for add-on displays to mount in their vehicles. Entire projects were often centered around this component by itself, including moulding custom dashboards.It was easily one of the most expensive components in the entire project. Consider, in 2006, I paid $600 for a flip out low-resolution VGA touchscreen in a single-DIN format.
But LCD screens quickly became a standard in many modern cars. The challenge then became to hack into this display in order to project our own content.
With modern cars containing built-in infotainment systems, I am going to break the new challenges down beginning starting at the very top level.
1. Power Control and supply
2. Video
3. User Interface and control (UI, touchscreen, buttons, knobs, etc.)
4. Audio
5. Integration
After this basic introduction, we will begin getting into the specific challenges as they relate to the Lexus SC430.
1. Power Control and Supply
This challenge includes integrating the power supply for your system into the vehicle system in order to not only supply the correct voltages to the various components, but to properly survive the harsh electrical environment within the car, and to power on and off the components along with the car.2. Video
This involves determining how to tap into the built-in display and provide video in the format expected. It also involves discovering how to switch between factory video interface (if desired) and our own inputs.
3. User Interface and Control
This category involves determining how to interface with the existing user controls within the vehicle such as touchscreens, steering wheel remotes, dash buttons, radio controls, etc...
4. Audio
Establishing an auxiliary audio input in the vehicle as well as properly controlling the switching of audio sources and even outputs.
5. Integration
This category is wide-open and very dependent on what the user wants to do with their system. But the one thing required to overcome this challenge is to get to know the network used in your vehicle used to control the various components or if no network is present, to fully understand the wiring scheme of your vehicle in order to take control of its features.Integration, of course, also involves making the system appear seamless and a part of the vehicle. Much of that is cosmetic. Some of that is software design.
It may also include determining how not to interfere with the original OEM system and to keep those systems available to the user.
So the above is a high level look at what is involved in developing a CarPC for your vehicle. While a very basic look, your project will wander if not broken down properly and the scope can quickly become overwhelming. The best approach to a project is to begin at the top level and approach each challenge individually, further breaking it down into smaller and smaller specific tasks. We will worry about integrating everything together at the end.
In the articles to come, we will begin to work through each one of these challenges as they apply to the Lexus SC430.
No comments:
Post a Comment