(T) Computer In a Cinq/Sei

I would like a computer in my Sei. Has anybody thought about this, tried it, or done similar things?

Would the car be able to handle the power without any problems? I'm guessing that it could draw 50W (probably somewhere between 30W-100W).

What I want to do is hook the machine upto my ECU, and then display diagnostics on a small LCD (and logging it). How easy is it to get a lead from the engine bay into the car interior?

The computer would cost me around £200-£300, which is quite a lot of money, and it'll also take me a long time. I'd be looking into swapping it with my car stereo.

its all do-able... i never found an interface, that was as quick to use as a HU itself... i started doing it but then got board... i cant be arsing around with a keyboard when goin round an island lol i did look at keypads and remotes etc.. all got a bit expensive and boring (for me) but good luck and tell us how u get on

im sure someone did it.. that dude thats in clubsento had one in a sei i think... the one thats got a megane now

alfie

Yep, Ray had one with a 5" TFT monitor. Wasn't hooked up to the ecu though.

Donz did one as well, had a touch screen which he sculpted into the dash of his Jap thing.

I don't listen to music anyway, although I can easily add MP3 play functionality.

I would only look at the display when driving, so I wouldn't be using a keyboard etc while cornering lol. The main thing would be a rev counter, but if there is a problem with my car I could use it for other things. It can also log data in the back ground, kinda like a black box if the car starts to misbehave. Actually the HU is too far down, I'd probably need to mount the LCD in a higher position to look at it safely, but that should be easy enough.

You will probably need to upgrade the alternator and install a dual battery system (whether this is technicall possible on a Sei/Cinq I am unsure).

Next for the PC, you need to look at the Mini-ITX Format for the PC.. go to this site, http://www.mini-itx.com/, for more information. I think that there is even a project on the site.

As for the software, running linux as the operating system. There are lots of home theatre solutions available for Linux.

For expandability, you could install a wireless lan card and then stream files from your pc in the house to the car... or if you have a network drive (NAS) then you could set it up so that when you arrive home and the Car PC connects to the home network, it auto-syncs with new files (MP3 etc..) random thoughts again

Hope this gives you some ideas...

Cheers

Dan

I think the biggest problem here is connecting to the ECU?

the altenator on centos is excellent... it can run a pc.. they are only 5 and 12 volts when it comes down to it

are the newer sei's OBD compliant. what do you want a computer for? purely for diagnostic stuff from the ECU?

I thought about fitting one into my car, but didnt in the end because i decieded it was a bit pointless and expensive. To power one, you'd need an invertor. I wouldn't have said you'd need to uprate the alternator etc though. I have an 800w invertor, and that just says work on 100w = 10A. So 300W pc would be around 30A draw tops. If the PC ever used 300w (doubtful on a small form factor system).

If you just want diagnostic info, and the Sei is OBD complaint you can get stuff for PDAs that'd do it all.

If they're not, theres some clever people on the coop forum that built a standalone LCD unit.

I have (well had) one in my punto, removed it cause I was using my car for work.

You do not need to upgrade anything, just get an inverter, 150w for a lappy, 300w for a "normal" pc, you will always find uses for an inverter.

If you want I can explain my whole setup in more detail.

ive looked into this a few times (as plan to have one in my kitcar) that connects up to the ECU and runs statistics, webcam recording (for accident purposes and additional visibility), and video/music playback through my current headunit.

The only way i know of connecting the PC up is to use the megasquirt fuel system. You can build a mini-itx PC and hook it up to a 8" touchscreen monitor. They do car smart powersupplies for them, so power on with the ignition, and quite power friendly too.. The mini PC connects over to the ECU via the comm port IIRC, which you can then run realtime diagnostics, and lots of dials




http://www.bgsoflex.com/megasquirt.html

as for OS, any would do - even XP can competantly handle the task. i think for megasquirt, windows is a requirement.

The only problem is mounting it all out the way. Not having had a good poke around in the cinq/sei i cant really suggest anything

and you do have the slight issue of having to replace ur engine management system, and know what ur doing to set it up!

have a read of this though:

http://www.fccuk.org/ubbthreads/show...=&fpart=7&vc=1

http://www.fiatforum.com/showthread....&highlight=OBD

Thats food for thought i only want to go down the megasquirt if needed really cos as you said, its setting the things up!

Ok.. I didn't read about the ECU stuff... but installing pc is fairly good... gives you more to 'play' with..

Have a look at this site, http://www.stevieg.org/carpc/ . this installation is the dogs and is the sort of thing that anyone would want to have... stealth.

Ok, the dual battery system and upgraded alternator is a real no-no, it would add too much weight to my car (899cc). This was my main concern, and wanted to ask about this before looking further into this idea. My fan belt is squealling at the moment, and would squeal even more with extra load. I'm not sure how much load these machines put on it though. The standard stereo is a 4x50W thing IIRC, the PC should be no more than 50W.

The actual PC side of things is fine. It would be a mini-itx machine, running Linux. I think I'll start with hooking up my Laptop to the ECU First (if it supports it which I'm starting to doubt).

It's the power that's a problem. A proper PC could draws hundreds of Watts, but a very low power one is likely to be less than 50W.