Infotainment System for Porsche Car [from CAD, prototyping to finish]
 

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1496312231.jpg

Throughout the years I’ve kept an eye open on the aftermarket 2DIN units in hope that I’ll find one that can be installed in my Porsche car console. I mean, looking for something that is visually safe and useful (for me) to permanently install. Truth is; those units aren’t exactly small-looking, especially when they glow low-quality and placed in medium/small size vehicle’s console. Plenty of risks for these thing to potentially invade a whole lot of funny.

I’ve actually seen quite a few of those aftermarket units recently and sadly, all had one thing in common; a less than ideal screen resolution/dpi and a total lack of respect for “true” black color/contrast. The other major problem (again, for me) was obviously those wacky graphical user interfaces (GUI), silly cartoon 3d buttons, usb/sd/whatever card slots in bezels…. oh boy do most of those boomboom boxes comes with everything I don’t need to use “or see”.

I’ve been looking for nearly 3 years for the perfect 2din unit. Obviously had a few kits delivered recently and all failed. Even the one that I’ve paid $800 (brand name) didn’t look nothing close as “the picture lol”. Same who claims to be using modern open source OS; being locked down with a proprietary and impressively cartoon’ish GUI. And finally, what killed it all is all of those came in with poor WVGA, displaying black as silver, most were trailing my finger touch with some really nasty looking white flickers. Picky I know but hey, nope… hell my bed side clock’s hardware and GUI is better looking and more stylish than most of the kits I recently seen up close </rant>

Emptied hands, Porsche console still cryin1997 - what to do what to do!

Well folks, we’ll just make one! That’s right. Together we’ll do the “Best-in-the-World” Porsche-centric Infotainment System. So as I go along with this side project, please don’t hesitate to jump in and ask questions. Your recommendations and advice is vital to the success of this product so by all means, please help me out if you can!

So here we go, The Best in the World again :rolleyes:

Enjoy!

Yes!!! Go Fred Go!

Are you kidding me? Man are you ambitious, go for it!

OMG. Can't wait to see the development of this one!!

Not only ambitions, sparked by frustration also. “Little boy never got his big toy” type thing. Watch out ;)

What can go wrong. All we need is some fast & serious processing power, good Taiwanese silicon, and a some thermal management. We’ll add up a few sensors and some p-specific telemetry later-on I promise. For now, the only thing I want to see is a black and red wire powering up the unit.

Rules of simplicity. I’ll be putting up the specs I’ve originally used for a proof of concept ptype –shortly. Devastating functionalities coming soon lollll

I hope you don't leave out us MOST bus users. Have you thought about using a Tablet based solution? Don't know about size and form factor.

To be honest with you, I researched replacing my CR23 with a 2 din radio and didn't want to ruin the look of my Special Edition. So instead, I installed a Bluetooth adapter and use my large iPhone 7 Plus for XMRadio and Waze for Navigation. I also use it for Hands free calling and it works great. Perhaps we should design a holder / cradle that you can insert the Phone into right where the radio is to give the appearance the phone is the radio? I use one of those magnetic vent holders now and it's a PIA as it really doesn't hold the phone all that well.

What would really be nice is the look of the Continental 1 Din radio but with a slide out 7" screen!

I gave up researching changing the MOST system and bought a Bose Soundlink Mini II and holder for the iPhone.

Amazing sound, spotify etc etc. Speaker will sit in the storage cubby under the wind deflector or wedges nicely between the seats on the arm rest. Plus I can use it elsewhere. Sounds are usually only on when SWMBO is in the car so driving is dialed back. Otherwise its the flat six soundtrack at full volume. :D

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/011496326435.jpg
^ 177mm * 100mm * 45mm ~ w/ ultra light material selection (no steel)

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Just a peak preview of what we are trying to accomplish here. Including some visuals of what appears to be the preliminary (and thermally yet unmanaged) design of the enclosure. Just a shell basically... for now all it does is helping me to visualize the surface area I have to work within - so to pack the punch!

No no big 2DIN boxes for me thank you very much.

The backend is driven by a Intel Quad Core Atom® x5-Z8350 processor with 2M Cache with an astonishing 1.92 GHz clock speed. Comes with 4gig ram and running Windows 10 as OS. Has all the necessary connectivity you'll ever need ~ 2.4ghz WIFI and Bucktooth.

That's right. A fully featured Car PC that you can customize just the way you want it. You can even install your Durametric software onto it?! Or if you don't have one, wait and see whats coming your way! If you ask me, there is no other thing other than my laptop that makes me feel "home" (I.T. wise). Certainly not the effect I was getting from the budget 2DIN units I've recently received and tested. So this "My Laptop My Home" feeling will soon be transferred inside my Porsche car!

Eventually we'll be playing with the Continental radio style e.g. Custom Face Bezels. There are so many options for us to play with here, obviously. Just for fun, and to better represent how easy this will get at that stage, here goes a bezel style I've designed a few weeks ago. That is as "amusing" as it will get but hopefully we'll find something a tad more conservative.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/0011496326458.jpg

Even offered in speed yellow lolll Guards red, and midnight blue, we'll have them all. Oh and until we find it its official name, we'll just use a few stolen trademarks in there. What's new

Can't wait to be a tad more serious on the bezel work. For now this will work just fine. This template was measured off the boxster console so you might see this again but fear not, I don't think it will be the final bezel design. We'll play with this (a lot) later on!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/0021496326463.jpg

Love your work Fred, but you lost me at 'running Windows 10'.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1496335491.jpg

If there was a nice looking, well specced device with a good responsive screen running completely stock Android I'd be all over it.

Ahhh OS :D

Good news is you just need to set your bios to boot up from your USB whatever OS image! Its a PC after all so you do what you want with it.

But but but, from Nice8Six-Factory loll, it will be loaded with Windows 10. I think Microsoft have put up some nice work throughout the years so my guess is that thing is going to work OOTB (important). Got all the drivers for peripherals and all already. Works man

Windows 10 looks and feel 'posh' also. I need that part most

ps: developer myself, fair share of various linux kernels, ubuntu desktop for fun internet, and thumb usb 'os' for diagnostics and monitoring. Just haven't yet arrived at the Android level, yet ;)

What I'd like to see is a fully functional single din android based unit.
I want something that can display things like GPS and a back up camera, without the huge goofy screens that everyone seems to like.
Center console space/slots are few and I'm not giving up 2.

I know there's a unit out there for Porsche with a single din screen, but the price is stupid.

I was in the same boat as you. This is what I came up with. The best I came across is the joying 10.1.

Its got a decent 10 inch screen that clips on to a single din system. The contrast ratio on this screen is way better than anything else I have seen - including most of the $800 systems. I moved all the buttons from top part of the console to the bottom. It runs android 6.0, so its got a lot of nice apps like waze, torque, spotify and netflix that run native. I set up a cellular hotspot from my phone when I need data.

What would be great if there was a nice porsche launcher :P

Totally cool. That 10" really look your best friend there. Screens; all about the screen man, totally agree with you. The stuff I've unboxed recently... oh boy

But then, I am only able to write these because I have a 7" IPS display to advertise shortly. Digital professional dream display... and it COMES WITH BLACK lollll

ps: IPS; same display as the widely known 'retina' (e.g. iPhone/pads)

Porsche Entertainment Center in the Works
 

Hi Fred, long time ! I am running a 7" I pad in my Boxster dash now. However put me on your list. I know, if you are making anything, it will be great !
Lee from NY

I would also love to see a good single DIN option, right now the only options that don't have blinking neon lights everywhere are the Porsche Classic that costs over $1k, and the Continental TR7412UB-OR which still has a little chrome. That said, I am looking forward to seeing what gets developed!

If this thing will be fibre optic compatible that would be amazing not having to remove wiring.

Apple car play would be amazing ;)

Ahhhh Lee!!!!! Good to hear from you brother. I'm onto my new HTC device right now and can't read your post fully but can guess what it is. In fact I can't read my thread at all anymore. Some mega huge picture in the thread which adds a 'tiny' scroll-bar at the bottom of my device. Every time I try to catch it, it shoots me to the top of the page. Giving up loll.

Funny pic, all I see is a huge human leg LOL

Let's wait until it gets to page 2. Or I'll have access to a PC tmrw and will be able to read the other posts

dbl post... nothing works here, sorry lol

20 years old optical, AMP, whatelse... corroded terminals and circuitry?! If you ask me, I think I am just going to use my own system & network instead lolll Don't even know what's in my Porsche car atm, couldn't care less perhaps.

SIMPLICITY: Ignition 12VDC > Car PC > Mini-Amp > LRFR Speakers.

And-thats-it.

Although there are already existing cabling for the speakers, I plan on running in my-own/my-way using some medium~high quality shielded ones, perhaps. Not like I need 3km of wires, everything is within an arm distance. Its going to be clean, affordable, precise, SIMPLE and simple just works.

Speakers are excellent(sufficient?) in my Boxster so I plan on reusing those.

Backend-wise: Wait until you get to see the Porsche specific telemetry and CAN functions. We'll have bus raw data access. Everything is being written in C# so we can share some API among developers. Something for them to wrap their own stuff onto, share back with the community, etc. Limitless isn't it really loll

An Apple Play?! But then you have young kids you Martin. Judging for the product pictures, sure looks like something the little ones would enjoy playing with :D

Custom Car PC l Car PCs and Carputer | 2DIN Car PCs | CarPC | Custom Computers | Desktop PC | Carputer | Gaming PC

Regards, Markus

Thanks to all for pointing me in the direction of what appears to be all great head units and products. However it might be worth mentioning this clearer; I am not looking for a 2din head unit anymore. This thread is all about making them better (in the world, if that's allowed)

By all means possible fellas I beg you not to try to influence this project's inspiration with anything else other than (normal) stuff. I really appreciate seeing some of other automaker's/oem kits, but I have to be honest here; I am getting very little inspiration from those commercial 2din kits at the moment. Dunno, that might change in the future, no offense fellas.

You see... one guy at Porsche got it just right and me think I should just follow his footstep to the letter and behave. I bet this fine designer/creator would also appreciate that nothing too 'out-of-factory' wack gets install in their creations. Its their car if you ask them and believe me when I say they are proud of them w/ no exception.

So look how easy it is guys. Look at what Porsche did for the big brother S. Notice how subtle he is with the color. Overhaul continuity with the dash features and tones, even the alignment is integrated from driver's perspective. Now this ladies and gent is perhaps silly to you, but for me it-is-Magical-work (aka simplicity)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/011496432689.jpg


So now, lets copy them lolll As you can see, we remain in the same temperature, that same mood of that Porsche designer. And that is how we'll be making this thing and call it "our own".

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/021496432697.jpg

^ even our flac music player will be boring as f and using neutral color. So please save me from those multi-colored style kits.

NO MORE LINKS PLEASE lolllll

oh, and again, ^ this onto a IPS display. retina. True black, satin. True true true ;)

LOL! thats a good one.

Fred...I think your idea is amazing. I want to be on your list when you are ready, can't wait :D ....

Absolutely, thanks brother. In fact, and judging from the initial responses (excitation lol) I think I'll be making a few of those ;)

The part where he'd be all over a stock 'Android' I hope.

Though your comment remind me this to say; anyone of you who've put together a head unit or pc for a vehicle, please post your achievements. There is always so much to learn, with your help I'm sure we'll have ours made even better :D

out to rest. I'll update when I have something that materialize. Enjoy my friends

Fred, I love where you are going with this. Simplicity is best. Can't wait for the final result :cheers:

This looks like an awesome project as well. I still think I'll replace my PCM1 with an Android head unit. They usually have the functionality that I'm looking for and they're relatively cheap.
I'll follow this thread, though. ;)

If I'm satisfied with the results of the main-board we'll have 64G of flash hard drive and can expand + 250G with mini SD card. Me think you'll be able to have WindowsXP,2000,7,8,10,Ubuntu,Red Hat,Android1,2,3,4,6.7.8.....17..

all-at-the-same-time.. Shall you wish! I'm only going to support Windows and develop using their exiting libraries. That's all it means.

But hey man, if this wvga with non-porsche size bezel is your thing, let me know I can get you those parts picked up by our friend in Shenzhen for anyone here. They are epidemic at street e-market level for roughly $20~30/kits. I think you get that super huge box made out of steel for FREE also, not sure (wires incl.). Built-in Android and all... but can't change anything in it though. All proprietary back-end :/

I see your point. How about CD/DVD-player and FM radio with RDS?
Right now I have the PCM1, which already is a steel box with severely limited functionality, now that I have removed the phone and nav unit.

I also like that you can get them with tactile buttons and knobs. That gives it more of a "car feeling", which I like. I don't want to look at and touch a screen in order to lower the volume, for example.

I can appreciate what you're doing and I'm interested in seeing the progress you make. I just don't think it's for me, that's all. :)

hey man - load it w pirate pst2 software and an obd2 interface and you will have a lot of buyers i think.

add a high-res gps with lateral-g sensing, some inputs for cameras, and ability to run current track apps and you will have even more buyers.

at one time i was looking at getting one of those rearview mirrors with a forward looking camera and an onboard android brain to set up as a little track timer unit (run harrys or cms track apps) but they were all shoddy clip-on things that didn't have accurate gps so i stopped hunting. mebbe make one of those next ...

We'll integrate the Si4703 ic for you, if you really really need rds. See, you guys got to tell me what a porsche car needs. RDS sounds good?

and wt.. is a CD/DVD? you lost me there brother

RDS is absolutely necessary here in Europe at least. A lot of traffic information coming that way.

CD is an old technology. You see, in the olden days people used to save music on physical media in the shape of aluminium discs covered in clear plastic. Weirdly they called it "CD", which is short for "compact disc". It's in a disc shape, but compact? I'm not so sure about that.

After a few years, they discovered that they could store movies as well, and that was called DVD, or "Digital Versatile Disc", although at first it was short for "Digital Video Disc", until they discovered it could be used to store not only video, but other things as well, such as computer programs.

Fascinating, isn't it? ;)

We can plot as fast as 200ms with the CAN raw data on the 986 (wired). Getting the interface ready for you guys using a contractor based here in Shanghai with me. Prototyping bluetooth and wifi, both to see which is faster and what kind of buffer we'll need for that. Aiming for both DBC and UDS data. Early stage but flying colors, you'll get it I think lolll

inputs there are. 2.4ghz wifi and solid Bluetooth. Has USB also of course but that sounds a tad like DVD/CD no?

Sygic GPS Navigation, Google earth, Bing maps, all works beautifully. Got C# controls also avail in API format so we can customize those mapping tools (adding sexier voice?)

I suspect that the final product will be amazing beyond my imagination. Not sure if I want 2 or 3 ...or 4. One of my Cayennes has a PCM1 - CD Nav :eek:
Sounds like you have the good ideas already, but here's what I think...
No legacy disc stuff u less you can rig a fold - out turntable for vinyl too.
Interface with vehicle for OBD/CAN/ ...similar to Autel MD802 or a good Win10 app if one exists.
Video in input.
The sensors and display for a track/race session as TRK mentioned.
Voice control - microphone input. Would that be Cortana? :barf:
I love the pic you have of the console integration. Smooth. Clean.

Anyway, that's my contribution to muck up your thread. I'm starting a swear jar in my garage today to get the funds together. Please target the cost to be a bit less than a base 986 with >100 K miles. :D

There, thank you. All brilliant functionalities (useful should I say).

All good fun and development ahead I can feel it! As a reminder, let's see if we can fit this in our car first, requires: power management + thermal management initially. Promise you'll get to see plenty of material from porn wallpapers -up- to your LIVE Streaming Kit so we can all watch your track/race day LIVE on the forum, but first let's see if we can work out this thing to fit lightweight ~ for a Porsche :D

Connectivity: WIFI - Bluetooth. Hell this is going to force you guys to use/buy the recent and modern peripherals (Cams, sensors, whatever we'll need). Whatever comes with a windows 7/10 driver in 64bits is working full throttle on the kit. Simple as that guys

So nope, there are not going to be all kinds of ports, wires everywewhrhe plugs/pcb/herethisthat. Wifi and bluetooth only! Got USB3.0 also if really really really you are that old school ;)

That dash can turn 986 poisoned during nite time

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/031496451050.jpg

Oh, hints: has a micro controller built-in. Those that likes sensor signals in either analog or digital... you have not been left behind. You can use your vs or arduino ide/libraries if you wish for. How did I forgot to mention about that

Remember, we can compute this at over 1.92Ghz 4x cores CPU. You are starting to be talking serious here. So so so going to be fun lolllll

I'm not hugely tech savvy...I'm running Windows 7x64 on my laptop / desktop and can get by ok I think.

Maybe this will be my opportunity to sharpen up on some new technologies :eek:

My vision is everything that gets developed and useful for another should find its way on github/google code (for instance) and shared among those who run these type of car PC systems. You as a User e.g. if you like the "Harmonic IMS Sensor Toolkit w/ filters", you download the toolkit and click on set-up.exe, and enjoy. (yikes, thatd be almost funny... who knows)

Can't see it being fun "or useful" any other way

I think that once this new kit of yours is in our hands, we will see lots and lots of our Porsche friends here with great ideas to personalize to suit our needs. That's where guys like me can learn.