PSA: Conficker

Fuck you Conficker. Fuck you with a rake.
That is all.

Car2PC Text?

Installation of the Car2PC adapter went flawlessly.
There was a little bit of an issue removing my Ipod adapter (plugged into the EX port too) as the plug had been in there for over two years. But after a bit of fiddling, it came free, allowing me to plug in the headunit end of the Car2PC.

Success!

I ran Winamp on the EeePC, with the HUmp3 plugin that was supplied with the Car2PC, and I got sound from the car speakers!

More Success!

However, try as i may, initially, I could not control Winamp with the headunit controls. Next track and previous track did nothing. :(
I ran the grom_console application (also supplied with the Car2PC) to verify the commands coming out of the headunit. And sure enough, the headunit buttons were sending the expected signals ("NT", "PT", etc) but Winamp was not responsing to them.
Further research was required.

After a couple of days of reading the mp3car.com forums, I came across a reference to a piece of software called RoadRunner that can use the headunit via the Car2PC as a control source aswell as a text output. Turns out, RoadRunner is now called RideRunner (due to copyright) and is still available for download for free. Brilliant!

I installed RoadRunner on my EeePC along with Winamp, and set the configuration as per the documentation to support the car2PC. Then at 11pm, I wandered down to my car, plugged it in, and tested it.
I could load music into winamp, and then use the steering wheel buttons and the headunit buttons to control it.

Actual success this time!

Still not text though. Whats wrong? Is there a misconfiguration in the applications? Is there a problem with the Car2PC? Sadly, no. Everything is working as expected.
Further research led me to discover that the EX port on the MX5's headunit does not in fact support track information text being sent to it. Very frowney. :(

EeeCarPC

So, the most important component for the carPC, is obviously the PC. :P
I already have the arduinos for interfacing with the locks/windows/roof, the Car2PC for playing music and sending commands from the dash and steering wheel, a USB GPS receiver somewhere in a drawer.

My requirements are pretty typical of a car computer;

1. Can run .NET 2.0 applications (limits me to x86 running Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7)


2. Small and light


3. Low power consumption and low heat


4. Solid state disk (either a CF card, USB Flash, or an actual SSD)


5. Runs from 12v


6. At least 2 USB port(s) and an audio out

Some others things are on the Would-Like-To-Have list include;

1. Its own battery separate from the vehicles


2. Wifi (to remotely upload new music and software, and download telemetry data)


3. Bluetooth (to allow my phone to communicate with it for more complex in car controls)

The first requirement rules out anything not x86, sadly. Something based on an ARM would be perfect from a low power and no-moving-parts perspective. But, alas, no .NET.
I considered putting a Mini-ITX board in a small case, giving it a 4G CF card to boot from, a PCI wifi card a 12v power supply and 12V UPS battery. But the costs for this very quickly added up to nearly $1,000. I figured there had to be a cheaper alternative. After much searching for the ideal embedded type x86 platform, it finally occurred to me;

A netbook!

Specifically, an Asus EeePC 701SD. The tiny screen and keyboard shouldn't be a problem at all, given that its going to live primarily with the lid closed in my car. It meets all the required requirements, and many of the optionals, and was only $327 from JB-HiFi!
Winnah!

Now comes the task of installing Windows XP on it, and then slimming it down so it boots in seconds.

Car2PC Adapter

Last week, I ordered a Car2PC adapter from InDashPC (link). The shipping time was quoted at between 7 and 10 working days.
I thought I had a week or so to get the rest of the components in order...
Alas no.

The Car2PC adapter I ordered arrived about a week ahead of schedule. :D

From Car2PC Delivered

The Car2PC adapter provides a USB and stereo interface to the head unit in the MX-5 (many other vehicles are supported, in case anyone's interested). The USB connection is actually a serial to USB adapter, so no special drivers are required to control it. Just open the serial port, then read and write data as required!

Given this, the adapter provides three functions;

1. Plays the audio from the PC's headphone jack as an auxiliary input stream (on my head unit, this is "EX" or External CD)


2. Send head unit button presses to the PC via the serial connection (in my MX-5, this even includes the buttons on the steering wheel!)


3. Send audio track information from the PC to the head unit to be displayed on the text side of the head units LCD.

Installation seems easy enough.

1. Remove the head unit


2. Plug the adapter into the CD Changer port


3. Re-install the head unit.

Done!

Unfortunately, it's not actually that easy.

Thankfully, after many hours of reading forums and blogs, I came across an an excellent set of instructions provided on the www.MX-5.com forums (link).

That's one of the most difficult items to acquire and install taken care of.
Provided the rest of the components arrive, I know what I'll be doing this weekend. :D

Arduinos!

I ordered a couple of Ardiuno Duemilenove's to use in upcoming home and car automation projects. It took a little over two weeks, but they finally arrived!
The arduinos are microcontrollers based around an 8-bit Atmel RISC CPU.

From New Arduinos

They are so cute!

After about an hour of learning, I now have a the necessary sketch uploaded and a companion .NET application that turns the on board LED on and off. To put it another way, I have produced a SPST switch. But this is so much cooler! :D

For those interested, I ordered these two from Little Bird Electronics .

Couch Photos

As promised, couch photos.

Indeed, they are most comfortable. :D

Thank you Ebay.

Camera!

So, I bit the bullet and bought a camera.
I was going to save up for a DSLR, but after talking to some photography friends, they all suggested I get a cheap little point and shoot camera that I can keep in my pocket.
So after a few days of browsing reviews and online catalogues, I decided to buy a Canon IXUS. I had some umart store credit left over from a previous purchase, and that just about covered the cost of a Canon IXUS 85IS.
I have to say, I'm impressed with the camera already. 10Mpx, 3x zoom, macro support. The only drawback, and this is going to sound crazy, its a little too small.

As with any device I purchase, one of the considerations is whether or not it can be improved with third party modifications. In this case, YES!

Many Canon point'n'shoot cameras are supported by the Canon Hackers Development Kit (link). Because the IXUS85 is such a new camera, the firmware is still in beta. Oh well, occasional crashes are a small price to pay for total control over ISO, lens aperture and shutter speed. It also supports a custom remote shutter that plugs into the USB port, helping with making long exposure shots very stable.

Having used it for a while now, I would like there to be a way of running the camera from an external power source (either a bigger battery, or a mains transformer) an to be able to charge the battery from USB.

All in all though, I'm very impressed with both the IXUS85 and CHDK.

New Sofa

So, after months of searching, I finally found an ebay sofa I like.
A three seater and two recliners in an ash blue microsuede. :D
Pics soon.

New favicon?

The red G was good. The blue g, also good.

I don't like Google's new favicon. I really don't like it.

But this new one is just a mash of colours that made me check and retype the URL because it was just so different. 

Part of me hoped it was a typo or even a domain hijacking.

< /rant>