OEM Mazda Retractable Navigation/Display Installation

[Nexus]

This is a cool little compartment that sits above the center console vents and stows an LCD display or GPS away. My intention is to use it as a docking bay for my ultramobile PC. Following on from that I will be doing OBD2 logging and instrumentation with it; boost gauge etc. The software and PC specific how-to's will go in another thread.

I sourced the retractable nav box from Japanparts.com - Mail order from Japan directly|JDM Parts,Performance Auto Parts,for Subaru, Mazda,Mitsubishi,Honda,Nissan,Toyota car and it is currently awaiting installation. The two things you need to sort out before you put it in are firstly cabling for power and any signals necessary - video, usb etc - and how you are going to mount your screen or gps. It is likely you will need to fabricate a solution. I am designing a bracket to suit my ultramobile - the design will facilitate interchangeable display brackets for different display devices that can be exchanged without disassembling the nav box housing.

This is not a powered unit that pops out of the dash - this is a manual pivot that clips into retracted or open positions with a sliding lid that hides it away when not in use. Once unclipped from the retracted position there is a simple mechanism that sees the display "drop" into the open position over a couple of seconds. To lock it open however you need to do that manually.

The manuals are all japanese, of course; you need to be careful which screws you use where, because you could damage the retaining mechanisms if you use the wrong ones in the wrong places.

I'll post pics and notes as I install...

[Nexus]

In order to see I have what I need and that things are going to fit, did a mockup today....

Pics attached
#1 : the separate parts. the mounting piece on the left has a plate that pivots from the top edge, allowing the display to hang face down in the retracted position and latch in place. The plate has 6 mounting holes allowing variety of devices to be placed low or high according to the display size and what fits under the sliding lid.
#2 : parts in position with the lid down
#3 : parts in position with the lid up and ultramobile sitting in position
#4 : this is the part that bolts to the backing plate that you will need to modify, replace or work with in order to mount your screen.

For me this is a tight fit as the PC is slightly fatter and larger than a 7" LCD display which I would suggest is nearly as big as you would manage. Thinner is better and 7.5" screen should be fine, I have my doubts for 8", will try later to get a good idea of what the largest fitment size might be.

I am hoping to attach a usb connector hidden at the base of the unit, and run power and audio to the right side. The unit needs to accommodate a firewire connector at the rear of the unit, either to allow the existing modules to plug directly in (makes it fatter still) or to use a firewire cable connection in order to place the expansion modules - GPS and HD TV elsewhere in the vehicle. There's a docking connector, but that is a bit too fiddly for prototyping.

Going the whole hog, I would be placing the GPS and TV units somewhere in/on the roof near the external antenna connection is. Again, too fiddly for prototyping and I want the modules to be removable.

The USB, audio and power connectors will all need to be right-angle plugs to get enough room to operate. The firewire connector on the back of the unit may be useful in helping locate the device in the bracket am designing. It will probably need to be right angle as well.

[Nexus]

Well, I was going to post a second mockup with prototype bracket folded up but the ultra mobile PC was stolen night before last, so project is on hold until I source a replacement.

Pricks.

[Nexus]

Replacement PC :


it's 10" widescreen and probably won't fit in the enclosure, so...now on the hunt for a 8" 16:9 USB touchscreen that can be easily mounted in the nav box and the ultramobile will mount elsewhere in the vehicle. Drivers side door storage pocket, or possibly passenger side so they can watch TV or DVD on their lap and the dash display will continue to function for gauges etc.

This simplifies the installation somewhat - won't be trying to cram the UMPC computer, cables, expansion modules and 7" screen all into the nav box...

[pockets]

thats nice BACK ON TOPIC

[Nexus]

Cost wise an integrated UMPC solution that fits the enclosure is your best option to keep the $ down to a minimum. Standalone screens not cheap.

I am looking at this screen :


And although it's expensive it's an appropriate part for automotive use in terms of screen brightness, anti-glare etc, and it reports resolution support to 1600x1200, 16:9 so it should handle the 1334x768 native resolution of the netbook's own touchscreen making clone mode easy. It's also versatile and I would be able to connect a gps display output or other devices to it as well, although I will be looking at travelroute copilot 10 for PC GPS software with a USB receiver. I am tempted to try and place the gps unit on the roof with the stock AMFM antenna.

[Anfernee0525]

In order to see I have what I need and that things are going to fit, did a mockup today....

Pics attached
#1 : the separate parts. the mounting piece on the left has a plate that pivots from the top edge, allowing the display to hang face down in the retracted position and latch in place. The plate has 6 mounting holes allowing variety of devices to be placed low or high according to the display size and what fits under the sliding lid.
#2 : parts in position with the lid down
#3 : parts in position with the lid up and ultramobile sitting in position
#4 : this is the part that bolts to the backing plate that you will need to modify, replace or work with in order to mount your screen.

For me this is a tight fit as the PC is slightly fatter and larger than a 7" LCD display which I would suggest is nearly as big as you would manage. Thinner is better and 7.5" screen should be fine, I have my doubts for 8", will try later to get a good idea of what the largest fitment size might be.

I am hoping to attach a usb connector hidden at the base of the unit, and run power and audio to the right side. The unit needs to accommodate a firewire connector at the rear of the unit, either to allow the existing modules to plug directly in (makes it fatter still) or to use a firewire cable connection in order to place the expansion modules - GPS and HD TV elsewhere in the vehicle. There's a docking connector, but that is a bit too fiddly for prototyping.

Going the whole hog, I would be placing the GPS and TV units somewhere in/on the roof near the external antenna connection is. Again, too fiddly for prototyping and I want the modules to be removable.

The USB, audio and power connectors will all need to be right-angle plugs to get enough room to operate. The firewire connector on the back of the unit may be useful in helping locate the device in the bracket am designing. It will probably need to be right angle as well.

Hope to get one done in my MPS

[Nexus]

OK - I sourced a xenarc 706tsa touch screen from states a good % cheaper. $500 inc shipping. Also have a BU-353 GPS reciever module landing soon. They are about $70 shipped to your door. GPS laptop software is more expensive, I already had a copy of copilot laptop 10 and it's worth about $350 or more

I was going to make a separate thread thread for the PC related stuff, but since for the time being I am going with readily available windows software and the new screen should make for a very simple display install, I'm going to document that here as well.

If and when I get back to work on a linux/open source car computing solution I'll post that up seperately. There's about $1000 worth of software licensing doing it with windows.

I'm looking at palmer performance ScanXL and DashCommand for OBDII diag and instrumentation - with the mazda proprietary scan extensions.

[Nexus]

Today I received the xenarc touch screen. Quick test : All good, image quality good at 1280x768 test res

Set about installing it into the NAV box and....as usual the appearance of a painless install is just an illusion and despite having only one cable to pass through...the cable opening at the rear of the nav box needs enlarging to allow the cable to pass.

The cable is fairly heavy duty too which may pose a clearance issue beneath the screen in the open position and retraction mechanism fouling. Looks like it will wear in and soften, but I'm wanting to order a spare cable now...

More later...

---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------

Cable issue will force modification of the OEM box and/or manufacture or purchase an alternate cable.

[Nexus]

OK - screen itself is now installed in the enclosure. This required modification of the supplied cable, so I will be purchasing a spare. Basically the blasted choke's on the ends of the cables get in the way and prevent the screen being easily fit within it's form factor.

What I ended up doing is documented in attached pics.
(a) cut away the plastic shroud around the choke on one end of the cable with a scalpel. My intention was to remove the choke altogether however the ferrite core is a one piece placed around the cable, so it cannot be removed without destroying it. (Many of these chokes are two piece) I briefly considered smashing it off with a hammer but felt that was too great a risk to the cable. cutting the plastic off just got me a few extra mm clearance underneath the screen. It's necessary. I then had a brainwave and assembled the screen and mounting bracket with the cable neatly wedged between the screen and mounting bracket and the cable arranged in a loop that minimises the amount the cable extends outside the screens profile, and cable tied the loop in place.

(b), (c) and (d) with the screen and cable successfully arranged to avoid fouling when the screen is opened and closed, the next hurdle is getting the cable through the cable opening in the nav box. Find yourself a dremel or similar and cut away the plastic to open the hole up. Again the choke on the cable end dictates the size of the hole. Additionally this allows the cable to play when the screen is opened and closed and avoids rubbing the cable anywhere.

(e) Physical install complete. This is not yet a fully functional display install : there is now a control and signal box to install elsewhere in the dash...I'll document the cabling path when I fit that.

[Nexus]

I have currently placed the control box in the glovebox while I test the software - I am simply strapping the laptop into the passenger seat at the moment.

Cable routing is simply to the left of the screen to the rear of the glovebox which has an opening to facilitate that.

I won't be leaving it there though. There is a mounting solution for such control boxes - the US/JDM market vehicles with GPS place the control unit below the passenger aircon vent. As the neccessary bracket is missing, there is space above the glovebox towards the rear. I am considering placing the control electronics there.

Routing the cabling and installation of the control box requires removal of scuff gaurd, side trims (either side of passenger footwell), decoration panel, and glovebox itself.

Once electronics are placed on top of the glovebox, I will need to put some kind of service caution sticker and documentation where it will be seen by the tech, as otherwise there might be a risk of cable damage - vehicle and or screen - if the glovebox was removed without consideration of the hardware attached above it.

It would require just a little more care removing the glovebox.

More pics later...