# Geeking My X-Trail



## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

Hi all,

A little while back, I said I was thinking about installing a car PC in my X-Trail, and now the project has begun. I'm documenting my progress here, in pictures:

http://pierreseguin.ca/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=25

I've added a bunch to the gallery since I last posted this URL.










Here's the planned spec:

Via Epia MII12000 1.2GHz motherboard
Windows XP Pro
Case TBD (probably a Travla C156 or an "Ampie")
Xenarc 700IDT Touchscreen Display
512MB RAM
60GB 2.5" laptop HD
Carnetix P1290 voltage regulator
ElmScan OBDII Interface
Alpine CDE-9845 Head Unit
Holux GM-210 GPS Receiver
WiFi
Etc.

At this early stage, I've installed the Alpine and the Xenarc. I've got the ElmScan and the Holux on order. I'm discussing power supply considerations with a colleague who's an electrical engineer before finalizing the case and power components, which could affect other pieces.

The goal is to have nav, Internet, MP3, DVD and OBD data in one nice package. The CPU's going to be mounted under the passenger seat with some sort of shield to protect it from passengers' muddy feet. I'm probably going to mount a couple of smaller peripherals (e.g. USB hub) under the driver's seat, and I'm seriously considering remote-mounting the DVD-ROM drive along with the more-frequently used ports in a custom plate where the factory nav DVD drive would go, in the upper glovebox.

Anyway, I figured this may be of interest to some, so I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,
-
8^{D>


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## tja (Sep 1, 2005)

hi ecrase2500

i'm in the process of geeking out my xtrail too... so far I have a Xenarc 700TSV, DFI 855GME-MGF Pentium Mobile Motherboard, OPUS 150w power supply in somewhere in between the USA and Australia, 200Gb Sata hdd. None installed yet, just getting all the parts together first. I'm going to install my screen permanently beind the dash where the double din stereo goes. a slimline slot load dvd burner will be going in the dvd navigation hole...

cant wait to get it all going!


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## ViperZ (Feb 9, 2005)

Cool and interesting project.

Good to see it underway


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

tja said:


> hi ecrase2500
> 
> i'm in the process of geeking out my xtrail too...


Nice to hear I'm not alone!

Where are you mounting the various components for your system?


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## Jguy_ca (Feb 13, 2005)

Oh you guys started it already? Have been planned doing it since last year even before getting the Xty. Still gathering money for it. So far only bought a GPS antenna. Good luck guys. :cheers:


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## Oreo (Nov 5, 2004)

What can I say.....I very nice addition with a lot of thought. You could probably make a few bucks installing these systems. I am sure people like me will add this to a on-going wish list.

Greg


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## tja (Sep 1, 2005)

ecrase2500 said:


> Nice to hear I'm not alone!
> 
> Where are you mounting the various components for your system?


I have no idea!!! my motherboard is larger than yours - so unfortunately it wont all fit in the glovebox... maybe ill make up a box for it all to put under the passenger seat as i rarely have back seat passengers so it wont get damaged... 

my power supply arrived today from the USA so I can finally start measuring everything up!! I'll start posting some photos soon too.

software wise im running winxp sp2... will probably run roadrunner front end, and mapmonkey/destinator3 gps software...

anyway time to play with my new opus psu!

tim.


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## Jguy_ca (Feb 13, 2005)

Oreo said:


> What can I say.....I very nice addition with a lot of thought.


Totally agree. I spent less than 3 months deciding the parts for my media center PC, but it's almost a year now but I still don't have the final configuration of the Car PC. Not only the decent performance is the factor to consider, but power consumption is the major concern.



tja said:


> my power supply arrived today from the USA so I can finally start measuring everything up!! I'll start posting some photos soon too.
> 
> anyway time to play with my new opus psu


I have read about this P.S. many times and still concern if it is enough to handle regular desktop PC components. I heard some people have trouble with it. P-M motherboard is definitely a good choice. BTW, mind to tell how much you pay for it?

Jguy :cheers:


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## ron519098 (May 4, 2005)

I have to ask this. *WHY????*


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*All I can say is...*

LOL! Good point

Stephen


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## tja (Sep 1, 2005)

ron519098 said:


> I have to ask this. *WHY????*


because.

1) it provides GPS, MP3, DVD, DivX, WiFi, card reader, all in one relatively lowcost solution.
2) i can.
3) The standard head unit is a POS. the amp in it overheats whenever the volume is over 31, causing it to shut down until it cools down, then it comes on again. 


Oh and to the other guy who asked how much the motherboard was - $250 australian. its a 2nd hand DFI 855GME-MGF which retail for ~450 AUD.

Ok it's not the cheapest solution.. so far I've spent around $1500... but this includes:

7" VGA touchscreen LCD - $720
Power Supply - $260
Pentium M motherboard - $250
Celeron M 1.4Ghz processor - $130
200Gb Sata hdd - $115

The Opus powersupply is good for 150watts.. so the low powered Pentium M will run fine on it even with a few accessories - DVD, HDD, LCD etc... 

full blown pentium 4 systems - no chance.


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## ron519098 (May 4, 2005)

Errrrrrrrrrr.............why not just buy yourself a cheap laptop and plug it into the car's 12V supply???


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*LOL*

Ron... well said.... lol





ron519098 said:


> Errrrrrrrrrr.............why not just buy yourself a cheap laptop and plug it into the car's 12V supply???


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

ron519098 said:


> Errrrrrrrrrr.............why not just buy yourself a cheap laptop and plug it into the car's 12V supply???


Gee, ron, you've got the factory nav in your X-Trail, don't you? And Stephen, _how_ many LCD screens do you have in yours? I'm kinda surprised you're the guys asking.

I'm sure you'd agree that nicely integrated equipment with a user interface that doesn't require pulling over for making it work is a lovely thing to have. I, for one, am not going to just get a cheap laptop because it'd look silly velcroed to my dash as my wife operates it for me. :loser: 

Besides the integration element, car PCs are a great way for geeks who enjoy their cars to have some fun. I'm getting too old to spend my time and money on trick kilowatt sound systems, so I'm trying this for a change. 

Plus, unlike the closed OEM and aftermarket nav/multimedia systems, these machines let you fiddle with the software to make it do pretty much anything.

If you want to see some of the cool stuff being done with CarPCs, check out http://www.mp3car.com/ and take a look at the members' rides. If this doesn't pique your technical interest within a few minutes, I'm afraid you can't be helped.


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## ron519098 (May 4, 2005)

You mean you use a PC while you drive????

Remind me not to travel on any roads you might be driving on!


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## CDN-X (May 8, 2005)

Your efforts look impressive! 

It would appear that you have made your point. 

Having a PC in your vehicle is the same as having a NAV/Sat and DVD player in another. Ron can use and map in place of his NAV/Sat and Stephen can watch DVD's at home, but, no one would question having those comforts in their vehicle. 

I can't imagine a time where a "forward" thinking person was not criticized, in envy, only to have that technology used when they fully appreciate what it can offer.

Looking forward to the final install!

Jim.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

ron519098 said:


> You mean you use a PC while you drive????
> 
> Remind me not to travel on any roads you might be driving on!


Since we're both used to driving on different sides of the road, I'd say the car PC will be the least of your worries if we ever find ourselves sharing a highway.


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## driftking (Aug 7, 2005)

ron519098 said:


> Errrrrrrrrrr.............why not just buy yourself a cheap laptop and plug it into the car's 12V supply???


Because the laptop would look to ghetto for his Liking I guess :loser: .

I'm interested in installing these in my car too, very n ice Idea, since I didnt know that there were kit made already for cars...

when you have an in car PC that doenst moves its less prone to get stolen/damaged, and looks better

Where did you buy the touchscreen? I want one that doenst flips like yours, permanent 2 din.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

driftking said:


> Where did you buy the touchscreen? I want one that doenst flips like yours, permanent 2 din.


There are a couple of manufacturers that seem to supply most of the touchscreen VGA displays to the car PC crowd:

http://www.lilliputweb.net/
http://www.xenarc.com/

I got a Xenarc from Xenarc's online store. They make mostly the non-retractable kind. I haven't found a manufacturer that sells a ready-made double-DIN LCD: most people build their screens into the dash with a fair bit of effort. There's a guy who sells a 2-DIN mount for a lilliput, but it requires removing the monitor from its factory case. It's designed specifically for a Subaru WRX, but it looks like you could mod it to install your factory radio mounting points. You can pay him to mount the monitor in the bracket for you, but you're on your own to make it fit your vehicle.

http://www.mechatroniks.com/wrx/ordering.html

Failing that, this site has everything you want to know about installing an LCD in your dash:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=46

I seriously considered fixed mounting in the whole 2-DIN space, but I wanted to keep the little storage pocket for my iPod, sunglasses, etc. Plus, when the monitor's folded away, it doesn't look as enticing to would-be thieves.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*If I may..*

I will be frank...for one I do not watch DVD's in My Car.. My Children do... in the back seat!!.. to answer why I have the etxra monitors installed in my Car. I personally do do want to kill anyone watching while I drive! I hate Cell Phone users who talk while they drive as I have seen stupid people using their laptops and watching TV as they drive. There has already been one case in the U.S. where and idiot was watching his DVD, crossed the medium and killed an entire family... If your stupid enough to watch TV/DVD and or use a computer/laptop while driving your license and car should be taken away. Any screen is a distraction...even if your not the one using it andthe passenger is.. you still can see the screen... as for my Navigations system it is voice activated both for commands and guidance leaving me to concentrate on the road.

I am not saying that any of you are going to be stupid enough to use your PC's while driving but a distraction is a distraction. One of my friends is a MUC Police Officer and they can tell you how many accidents are now happening from morons that are playing with their Navigation Systems, their DVD's and or yes on the Cell phone.

All it takes is one look at the wrong time driving and your finished, is it worth it? When I purchased my items it was not only as a gift for myself but with the added ability to keep my kids calm and happy in the back (another safety feature), and a voice controlled guidance Nav System so that I did not have to worry about touching or looking at a screen while concentrating on driving.

Hey It looks great to have a PC in your car and it might impress someone that's great, but I will take safety first and I hope that I am also not on the same road as well.

Stephen


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

In car PC hummmmm!

What a neat idea, as a hard-drive to store mp3 music or even electronic phone book for hands free cell calling...

But please don't tell me some of you guys would actually be "surfing the net" while driving? I'm sure that is not how you guys would be using this technology? right? Someone please reassure me here... *Because unlike Ron who is across the ocean and driving on the other side of the road, I might be next to you*

When it comes to cell phones I am as guilty as the next one, I should not use it while driving (using a PC could be worse depends how you use it I suppose).

And lets assume, conservatively, that a car PC and cell phone are equally distracting; believe it or not I would rather drive along next to a legally drunk guy (well not too drunk lets say just 0.08% level): 
have a look at this: click here

read the summary: _"When controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers."_

The only encouragement here is that the call (or pc use) would only last a short while, while the drunk driver would be drunk for the whole trip!

Happy & safe driving to you for this long weekend


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## tja (Sep 1, 2005)

ron519098 said:


> You mean you use a PC while you drive????
> 
> Remind me not to travel on any roads you might be driving on!


yes. but (there's always a but)... there is software specially written for in car pcs (called frontends) which provide ease of functionality... and the LCDs we use usually have touchscreens.. so its a matter of pressing a large area of the screen to get to say... mp3 player... then a quick press of another large area of the screen to get to navigation for example. so really, it isnt all that different to using your OEM stereo or satnav... but it has the added benefit of storing your entire collection of mp3s, as many satnav maps as u want, can connect wirelessly to your home wireless network to update mp3s whatever... 

you dont actually use the pc while you drive, you use some of the interfaces of the pc.

not that i need to justify my intentions to anyone anyway.


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## ron519098 (May 4, 2005)

So the PC is really a very expensive mp3 player?????????


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## tja (Sep 1, 2005)

ron519098 said:


> So the PC is really a very expensive mp3 player?????????


and:
divx
dvd
satnav
reversing cam

it can pretty much be whatever you want it to be. if you want it to be a very expensive mp3 player ron, it can be that way.


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

Thanks tjc, that makes me feel better.




tja said:


> yes. ... software specially written for in car pcs...
> you dont actually use the pc while you drive, you use some of the interfaces of the pc...


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*Zowie!*

I really hadn't intended to stir up such a controversy.

Firstly - Stephen and Ron: I only meant to answer your shared question of "why" by pointing out the parallel between the technology you for which you have opted in your X-Trails and my car PC project. I think the stuff you guys have is cool. I'm essentially hoping to achieve much of the same functionality you enjoy in your vehicles using a different approach.

Secondly - I couldn't agree more with everyone on the safety question. I love my wife and son and would never do anything to endanger them or others. No one is more irritated than I am by cell phone space cadets and people distracted by whatever gear they have in their vehicle.

(I remember one time as a kid, having dinner with my folks, when we heard a big crash out in front of our house. Some girl had run into our car, parked in the driveway, and rammed it into our pickup parked ahead of it. She lost control of her vehicle as she tried to catch a cassette that was sliding across her dashboard as she turned onto our street.) :loser: 

One of my ongoing rants is the lousy usability in a lot of aftermarket products nowadays. The stuff is needlessly complicated to use and takes your eyes off the road longer than it needs to.

I hadn't meant to make light of the important matter of driver distraction when I quipped about the different sides of the road. I was just trying to make this thread less of an argument with a funny, non sequitur response. (Sometimes I think I'm funnier than I really am, though, so I won't be hurt if anyone didn't crack a smile. :hal: )

Thirdly - No one is talking about debugging C# code, designing websites or even watching DVDs as we drive. As tja correctly points out, a lot of people have put a great deal of effort into writing software that lets you access the navigation and entertainment functionality of the PC without having to use a mouse, a keyboard and the Windows Explorer. It's no different than the GUI in OEM and aftermarket navs. In fact, in some cases it's better, because not all OEM nav systems have touch screens. When I park the vehicle, though, everything else will be available to me. Or, I can let a passenger access other functionality if I don't stop. I have no more intention than you of becoming a menace on the road, and my plan definitely includes implementing all the safety features I can learn about. Voice activation is on my list.

Fourthly - I'm happy to answer questions and explain what I've gleaned so far about car PCs for the benefit of those willing to learn about them.

Ron, I learn a lot from your posts and appreciate your contributions in other threads. I've duly noted your disagreement, so for now we may just have to acknowledge our irreconcilable differences on the matter of car PCs. No hard feelings. 

Steve, well, you are the educator extraordinaire on this site, certainly with one of the nicest X-Trail setups I've seen. I hope we can convince you yet that car PCs are not evil. 

I certainly hope we will some day find ourselves on the same road, so we can exchange a friendly wave and :thumbup:.

(And If I'm driving in the UK, I promise to stay on the right... oops, I mean, correct - that is - _left_ side of the road.)


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## CDN-X (May 8, 2005)

That almost read apolgetic ecrase2500... when the apology should come your way!

You posted a very informative thread with great detail provided through your link.

A question, to the use of the PC, was presented and responded to in kind.

It was the response from your explanation that was disturbing... just because this mod is not right for you, doesn't mean that it is dangerous.

I don't recall anywhere in the thread that you indicated that the PC was to be used by the driver. Actually you mentioned your wife would operate it for you.

Because the use of the PC was not understood, you suddenly became a dangerous driver!! Then the cost and fuction was an issue... when the function was still not understood.

This is a great forum and there are great and informative threads for everyone. Just because someone's mod isn't your style, understand it before you judge!


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

WOW!

We really have a good crowd here! Does everyone realize this?

This thread could have gone blowing up like a volcano (I thought it would); but no, everyone calmly stating their points, slowly cooling down after starting to heat up. This is commendable :thumbup: 

... If you have gone browsing in other areas, you will see that we show a very good example. Keep it up boys.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*OK...*

First if I did not mean to offend anyone just pointed out facts...in fact I have been following (and I think I was mentioning this months ago in another post) that I wasn interested in installing a MacMin in my X-Trail since it is a complete system with a single din mount and many sites have show unbelievable installs that are so kool it is amazine . I nixed the idea because of conern for safety for not only myself, but my family and others.

As to my Nav System I program it in now by voice commands and listen to directions from it as well. The Kenwood DV4100 is and has been rated the best system still on the market.. I bought it with the voice Navigation as well a remote control for my passenger if needed. I recommend a GPS system of any type to everyone.. even in Quebec it has been a time saver a genuine system that I would now always have in my vehicles.

As for the MP3's... I have the iPod Photo 60G now attached to my system controlled from the head I only have now 1600 mp3's but with Satelite Sirius I only use the Ipod now for all the PodCasts (Comedy, News, Info) shows that I download daily... PodCast has changed my listening habits and having this on my System has been great. 

I appreciate the comments that you left for me, but I do not deserve it. All of you on this board have contibuted to my knowledge or lack of. I joined to learn and to help. I owe much to Marc (Valboo) who again was at my home today for several hours helping me with the Sills Install and Alutec install. We learn from each other and your explanations.. (I do not see it as an apology but a great response to the concerns that we all had) are to be commended.. as you are educating us who do not know why you are installing a PC in your car.

As Marc stated this section of the forum and the responses have been true to the heart, a great and open discussions by all... that is why we are here, to share discuss and sometimes disagree!

I do hope that we will one day meet, (Not on the road ..JUST KIDDING!  ) have a coffee/beer and just laugh and say it was a great and healthy discussion and we learnt a lot from each other from it.

I wish you well with it...if I can recommend that you do a search for Mac Mini Installations (I know that you are a PC person.. I use both given my job) but you will be seriously amazed at the custom installs that are being made. One I recently saw on the Net was a custom FibreGlass install it as truly remarkable.

Pleasee keep us informed and all you need it to put a Government of Canada Warning on the bottom of your posts....

"Warning - Driving and using your PC can be hazardous to you, your family and other. Do not operate while driving"

LOL

Stephen



ecrase2500 said:


> I really hadn't intended to stir up such a controversy.
> 
> Firstly - Stephen and Ron: I only meant to answer your shared question of "why" by pointing out the parallel between the technology you for which you have opted in your X-Trails and my car PC project. I think the stuff you guys have is cool. I'm essentially hoping to achieve much of the same functionality you enjoy in your vehicles using a different approach.
> 
> ...


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

SCHESBH said:


> ]I wish you well with it...if I can recommend that you do a search for Mac Mini Installations (I know that you are a PC person.. I use both given my job) but you will be seriously amazed at the custom installs that are being made. One I recently saw on the Net was a custom FibreGlass install it as truly remarkable.


Thanks, Steve.

There's something else we have in common: I happen to be a Mac guy at home and a PC guy at work. I'd be a Mac guy at work too, if the software used by our company was available on that platform. Anyway, I'm thankful to have a familiarity with both.

The Mac Mini, quite simply, rocks. It's easily the smallest of the CPUs you can use for a car PC nowadays, it's reasonably priced and it looks nice. I seriously considered it.

My decision went the PC way for this project for these reasons:

Hardware selection: there are a bunch Mini-ITX motherboards out there, in various configurations, to meet most needs. They're only slighly larger than the Mac Mini's mobo.
Since folks tend to build your own system from scratch with car PCs, the wide selection of cases, power supplies, etc. gives me a lot of options for placement. For instance, I may mount the DVD drive in my dash. (I'd have to buy an extra one if I went with the Mac Mini, 'cause there's no way I'm tearing such a pretty thing apart.)
Software availability: You were justified in assuming I was a PC guy: most folks are. That's why there seems to be more selection of software in the Windows category (navigation and frontends, especially)
My support network: a lot of my friends and co-workers work as Windows developers. I'm the only Mac guy, so I'd have a harder time getting custom software done. 

Keep in mind, though; the selection of OS X software for car PCs is gradually getting better, as more people adopt the Mac Mini as their platform. It's just a bit slow to get moving. This is my first system, and I'm keeping my options open for future ones.

I'm glad there are people interested in the Mac Mini, because it's not a bad choice at all.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Follow up*

Here are the sites I was mentioning....which I have been following...

http://tunertricks.com/blog/index.php?p=40

http://www.classicresto.com/macmini.html

http://www.macitynet.it/ilmiomac/aA20814/index.shtml (Not in English BUT a great Mounting Dock for your car)

http://www.i3team.com/index.html (Interface - Software)

http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?t=242507

http://www.dashboardmonkey.co.uk/files/mac_mini_new.jpg



As for the mac/pc.... Since I work in and Advertisement Agency we hhave 90% Macs... I have three on my Desks and at home I have three PC's, One Mac and one Mac Portable.... I am totally wired... I love them both.. they are both equal good, some things better on one than the other... but I still will give OS X 10.4 the clear winner for stability.

Enjoy the links and let me know what you think.. especially the GTI install which is amazing.

Stephen



ecrase2500 said:


> Thanks, Steve.
> 
> There's something else we have in common: I happen to be a Mac guy at home and a PC guy at work. I'd be a Mac guy at work too, if the software used by our company was available on that platform. Anyway, I'm thankful to have a familiarity with both.
> 
> ...


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*Great Links!*

Thanks for those links, Steve.

That GTI install is probably one of the nicest out there, regardless of platform. It's well thought out, functional and aesthetically pleasing.

A lot of people are doing great things with integration into the vehicle, many using Bondo and fibreglass to build new dash bezels that make the monitor look OEM. Here's an example of a large LCD screen nicely integrated into an Altima from one of the members at mp3car.com (the biggest car PC forum):










I don't have the skills or tools to do this kind of work, hence my opting for the 1-DIN slideout display, but, lucky X-Trail owners that we are, the 2-DIN radio and 1-DIN storage pockets make a relatively nice integration job possible without too much effort.

In other news, I've just settled on the case and mobo (Travla C156 and Via Epia MII12000) and I just put my order this morning. I should have the stuff this week, UPS willing!

I'll take some pics as I assemble and bench-test it.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*Another weekend of work*

Hi all,










I received the C156 case, MII12000 motherboard and various other parts late last week, and went to work with more assembly. I still have a long way to go, but I've made some progress. You can see the latest pics starting on page 5 of the gallery, a direct link to which is below:

http://pierreseguin.ca/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=25&page=5

The case assembly in particular was more, um, _interesting_ than I'd anticipated.

Cheers!


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*X-Trail with Computer....*

Well somone beat us all and with images.... go and see this X-Trail Computer Mod...


http://edgett.bc.ca/simonsays/archives/cat_xtrail.html#000671


Stephen


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Mac (not Nissan) Car Install*

You have to see this....

http://homepage.mac.com/gwilchek/poweredbymac/PhotoAlbum37.html

Stephen


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*Update 2005-10-16*

Hi all,

I had to take a break from my project due to a lack of time, tools and parts, but I was back at it this weekend. The new pictures start here:

http://pierreseguin.ca/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=25&page=8

I've fabricated the under-seat mounting bracket for the CPU and cut the MDF component mounting boards. I still need to do the following:


Wiring
Antenna mounting (GPS and WiFi)
Mount components and upholster MDF boards
Custom faceplate for Xenarc
Software configuration

Hopefully I'll have more updates soon.


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## JontyG (Oct 18, 2005)

ecrase2500 and tja,

I am looking to install a carputer in my Patrol...very soon. I think i'm going to go for a Xenarc 7" in-dash touch screen monitor, so i'm interested to know how you find yours? Specifically, i'm interested to know what it's brightness is like, and how vivid it is in direct sunlight?

Thanks,
Jonty


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

JontyG said:


> ecrase2500 and tja,
> 
> I am looking to install a carputer in my Patrol...very soon. I think i'm going to go for a Xenarc 7" in-dash touch screen monitor, so i'm interested to know how you find yours? Specifically, i'm interested to know what it's brightness is like, and how vivid it is in direct sunlight?
> 
> ...


I'll let you know when I finally hook mine up! Hopefully this weekend.

That being said, everything I've read seems a bit discouraging. Check out the LCD/Display forum at http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=9 and search it for "Xenarc brightness". One interesting post has info from Xenarc saying they've got a brighter display coming out soon, but it still won't be "direct sunlight readable".


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*It's alive!*

I am posting this from my X-Trail in the driveway. It has been successfully geeked!

I'll post pics of the finished installation on my website shortly.


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## Jguy_ca (Feb 13, 2005)

*Congratulation!!*

Congratulation, ecrase2500. Can't wait to see the final install. :cheers: 

Did you calculate how much in total you spent on this project?

Jguy


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*Install Pics Posted*


















I managed to post the pictures of the finish install to my site. New pics start here:

http://pierreseguin.ca/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=25&page=9

JGuy, the overall system cost is approx. $3K CDN.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*X-Trail Gone, Carputer System For Sale*

Hi Everyone,

I was going to post this in the For Sale section but thought it would be a lot more relevant here. 

I got rid of the X-Trail last November, and now have all the system components and custom bits I built (as described in this thread) sitting in a box in my basement.

It's the complete system as shown, and would be pretty-much bolt-in for anyone who cares to have a Car PC in their X-Trail. I paid over $2800 for everything, but I'd take $1800 for it, including the Alpine deck. Please email ecrase2500[at]hotmail[dot]com if interested.

Cheers,
P


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## Jguy_ca (Feb 13, 2005)

Hi ecrase2500,

I wonder if you would accept selling individuals parts. For now I am looking for your voltage regulator and required cables to hook up to the travla case and LCD screen. Please PM me if interested. Thanks.

Jguy


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