MrBean

@ Senna: ah, you make me blush It's all fairly simple, as most of the developement was done by an Italian guy, who did this for his BMW carputer. I just ordered the components, and did my own, but based on his ideas. I will be developing a better version though, and design a RF Receiver from the ground up, based on the Max1473 receiver, which should make this much more affordable, I hope. @ Fordboy: Considering Jax asking $699- for just the 3rd EYE setup, I guess the $400- I will be asking for the complete setup as above is not to horrendous - if you wanted just the 3rd EYE with stock LCD display, it will be around $310-. But, it's best guys contact me via PM, once I have this going full-steam I will chat to the powers-to-be to become something like a dealer/site-sponsor or however it works, just to make things legal and so I can advertise. But, for now the PM system would work fine, especially if only a few guys want this - which I would do anyway, as I cannot believe very few cars have this absolute must in terms of safety. Being able to have it work via the carputer is just a nice to have, and for the geeks out there. Guess I am a geek then :(

@ Macka: You're welcome Show pics when you're done....

@ Adam: Hehe - not likely - my UTE is a year and 3 months old, and only 5k on the clock - so virtually brand new Plus, I have a few ideas for the rear suspension, and a lot more power from the engine, so hopefully she will be with me for much longer. @ Tab: Thanx Mate....

Hello Guys, Ok, as promissed, a few detailed pictures of how to do the TPMS setup, based on a custom PIC USB interface, and the 3rd Eye TPMS kit. Here's the TPMS kit as it will arrive, all neatly packed, in an eye-catching box - no pun intended - of course without the usb interface.... Taking a close-up between the RF receiver, which is the unit with the LCD display combination, one of the 5 tyre pressure sensors, the unit in the front, and the PIC micro USB to PC interface board. Another shot, showing the rear, with the serial number in this case, of the RF module. I decided to get her naked, and expose her innermost secrets to the salivating masses out there.... And take off some of her clothes, actually, completely strip her - lol... Well, I got lost for a moment there, soz about that.... Here is a pic showing how I desoldered the LCD board, and ending up with the RF/PSU combination board, and the LCD/Decoder board. And here is a shot of the same from the back, the piece on the bottom, right, is what we are interested in - the RF Receiver, repsonding to frequencies at 433,92Mhz. So, we need to do a bit of dremmelling, and end up with this - be very, very careful of firstly, statics, and secondly, to cut just to the left of the little divider line on the PCB - the larger portion must be the RF Receiver part! And here is the connections to be made, they will be soldered to pins on the PIC USB interface pcb: to give us an end result, looking something like this (hopefully yours do too): and here: I just thought I'd post a good guide on how-to do this mod, as it is challenging, but worthwhile. What do we acheive by doing the above mod? Well, now we can display our tyre temps, and pressures directly onto our Carputer Frontend - the plugin for Roadrunner is ready, and working, and the Centrafuse one is nearly Beta, the developer will notify me as soon as it is. For now, I have tested mine with Robby's test applet, and it works very well. Nice, and a good safety feature to add to your carputer setup. Now you can start to understand why I opted for the very powerful Core 2 Duo based solution Enjoy this thread, I hope it is helpful.

Erm....you are allowed a pretty wide window on AFR's, it all depends what timing you run at any given AFR. You will find your motor will most likely make the most power at something in the 13:1 range, maybe 13.2 to 13.4. What will be important though, is to run 100octane fuel, and then dial in your timing to optimize the setup at that AFR - where an engine makes optimum power varies from engine to engine, but 13:1 is a good place to start - start leaning out a few notches, and play with the timing, it would be good to use a stetoscope to determine the onset of detonation at any afr break-point, but this method will require a fair bit of time on the dyno. Don't venture near the lower 12's, frankly, it's a waste of fuel, additional wear-and-tear on your cylinder walls, and bad for emissions. If a tuner tells you that 13:1 is bad for your engine, find another one, as that one is no good. I luv what you're doing to this setup though, it looks mean, and will go like stink - good luck to all those crappadores out there, there's a new animal in town

Hey Turbocorty, Any progress/news on this? Br, MrBean

Thanx for the comments, Guys - appreciated @ SubJimbo: The "new" fascia will look exactly like the old one, except the vents will be gone, and the 10" LCD will be located where the current factory unit is sitting. I will manually relocate the factory LCD to the tissuebox area. a Small update: I am busy with the TPMS system, received my PIC micros, PCB, and components. Did some hacking to remove TPMS kit's RF Receiver from it's original location, and soldered it onto my PCB - now, when I connect the unit to my USB port, it detects it. I need to take the UTE to have the pressure sensors installed, so I can thoroughly test the system, but all looking extremely good so far. I took plenty pics, will update on the weekend.

Thanx for the kind words, and inspiration, Guys Ok, going back to my original goals when this first started out, let's see what's up - comments in blue Goals: 1) Most important is the factory look! The mod must/will not detract from original factory looks... So far keeping with this, I have the temporary TFT LCD mounted on the right, next to my steering wheel, and are busy re-designing a factory injection-moulded bezel to house my 10.4" LCD 2) Powerful system, doing multitasking without ANY hickups. Decided on the Core Duo Apple MacMini, expanded to 2gig Ram, 7200rpm Seagate Momentus HD, and 1.8Gig Core 2 Duo Merom CPU - complete 3) Deadreckoning GPS system, using Gyro and GPS input. Awaiting arrival of the daughterboard, finally managed to source the Gyro fairly cheaply in Oz - 90% 4) Capacity to play MP3's, DVD's Spec'ed System will be more than capable of doing anything you throw at it - complete 5) Internet Wireless connectivity. Via build-in WiFi capability of the MacMini, works like a dream - complete 6) Infrared (IR) control of computer Decided to use a combination of LCD touchscreen input, and an Industrial Stainless Steel Trackball, mounted in the original cupholder - complete 7) On/Off activation either manually, or selectively ignition controlled Using the Carnetix 2140 controller, decided to make this ignition-controlled only - complete OBD-II (onboard diagnostics) display and logging of variables. Decided on the Autoenginuity interface and software, which supports all the sensors on my BF UTE - complete 9) Quiet operation, minimizing powerdrain. Mounted the computer in my cd-console, and using a 120mm computer case fan, with decent flow, but low noise to keep things cool - complete 10) High-quality Touchscreen - 5-wire resistive is the best. The temporary Xenarc 700TSV 7" LCD uses the 5-wire resistive touchpanel, which is very good - the permanent 10.4" have only a 4-wire resistive, still excellent quality, although most input will happen via the industrial trackball - complete for now So, as you all can see, the goals above will determine plenty much what components I select for this Project, as I have realized early on although a Via Epia "may" work, it will not do so to satisfy my unique requirements. I am in the process of designing a new carputer, using specialized case, making use of internal heatpipes to create a truelly passive-cooled setup, all with a very minuscule footprint, slightly larger than a 3.5" harddrive. Extras: I have just received my Tyre Pressure Monitoring kit from my supplier, and I am 90% complete removing the wireless receiver, and integrating it via a custom PIC-Micro into my Carputer - all the temperature, and pressures, from each wheel will be displayed in realtime on CentraFuse frontend, with adjustable alarm-limits to warn of excursions. In my mind, this is a very important part of having this carputer in the 1st place, it is an added safety factor when doing serious travelling with a 500+ HP (on the wheels) UTE As everyone can see, things are pretty much smooth sailing from hereon in, I am awaiting arrival of my PIC-micro and associated PCB, and then it is time to install the pressure sensors inside each wheel, yes, even the sparewheel will have one. I will post pics on the weekend to showcase my progress. I still need to make a bezel to permanently fix to industrial trackball in it's position, but, jeesh, this stainless unit sure looks nice, and I am sure this is a first for a carputer setup

Keep the amp in the case, the aluminium acts as a giant heatsink to the power-transistors. Rather add a 120mm computer fan to provide airflow over the amp, it will work great. Looking good though!

Mmm..the screen ain't that big, it looks like an 8" - I played with the idea of removing the triangular bezel on the top where the clock/gauge-pod usually sits, and it is a good idea to drop it by 1 - 1 1/2" Looking good so far, let us know how it performs ....

Yep, I am looking forward to this one!! It is true as you say, once you start, you can't put down tools until you at least test it...hehe Boys and their toys, but damn, it is so nice to be a boy - even a 40-year old one - rofl. I am in discussion with a "friend" that works at the engineering company that does the original injection moulding of the Ford Fascia, as the PPO they use is notoriously difficult to weld, or glue, very dissimilar to ABS plastic, so he reckons if I make a model, they can do a mould and then manifacture me a new "factory" fascia, but which will allow fitting my 10.4" LCD as if it was factory. I need to shop around to see if there would be interest for something similar from the guys over here, so I will open a new thread tonight. Good going, post up the pics, and we can comment.

Mmm....I owe both a BF MKII sedan, and the BF Tornado, and yes, in straight-line speed, exhiliration, pants-fun-o-meter feeling, the UTE is way above. But, when you start driving on the edge a little, and take long, sweeping bends at 100kph on the freeway, and you have little uneven roadsurface, the rear is skittish, maybe nervous sounds like a better description. It just feels very different compared to the sedan. Guys, I am not knocking an obvious wonderful vehicle, but this, as mentioned, is one area Ford could have given an option to those (spirited) drivers that wanted it. I know some guys use their FPV's (God forbid) for carrying heavy workloads, but, quite a few, like myslef, uses it as a weekend-warrior, a toy so to speak, and would have liked the added handling benefit of IRS. I have always hated the Bowtie, as long as I can remember, but, in this one area their UTE's are better. Their's an old adage: an Engine doesn't know the badge on it's tappet covers, and it's very true. Once again, as mentioned before, it is a very nice ride, but with obvious shortcomings. Soz to digress and wonder off-topic, just thought I'd clear up my thinking behind this one a little. For all those that think the stock UTE has good handling, go and have a chat to Simon at Nizpro, and let he explain the difference in handling characteristics, between his UTE with IRS, as most of you know, he modified a Nissan IRS in there, and the stocker. You would be surprised.

Nice setup you're planning, show us some pics on the weekend - if you need a hand (read advice) give us a holler, I can assist on the puter-side of things . Enjoy, it's a nice hobby.

Just do a Nizpro Stage2 Plus, it will give you a consistent, reliable 360-370rwkw on the wheels. It's fun, nice and fast, still very economical on the freeway, and oh yeah, much nicer than 300 - hehe

Firstly, congrats on your buy, they certainly are beautiful things ! I have one too, and are enjoying it, but, having out on only 5300km's since new, obviosuly not enough :( Anyway, my biggest disappointment is the fact that (at least on the FPV's) Frod did not have the foresight to provide an IRS option on the UTE's - I know they are used as workhorses in most cases, but, it would have been a nice option to have the FPV as IRS - because, face it, we won't be using them for anything else than recreational driving 95% of the time. I am just so envious of those damn Expensive Daewoo UTE's with their IRS - jeesh, that's what's giving them that mean, aggressive look, even more so when lowered. And here I am with my little pussy-foot live-axle oxcart. Shame on you, Ford, as we have to admit that the handling on these things are atrocious to say the least. We could have had better, and I guess we need to do it ourselves, so I will have a good chat to Nizpro to see if he will share some of the secrets on converting his to Skyline IRS. I for one am not happy with the handling of mine. But, let me not be a damper, enjoy your purrrtyyy ride!

You're obviously not pushing it hard enough (yet) Congrats, it's a beautiful ride though - I am envious!

Nice setup, and, I just luv the color - seems I have to back down on the female ferromones I am taking [/joke] Enjoy the setup, and please give us feedback - I would be keen to know how you find the handling of the car without towing anything. The greatest disappointment in my life is the fact that my F6 has live axle in the rear, I am so envious of those Expensive Daewoo UTE's suspension setup. At least Ford could have considered something better than this oxcart setup for a performance vehicle. But, I digress. Have fun!

Hello TurboCorty, Any more developements on this? Care to share maybe? I have ordered a few 18F4480/18F4580 ECAN-, and 18F2550/18F2450 USB PICs from Microchip, but do not want to start the process from scratch if there is already significant developement happening in your camp.... If not, I will start with my controller to emulate the ICC on the CANbus, and to pass through comms to the other nodes. Keep us posted, you seemed a fair bit further down the line than my current component-selection stage.... I will use some of the great work Lukeyson has done in identifying the pids to make things easier for me..... Kind regards, MrBean.

@ Austcro: Mmm...I am an industrial control systems specialist, and as a rule work with industrial networks, like Profibus, and DeviceNet - DeviceNet is based on the CANbus, only difference is the much tighter specifications for the transceivers - but, a DeviceNet dongle could work on our vehicle's CANbus...... The rest of the info is bits here and there that I studied (from Ford manuals) to get the wiring side sorted, again reading/decoding schematics is what I do quite often in my work environment, so as long as we have the data available, it's easy enough to do. I am sure we would very much appreciate your input on this, and something like this should go ahead, if Turbocorty decides not to pursue it due to lack of interest - my experience often has been that people don't know the value of something, or what they want, unti they see it And this may be one such case - so, if there's an initial lack of interest, and the original poster feels it's not worthy of the effort, which would be understandable, we can make this a community/open-source product, as there would be quite many interested. @ Turbocorty: Ah, you're welcome - we're all there to help where we can, just give us a holler. I have to agree that the installer/owner will have to take care of issues like phone and audio signals, as long as your interface plug has provision for these, it would be all good. Referring to one of my earlier posts, we could not easily have a seperate lower-speed CANbus for the HIM anyway, as we need the signal from the SunLoad sensor, which talks to the BEM directly.....and the only way to get this would be to be connected to the HS-CAN, so 500kbits it will stay We anyway have most/all of the identifiers for the HVAC system on the CANbus, mainly due to the hard work of Luke Plaizier over at FordMods. Once we know the addressing, it all becomes very easy, as we need people like Austcro to do their magic on the software bits and bytes Yeay - this may still go somewhere yet! edit: This here should answer all your questions, have a look at the first 3 threads, and David, the author/owner/programmer etc of CentraFuse can answer all your questions.... I hope mods don't delete this linky, as it's for the good of our forum-members

@ MAtty: Thanx for the feedback, this is just the very forst part of this project though - somehow, by hook or crook, I intend to replace the complete ICC, and do controls for the HVAC from a 2nd PC, of which I have already aquired the motherboard, memory, cpu and flashdisk - the Commell LS-372 This thing is only as big as 2/3 the size of a DVD box, or 146x100mm ! So, this unit will form the backbone of bot my HVAC, and possibly my Instrument Cluster controls - certainly enough horsepower in the Core 2 Duo T7300 2gig cpu..... So, some more to come in the next year. @ Andrew: Let me know if I should PM you my mobile no, I am sure I am quite close to Micky's place anyway, and we can meet up - I have a few days free till 7 Jan 2008 Lucky me....lol

Thanx Dunc - some more to follow from this weekend onwards

Hello Again, @ Turbocorty: Maybe you want to pop over to Mp3ar to have a looky at Herk's thread, where he is using the Fusion Brain USB interface (with analog and digitals) to build something similar you are planning to. Yes, his interface is different, but I think his graphics for the HVAC looks very good - have a looky on the first page, it does look good. I have one of the Fusion Brains, pity it doesn't have a CAN interface on that PIC - maybe we coul;d chat to 2k1Toaster......

Don't worry, mine hurt writing it :(

Yes, as the GUys have mentioned, the little square thingy screwed ontop of your airvents will need to be moved to the new unit, this is your RF receiver for your keys, to allow your car to recognize the specific set of keys to start. Then, the little module at the bottom of your ICC will be the BEM, this needs to be swapped to. Then, lastly, at this point everything, incl HVAC, but excluding radio will work - either ASL Logistics, or Ford can reset the security code on your radio. Have fun.

Hey Geo, Yep, you will need all those components, and then some - in there still is missing the r/h air-control motor, and then, if you have a car with auto lights-on feature, and the sunload sensor, you're in luck, otherwise you need to add a new switch-stalk, sunload sensor, and high-range BEM. From what I can recall, FTG asked about $1750- for the complete kit to enable you to do the conversion - but, best if you touch sides with them.