85dolph Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Ok, I've got a handle on what I'm going to have to do to fix the electrical systems, and a fair estimate of the infamous dolphin rot. I'm going to have to replace the floor in the cabover as well as the framing on the driver's side at the seam. While I'm tearing things out, I plan on installing some wiring. There are a few devices I have in mind, and I plan on leaving at least one or two open terminals tucked away somewhere in case I find anything else worth adding. So I'm gonna level with you guys, I'm a bit of a nerd. I love technology, car audio, pc mod, and making small electronic projects. And, Since I now have a much larger power source, and some space, and (thank god) some income at the moment I figured it would be cool to trick out the toyhome. I've had most of my inspiration from another forum, mp3car. I thought about putting in a 2 din in dash dvd with navigation and rear view cam in the beginning, and then I thought about it. Why limit myself? For the same cost as a high end unit ($900), or substantially less, I can make my own! What's more, with the amount of space I have, I can fit a bunch of nifty little gadgets around. like this perhaps: Morse code flasher. The plan as it stands: 1) remove stereo head unit in dash, replace with a 7" monitor on 2 din mounting rail. Lilliput makes a fairly nice monitor with touch that supports both rca and vga in. so I can have my back up camera, and a laptop (for the time being) or pc plugged in without adapters. I might put a drop down in the rear later for use as tv, but navigation is my main concern. 2) get a rear view camera!!!! I don't like not seeing what's behind me. 3) mount the head unit somewhere else! Maybe the glovebox?? It's a nice stereo and I still want something to power my speakers and process my audio (pc soundcards aren't the greatest for car audio). It supports rca in, so I can use headphone out with a y splitter to send audio from the "brain" to the stereo. 4) Put 2 more speakers in the cab, either overhead or behind the seats.2x 4by10in. in custom enclosures. powered by the head unit along with the under dash speakers already installed. I bet you're wondering "why that size?" well, i had an s-10 a while back and i put nice speakers in it, so when it stopped moving, i took them out. thus i have a pair sitting around collecting dust. 5) install 2x 4.25in speakers in cabinets in rear dinette/passenger area. Again, I have them sitting around, and no place to put them in my hilux, so woohoo more power! 6) instal my 10 in. dual voice coil sub with ported enclosure and 230w amp. Make flipper bump something fierce. 7) while I'm playing with the dc stuff, replace the old monitor panel with a custom jobbie of my own making. I want a volt meter and consumption gauge. I want to have a readout for my propane tank, I want brass paneling and accurate readouts for my holding tanks. maybe put in 2 more dc appliance outlets. see if i can send readings from all sensors to a pc via usb (maybe use an arduino board) so i can get a reading in dash 8) build a pc to run gps, play my music, play dvd's, watch tv, find me free wifi, tie in to diagnostic port or ecm, to give real time info in coolant temp, air flow, rpm's, etc..., plug in proximity sensors, temperature probes, display boards, whatever I feel like there's so much stuff out there and so many tutorials on how to build it all! much later: put a second lcd display in the main cabin put in trackball and keyboard. Blu-ray? probably, dd-wrt 802.11bgn router with repeater ability. and a really big antenna! webcam for the front, make time lapse recordings for youtube. That's the short list, you should see the long one. all suggestions are welcome.:hyper:I think I might be getting a bit ahead of myself, but I'm excited! as I put things together I'll post them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Too many things at once dude fixate on one at a time! How about a flip up screen instead of a double din? Rear view camera yes, beware of wireless. See Level tank gauges can't be beat and with out accurate tank sensor your screwed . There probably is no float in your propane tank so that's out unless you replace the tank. Garmin GPS stick on the glass. if you are going to use an Arduino board get the one with blue tooth. They make mobile PC's nice small units with all the software for what you want to do use the radio 7" display with composite video. Sound system your on your own too many to chose from. Buy a older Linksys wireless with Linix software down load the DDwrt software turn it into a client put two 7 DB gain antennas on it. Have fun let us know how it all turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85dolph Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 I may be going overboard, btu not out of the range of possibility. I plan on going with a 2 din for a better viewing and input angle. with a single din, I'd smash it with the stickshift. I don't want to cover the passenger seat or glovebox, otherwise I'd go for a 10 or 15 inch screen. If I can find one on ebay for cheap enough I may add a surplussed open frame 15-19inch touch display to add in the rear. for just right now I'm getting a 7in. touchscreen with vga (and possibly hdmi) out, so I can tie it in to my laptop and existing stereo. also getting a rear view camera and usb gps. those 3 things are my starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Oh too bad you have a floor shift they take up a lot of nice space. I had a toughbook touch screen laptop mounted to the floor with a GPS puck in the front roof vent worked very well but I found that the glass mount one was a lot easier to use and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Ok, I've got a handle on what I'm going to have to do to fix the electrical systems, and a fair estimate of the infamous dolphin rot. I'm going to have to replace the floor in the cabover as well as the framing on the driver's side at the seam. While I'm tearing things out, I plan on installing some wiring. There are a few devices I have in mind, and I plan on leaving at least one or two open terminals tucked away somewhere in case I find anything else worth adding. So I'm gonna level with you guys, I'm a bit of a nerd. I love technology, car audio, pc mod, and making small electronic projects. And, Since I now have a much larger power source, and some space, and (thank god) some income at the moment I figured it would be cool to trick out the toyhome. I've had most of my inspiration from another forum, mp3car. I thought about putting in a 2 din in dash dvd with navigation and rear view cam in the beginning, and then I thought about it. Why limit myself? For the same cost as a high end unit ($900), or substantially less, I can make my own! What's more, with the amount of space I have, I can fit a bunch of nifty little gadgets around. like this perhaps: Morse code flasher. The plan as it stands: 1) remove stereo head unit in dash, replace with a 7" monitor on 2 din mounting rail. Lilliput makes a fairly nice monitor with touch that supports both rca and vga in. so I can have my back up camera, and a laptop (for the time being) or pc plugged in without adapters. I might put a drop down in the rear later for use as tv, but navigation is my main concern. 2) get a rear view camera!!!! I don't like not seeing what's behind me. 3) mount the head unit somewhere else! Maybe the glovebox?? It's a nice stereo and I still want something to power my speakers and process my audio (pc soundcards aren't the greatest for car audio). It supports rca in, so I can use headphone out with a y splitter to send audio from the "brain" to the stereo. 4) Put 2 more speakers in the cab, either overhead or behind the seats.2x 4by10in. in custom enclosures. powered by the head unit along with the under dash speakers already installed. I bet you're wondering "why that size?" well, i had an s-10 a while back and i put nice speakers in it, so when it stopped moving, i took them out. thus i have a pair sitting around collecting dust. 5) install 2x 4.25in speakers in cabinets in rear dinette/passenger area. Again, I have them sitting around, and no place to put them in my hilux, so woohoo more power! 6) instal my 10 in. dual voice coil sub with ported enclosure and 230w amp. Make flipper bump something fierce. 7) while I'm playing with the dc stuff, replace the old monitor panel with a custom jobbie of my own making. I want a volt meter and consumption gauge. I want to have a readout for my propane tank, I want brass paneling and accurate readouts for my holding tanks. maybe put in 2 more dc appliance outlets. see if i can send readings from all sensors to a pc via usb (maybe use an arduino board) so i can get a reading in dash 8) build a pc to run gps, play my music, play dvd's, watch tv, find me free wifi, tie in to diagnostic port or ecm, to give real time info in coolant temp, air flow, rpm's, etc..., plug in proximity sensors, temperature probes, display boards, whatever I feel like there's so much stuff out there and so many tutorials on how to build it all! much later: put a second lcd display in the main cabin put in trackball and keyboard. Blu-ray? probably, dd-wrt 802.11bgn router with repeater ability. and a really big antenna! webcam for the front, make time lapse recordings for youtube. That's the short list, you should see the long one. all suggestions are welcome.:hyper:I think I might be getting a bit ahead of myself, but I'm excited! as I put things together I'll post them. I have one site for you to checkout... www.dealextreme.com . In particular there I have found fantastic deals on everything you mentioned; cameras, panels etc even firearms parts. My favorite thing i got there are SMD 36 LED flat panel dome lights with adaptors that fit any setup and 3 m tape. (part number http://dx.com/t10-sv85-ba9s-10w-12000k-800-lumen-20-5630-smd-led-white-light-car-indoor-lamp-dc-12v-112585) Now realise that you will be doing damage to the american economy by buying stuff here but also realise most of the stuff sold here is only made in China anyways. You wont find better deals on 800 lumen LED panels for your rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85dolph Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 thanks for the tip totem. so here's what I'm putting in before the first roadtrip. The flooring and the walls in the cabover are totally rotted. I'm replacing the base layer of flimsy plywood with sealed hardiback (cement board) it's fireproof, surprisingly lightweight (comparable to similar thickness plywood) easy to work with (all you need is a razor blade) and best of all, Cheap!!! the old luan floor I'm replacing with a lovely stained and sealed piece of sanded subflooring. The framework, I'm just replacing the original 1"x2" and then re skinning the walls and celing with FRP. I'm replacing the walls in the shower with frp as well. I'm going to expand the cabinets, and replace the old monitor panel. I found a smoking deal on the brains for the whole operation too. <http://www.cutedigi.com/arduino/spruce-linksprite-stm32-arduino-compatible-board-with-lcd.html> It's a microcontroller that can read digital and analog inputs. capable of decoding mpeg2 compression if i put in additional memory. I'll have the world's fanciest gauge for telling me when my tank is full of poop. I'm putting in a backup camera, a screen in the dash, a high flow air filter, an electric fan, and a 140 amp alternator. I'll seal it all up and have it good to go by May. for info on how I'm using the fancy computermajigger to read the status of my holding tanks I invite you to look up voltmeter, ammeter, and capacitive water level sensors on <www.instructables.com> specifically how to hook them up to a microcontroller with an analog to digital converter. the most popular one is the arduino. the one I chose is arduino's bigger, smarter cousin. the best part is with the advance in rapid prototyping and mass manufacture, I get something much more advanced for only $20 more. Sadly my camera was stolen out of my truck last week so no pics at present. I'll try to make sure to post most of the steps as they happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 thanks for the tip totem. so here's what I'm putting in before the first roadtrip. The flooring and the walls in the cabover are totally rotted. I'm replacing the base layer of flimsy plywood with sealed hardiback (cement board) it's fireproof, surprisingly lightweight (comparable to similar thickness plywood) easy to work with (all you need is a razor blade) and best of all, Cheap!!! the old luan floor I'm replacing with a lovely stained and sealed piece of sanded subflooring. The framework, I'm just replacing the original 1"x2" and then re skinning the walls and celing with FRP. I'm replacing the walls in the shower with frp as well. I'm going to expand the cabinets, and replace the old monitor panel. I found a smoking deal on the brains for the whole operation too. <http://www.cutedigi.com/arduino/spruce-linksprite-stm32-arduino-compatible-board-with-lcd.html> It's a microcontroller that can read digital and analog inputs. capable of decoding mpeg2 compression if i put in additional memory. I'll have the world's fanciest gauge for telling me when my tank is full of poop. I'm putting in a backup camera, a screen in the dash, a high flow air filter, an electric fan, and a 140 amp alternator. I'll seal it all up and have it good to go by May. for info on how I'm using the fancy computermajigger to read the status of my holding tanks I invite you to look up voltmeter, ammeter, and capacitive water level sensors on <www.instructables.com> specifically how to hook them up to a microcontroller with an analog to digital converter. the most popular one is the arduino. the one I chose is arduino's bigger, smarter cousin. the best part is with the advance in rapid prototyping and mass manufacture, I get something much more advanced for only $20 more. Sadly my camera was stolen out of my truck last week so no pics at present. I'll try to make sure to post most of the steps as they happen Wow, my tank sensors just died this year and I was about to start a thread on how to go about replacing them and ask people what was good... THANKS. what is FRP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Be careful with DX they have a extremely bad reputation good prices provided they show and actually work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Be careful with DX they have a extremely bad reputation good prices provided they show and actually work. I got my LEDs from them which did check out at 800 lumen and were very high quality SMD, also got an Israeli made Grip Pod that retails for $125 nearly anywhere else for $25, made in Israel stamped in hilt. (I do not think it a clone) However, the last order I made with them for Cree flashlights and lifepo batteries apparently went all "back ordered" along with 2 million other orders; apparently they had a shakeup in management. They are addressing the order delays. Maineah is correct though; wait a while if considering them for the riot to die down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85dolph Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 FRP: Fiberglass reinforced polyboard. You see it a lot in fast food kitchens and hospitals. It's lightweight, waterproof, moldproof, heat deformable (for bends and curves, like in the shower stall to fit around the pan), Strong, and flexible. Panolam and marlite are the two main us brands. they also make fire resistant paneling. It comes in the standard kitchen appliance color palate (white, ivory, almond, beige, gray, robin's egg blue, red, and black), in smooth, pebble, and simulated wood grain textures. You can also custom order colors, prints, patterns, and textures but that costs $$$. The original paneling was suffering from "dolphin rot" so out it went! I just removed the floor in the cabover today, exposing where the fiberglass outer shell mates with the metal truck cab. OMG! It looks like the wonderful people who originally built it decided that the best solution to putting a motorhome on the back of a toyota pickup involved grabbing a six pack and a sawz-all. I'll post pictures later, but once I pulled off the carpet and the headliner it was hack job city. I managed to scrape my knuckles pretty badly on the rough exposed sheetmetal edges. I think I may end up rolling them or crimping them while they're exposed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Any updates? I'm redoing some of my roof panels and am thinking of added some extra wiring for future expansion but would love to know what cables you feel are worth while to have in there... My future plans are close to yours, but much simpler (I think) I'm going with a double din GPS unit in the cab. An extra screen for the kids in the back. Reverse camera & forward looking camera on the roof. I'm also toying with the idea of a camera facing the kids inside so while we are driving we can peek at them... So far I have the power and video for the cameras in the ceiling. Lots of power wires for the fantastic fans, power wires for the lights, and power wires from an LED dimmer (I have both LED and regular lights in the cabin light fixtures) What else should be up there? Thanks! Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90toydolphin Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 solar connections? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr8white Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have one site for you to checkout... www.dealextreme.com . In particular there I have found fantastic deals on everything you mentioned; cameras, panels etc even firearms parts. My favorite thing i got there are SMD 36 LED flat panel dome lights with adaptors that fit any setup and 3 m tape. (part number http://dx.com/t10-sv...p-dc-12v-112585) Now realise that you will be doing damage to the american economy by buying stuff here but also realise most of the stuff sold here is only made in China anyways. You wont find better deals on 800 lumen LED panels for your rig. wow that dx.com site is cheap as hell. My only worry is that everytime i used to buy something from China on ebay it sucked or broke quick. Have you bought anything here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Year now and my SMS panels running great still from dx ... But their edge is gone... Amazon has them cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.