I guess the one thing I didnt like was a stock ECM, its sensors and me having no control over it. As I'm looking at more and more aftermarket ECMs and the programs that let you control them with a laptop really makes EFI and and aftermarket ECMs look like a good move. I've noticed that alot of people hook laptops up to their ECM, why not just build an in car computer for that?

http://www.hptuners.com/products.html

 

I think its because an in-car computer usually has a smaller screen and smaller controls that you'll find on a laptop. But even with that said, it can still be done. I'm actually planning to do this with my 91Z28 project. I'll be using a laptop to do the actual tuning, but once everything is setup, I'm gonna be using a modified X-Box gaming console as an in-car computer that will interface with the ECM in real time and display scan tool output on the in-dash monitor (one of those flip out units).

 

I take it that your good at programming and have hardware skills. What I would be interested in knowing is how are you going to implement the software you wish to run on xbox hardware. Would you use the preloaded xbox prom or do you have a way to load something else?

 

I found this place that makes a mod chip for the X-Box, install it with a soddering iron and it gives you 4 banks of memory to boot the X-Box from. You can still retain the original X-Box OS, or you can load any PC Software OS you would like (windows, linux, unix, etc). Then when the console boots, you select what bank of memory to boot from and it goes. The X-Box is really a mini PC but Microsoft didnt want anyone to know it. Its a 700mhz Intel CPU w/ 64 megs of RAM and an 8GB harddrive. The harddrive is removable and can be replaced with larger ones, like 80+ GB of space. It has an onboard NIC card with an Ethernet port, and USB ports. It also has onboard video (pretty good, nVidia variant) and onboard sound hardware. I think its perfect for an in-car computer because its a small form factor, cheap, and built well (vibration, cooling, etc). All you need is a power inverter and you can hook it right up in the car. Then you can hook up a USB hub for all the accessories (keyboard/mouse/etc). I'm doing my install when I do my 4th gen dash swap, going to build a rack inside the dash to house the X-Box. Then I'm gonna mod chip the console, replace the harddrive w/ a bigger one, and unplug the DVD drive. In the glove box of the 4th gen dash I'm going to make a mounting plate for a DVD drive and a 4 port USB hub so I can mount them flush. Both the DVD drive and the USB hub will be connected to the X-Box. Behind the dash one of the X-Box USB ports will have the ALDL cable attached, thats how I'm gonna interface with the ECM. So when all is said and done I should be able to turn the car on, see the video input on the flip out screen, open the glove box and hook up a usb keyboard and be able to use the computer. I'm also going to have 1 X-Box controller plugged in and routed through a hole in the dash with a little holster thing by the pass feet. Load the games in the glove box and you can play X-Box games in the car.

 

good luck with all of that, I'm just gonna get a mini atx board and other cheap easy stuff