CDR23 What if mod...

[gerthdynn]

So I've been on a multiday trip with the girl while doing all the driving but the last 2 hours to get home. I've been thinking on some of the basic problems I've been having coming up with a carputer to completely and seamlessly replace my cdr23 in my 04 cayenne s.

In my quest I've looked for ways to talk on the can bus completely such that i can address the dash display as well as sit on the MOST network. I've looked at trying to get a dongle or card for a computer that can talk on the can bus and all I've found are about a grand. I haven't found any good way to natively talk digitally on the MOST network. Only solutions I've found put an a2d converter in the middle.

So I'm a bit long winded about this bit over the past 35 hours of driving I began to wonder. The CDR23 can natively talk on both networks an address the dash display area. So... Would it be possible to harvest the circuits that allow that and build a fully integrated carputer? Obviously it would be a long and painful task but this is a thought exercise at the moment anyway.

[wvicary]

Sorry I can't help answer your question but have one of my own : Why does someone want/need a carputer?

[gerthdynn]

Well, if one has a brand new Porsche Cayenne with the new fancy PCM, there would be exactly no reasons for it. However, for the older ones, we can choose PCM 2.0 and 2.1 and since none of the equipment is in the car, it is stupidly expensive for a rather mediocre system, especially considering todays standards. To get ipod mp3 player compatibility one would still need to get yet another box to add that on. Alternatively there seems to be a few other choices one could do, but none of them get the level of integration enjoyed by even the original PCM, much less a newer one. One of these choices are to completely remove the entire Bose sound system amplifier and replace it with an aftermarket head unit, and another seems to be to buy a box that converts audio into something that can be used by the Bose amplifier but through an A2D converter. If anyone else in the universe made a head unit that connected into the factory location with the interconnections to the CAN Bus and the MOST Network, then it would be a simple choice. Since Alpine doesn't deem it worth the expense of licensing the particular features, this leaves one trying to come up with another way of interfacing. Would this project be simple? Of course it wouldn't, however, it might give a level of integration and capability that no older Cayenne would be able to replicate.

[deilenberger]

There are Porsche/Cayenne "compatible" Chinese ones on Ebay that claim to interface with the CAN network, but I saw no sign of the MOST network connections.. It does provide all the modern features in a touch-screen setup for around $500.. or claims to. Haven't heard from anyone who actually bought and installed one. Losing the MOST network wouldn't be a big loss since it's only used for the PCM functions/accessories. Of course doing this requires a complete rethink of the entire system since the amps are getting their signals from the MOST network.. so at a minimum amp replacement would likely be needed.