Anyone know of a double-DIN ISO 7736 housing that the Efika (or Efika2) would fit into?

I wouldn't hold out for the Efika 5121E fitting into it although it really should since our original specification document made it clear that a custom form factor just wasn't useful and Mini-ITX would be far easier to justify in 99% of applications) and would be far more suitable and less mechanically unstable re the AGP slot since it won't rely on it).

The original Efika 5200B will fit very easily into such a case; you just have to find one like this and then make up some way of mounting the board. I don't think I had any luck finding much other than the Lilliput DIY one (with a view to hacking it, since you need to hack open a Lilliput panel anyway..), and we really think it'd be easier to just fashion one yourself (the dimensions and standards are fairly public). The Efika 5121E should drop in since the bezel/chassis linked is meant for an EPIA.

What I'd worry about is which way it'd fit and what you'd do with the components. While facing it into the dash (with the audio, serial etc. towards the front of the car) would work and give you easy cable access to the outputs, you'd have to route USB cables and so on around the case to the front where you needed them. I don't think you'll ever find a premade case that was this easy to put an Efika into..

Probably the best way to do it is to place the board sideways (AGP slot furthest from the dash) and use the extra room to the side to fit whatever you wanted and route cables out.

What were your plans here? Most in-car computing has been focussed on dropping the unit in the trunk (since CD changers are like this) and routing some comms (serial port and USB) and a display panel or just buttons to the dash. But the Efika will fit even in single-DIN, sideways (barely, the PicoPSU MAY be a problem, you'd have to measure your own unit). It's just a matter of what else you plan to have there.. GPS? A full panel (Double-DIN touch screen?) or just audio and other features?

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Matt Sealey

Someone broke a liquer bottle over my car last week, possibly a poor atempt at getting inside as they missed the back door window glass by half an inch. (You'd think thw window would be hard to miss if you wanted in though...) But at any rate, I'd like a NAV head unit with the large screen, I'd like that screen retractable to look like I'd removed the faceplate or to look like an empty slot filler plate, in order to not encourage future theivery attempts. I'd also like some security cameras that my MythTV box in the house can pick up signals from, in case someone succeeds then I've got a picture behind the wheel or reaching for the stereo, and in thinking of that why not have something in the car recording in case someone runs into me on the road, I have some evidence that my flashy car doesn't mean I'm a stupid driver and to back up any claims that it's the other guys' fault. I haven't found what I want on the market yet, so am pondering how to make my own. Mostly concerned now with how to do such a retractable screen the way I'd want, as when it's out and in use I want it to look as much like a normal from the factory dual-DIN unit as possible, so a small motherboard and standard casework seem like a good place to start.

I'd be worried about the battery life of your car. What if you left town for a week and came back to security camera footage of people walking past your car at the airport parking, but couldn't start the thing? :)
With difficulty, although they do make them combined with GPS modules (it flips back and slides into the DIN case, but it usually folds UP (so it sticks up over your dash) rather than DOWN (so it covers the DIN faceplate) but there are some exceptions;

http://www.alpine-electronics.co.uk/ind ... dercontent

You could always engineer something out of meccano and a slide rail..
You'd be best to make your own chassis and go and find some faceplates from your dealer to make it look smart. If you're careful you won't see any of the metalwork behind the fascia. The difficult part will be the retractable screen..

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Matt Sealey