nerd cred levels return to normal

i got my laser cut parts in the other day. for those of you who are interested, ABS plastic cut with a laser smells pretty bad. the parts came out pretty good. unfortunately, i failed to make one crucial measurement and didn't account for some wiring. the good news is, the parts that really needed to be correct were. most of the stuff that didn't quite work out was for mounting the controller board behind the screen. lucky for me, i had a roll of padded double-sided tape handy. anyway, here's the end result.


overall, i'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. if i were to do it again (besides the obvious getting the measurements correct) i'd probably mount the screen lower in the hole since the top overhang obstructs the very top of the screen. also the ABS plastic has one smooth side and one textured side. i'd probably put the textured side out, and fill in the seam with liquified ABS and paint the whole thing so it looks like one solid piece. finally, i'd skip the superglue i tried to use on the IR sensor because now it's all clouded up.

upping the nerd cred

as if having a computer installed in my car was not nerdy enough, i decided to take it once step further. i had previously molded the screen into the stereo/air duct bezel using a few generous gobs of fiberglass cathair and some bondo. it worked, until i actually tried to put in the car, when it immediately cracked about 3 years ago. it's been cracked ever since. i was content to leave it that way until i recently stumbled across a double-din kit for my model of LCD screen, which immediately ordered. upon receipt, i removed the screen from the car, broke it apart from the fiberglass and bondo and discovered that the kit was for a new version of the LCD screen i have and it would not work and no kit existed for my version of that screen. at this point, i had few options. i could mold the screen back in the same way i did it before. i could try and mold it in using ABS plastic, which would probably have come out much worse and been horribly sloppy, or i could have a bezel and mounting kit custom fabricated. i spent about three hours the other night using my new digital calipers to take some measurements of the screen and the space i have to fit it in and some 2D drafting software to lay out my kit. i sent the CAD files off today to be laser cut from 1/8" thick ABS plastic. if i did everything correctly, i have created a faceplate for the LCD, some risers, and a backplate for mounting the electronics for controlling the LCD and it should all snap together like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.