Dave's Astra G with Car PC

[Dave One]

Eibach pro-kit springs and Bilstein B4 shocks
After weeks of deliberation (and saving) I decided to go for 'shocks and springs' over 'coilovers'. I got a Eibach pro-kit springs with 40mm drop from Astra_BLK (thanks Ben) with very little wear and Bilstein B4 shocks from LMF. I was recommended to replace the top mounts and drop links (thanks Ian - bigphilbaby). A forum member I've used to service my car for the last three years (Jason - jason1) put aside some of his valuable time to do the work for a small fee - thanks bud.
I didn't get any pics during but here's some pics of the end result, remembering the car needs time to settle yet .....

Irmscher DD exhaust fitted
Jason also fitted my Irmscher DD exhaust. Unfortunately, it's sitting slightly off level at the moment but I'm hoping to get it levelled when at the 'tyre and exhaust' for a new pair of tyres and tracking on friday. I think it probably due to an aftermarket centre section and hope the bracket can be manipulated.

It needs a clean too.........

Strut brace fitted
I also got a JOM strut brace fitted whilst the shocks and spring were being replaced. I had to move the fuse box forward and have no relay box cover until I get my dremel out later........

The handling has really improved (thats not surprising), but I'm unable to say how much the improvement is down to the 'shocks and springs', and how much is down to the strut brace.
I've got a few more bits lined up for this week and update as soon as I can .

 

[Dave One]

Irmscher front splitter fitted
My original plan for the front splitter upgrade was to fit brake air ducts and an Astra Coupe Turbo (ACT) splitter. However, after completing the colour code upgrade to the sides of the car I decided to remove the remaining dark grey trim and the obvious option became an Irmscher front splitter.
After a post in the wanted section that lead to a couple of offers of splitters that needed rubbing, priming and spraying - I found one for a very reasonable price (thanks b1988m) which I picked up the other weekend on my commute across the country.
I had to go a little way back to get the 'before' shot......

And here are a few of the 'after' shots ....

Headlamp washer jets update
I also took the opportunity to colour code the headlamp washer jets but I'm not happy with their fitment to the front bumper. After these pics I got the dremel out but still need to do some more to flush them properly. I'll get there in the end...........

 

[Dave One]

Armrest fitted

I've been doing a 200 mile commute almost weekly with work since March and decided a bit more comfort is needed, especially when 160 miles is on dual carriageway/motorway. A member was selling one he got from the LMF stand at Santa Pod (Cheers marty2), which turned up in very good condition .

The fitment was very easy...... (btw I gave the interior a clean after fitment as it had been a while....)

Before....

Rear ashtray removed and pilot holes drilled....

Trim tape used on the top face of the centre console to avoid unslightly holes when removed....

Ashtray refitted and open, showing the two armrest securing screws....

Ashtray closed and no unslightly screws or brackets....

After....

I fully expect the armrest to make the distance driving more comfortable (I'll find out later today) but it's going to take a bit of getting use to for changing gears and putting the handbrake on as it does get in the way a little. All-in-all I'm pleased with the armrest and will definately stick with it for now .

 

[Dave One]

Irmscher door pins fitted
It's been a while since my last update but I've been busy on the car......
I got bored of the standard door pins and decided Irmscher brushed metal door pins were the way forward. Here's the pics...
Standard door pins

Irmscher door pins (unlocked)

Irmscher door pins (locked)

Opel valve caps
Next it was time to change the standard valve caps for some Opel valve caps.

Ready to fit......

Fitted......

 

[Dave One]

160 mph clocks fitted, with additional dash indications
I wanted to use some redundant dash lights to provide Car PC status indication and get the cruise control indication working too. As I intend to get hold of a set of Innoparts plasms dials I thought I may as well invest the time in some Innoparts compatiable clocks. My car has White Petrol 140 mph clocks but Innoparts requires Black Petrol 140 mph or White Petrol 160 mph, so I opted for the White Petrol 160 mph (thanks buzball - the first set had a broken connector, unreadable mileage panel and random LED for an alarm in the centre.....).
The plan was to use the current Dash LED illumination with one additional LED for Car PC status indication. The vision was to use 'auto-transmission sport mode' (currently amber) as the 'Car PC on' indication (a green 'system on' indicator). The other indication would be two fold, a 'Permanent live with ignition on' as amber (the current 'auto-transmission warning' that's amber) with an additional LED in the same lens to indicate 'Permanent live with ignition off' in red.
Furthermore, I installed the cruise control circuit designed by SQ Man. This circuit has five relays and eleven diodes. There are some limitations with this circuit but it works, and is a great starting point .... The first limitation is that the circuit can be activated at any speed, thus representing cruise control on when the cruise control isn't on. This is because the stalk activation line triggers the circuits within the LED mode as well as the ECU, but the ECU knows the car does not have the required speed. This does allow a test when static on the drive . The other limitation is the when the clutch or brake is pressed the relays click, even if the cruise control is not engaged. This is because the relay control earth is always present irrespective of cruise control state. I'm looking to develop this further - watch this space...
For both circuits I needed to adapt the dash speedo clocks wiring harness. This was done by using a donor dash speedo connector (thanks scott_sxi) to insert four more pins; two for the Car PC mod (pins 5 and 6), one for the cruise control (pin 14) and one in preparation for the Xenon auto-leveller retro-fit (pin 15).

I'll post circuit diagrams of both circuit when I get a chance to do them neatly..... In the meantime here's the Car PC relay set in its enclosure. The ciruit consists of three relays and three diodes but is specific to my Car PC switch circuitry.

The end result is fantastic, even if I do say so myself but is the result of many hours work........
140 mph clock set

160 mph clock set with 'Car PC on' indication illuminated

'Car PC on' indication and 'cruise control' indication illuminated

'Car PC permenant live with ignition on' and 'cruise control' indication illuminated

'Car PC permenant live with ignition off' indication illuminated

It's now time to go and further develop the cruise control circuit so the brake and clutch switch relays are inactive when the cruise control isn't engaged .

 

[Dave One]

Additional speedo notes
I should point out that the mileage of the old clocks has been recorded (not least in the pics) and the new clocks will be adjusted (with any additional driven mileage) when I get Op-Com installed this week.
I also wanted to thank Kev. for providing valuable info on the Innoparts plasma dial requirements and resetting of instrument needles.

 

[Dave One]

Micro update
Mileage on the working set of 160 clocks updated to reflect actual mileage (445 miles that week alone). This really needed doing to save confusion at the MOT.
The car went in for a MOT yesterday and passed with advisory on the park brake efficiency and slightly corroded brake pipes. I'm looking out for an Astra G 4-stud rear disc setup as the brake shoes need replacing soon, presenting the ideal opportunity to upgrade .

 

[Dave One]

Car PC Voice Control
The Beta voice control software I had available on Win XP had not been modifed for use on Win 7 or with the modified Car PC front end application environment. Fortunantely, a Car PC forum moderator continued development with fantastic results. The recognition is good and can been programmed to react to specific commands.
I needed to modify my Labtec desktop microphone to integrated into the car and decided the interior light would be an ideal location for it. This would require stripping the microphone, extending the internal wiring and concealing it to look OEM.
The Labtec desktop microphone.

The Labtec desktop microphone undergoing some prep...

The internal wiring needed extending, so I desoldered here...

It was more luck than judgement, although I did check prior to ripping it all apart, that the microphone would fit into the alarm sensor housing of the interior lamp (the alarm is not an option on the SXi).

And when fitted back into the car with all the wiring hidden away it looked like...

Steering Wheel Control of the Car PC
Voice control is all well and good but I wanted to use the steering wheel control to manipulate the Car PC, particularly listening for voice control commands. Research lead me to the Velleman K8055 USB experiment board (or VM110 if you want the kit pre-assembled). I needed to integrate this to my Autoleads PC99-x06 steering wheel adapter.
The Autoleads PC99-x06 steering wheel has a 12v and earth feed to create a stable 5v output. When applied to the resistive ladder in the steering wheel circuit the Autoleads PC99-x06 steering wheel output reduces to 3.94v due to resistive loads. Once a steering wheel button is pressed the load changes. This values are captured and recorded to reflect command points within the computer .dll driver.
The result is the ability to dictate what each steering wheel button does as a global control or uniquely in individual screens. This functionality is extended by defining long and short button presses giving a potential of 12 functions in any screen .
As such, I have exclusively programmed one specific button as Microphone on/off.
The Velleman K8055/VM110 board.

The test bench .

Dave One official born
The guys at work have affectionately nicknamed my car Dave One. In truth they have called it Dave One for years so I decide to create the brand . I decided it looks good and will be staying .
The front end application loading screen...

The front end background...

And how it looks embedded within the front end application (all be it on the laptop here)...

More to follow very soon

 

[Dave One]

Irmscher Boot Struts Fitted
The last update was all about progress on my Car PC, but I have also progressed with the car. The standard boot struts are not 'man enough' to cope with the weight of the GSi boot spoiler, so when I saw Scott_SXi selling a set of Irmscher boot struts I was quick to get them . This should save my from anymore unexpected boot falls on my head, lol .
Nothing interesting to see but here are the pic anyhow....

Bonnet Extension Fitted
Also recently fitted a bonnet extension, which looks really good.
Before...

After (btw the car was treated to a wash shortly after as dirty car and clean bonnet extension don't match up to well, lol )

Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats Fitted
My latest project is the fitmant of Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats. I ordered them from Germany, Racing24.de and shipment was only four days .
I'm only half way through this project as I need to illuminate the dash needles too .
Here's the Innoparts so far...

The final result will be captured on a better camera

 

[Dave One]

Weather Reminder
Just a quick reminder of the weather three weeks ago. Plenty of snow and -15.5 degrees C.

Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats Illuminated Needles
The Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats were fitted several weeks ago with the promise of following up with illuminated needles very quickly. I eventually got around to completely the instrument binnacle today, allbeit in two phases.
After dismantling the instrument binnacle I drilled a series of holes to mount three red dome LED around the base of each needle.

Next came the fun of soldering each LED . The result is a busy network of wires, as the pic below shows part way through.

The first test during the day, to reset the needles, concerned me due to the needles brightness. However, a night test was much more satisfying, despite the needles being very bright. They're staying for now but I'm already planning changes, just in case they don't work out. Obviously the mobile phone pics don't do the end product justice and I'll try and get some decent pics soon .

Next up is blue MID .

 

[Dave One]

Thanks for the comments, there are very much appreciated .
Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats Illuminated Needles Update
I just could NOT get on with the really bright red glow from the illuminated needles done recently. I decided to remove all three red dome LEDs from each needle base and replace with one blue flat top LED for each needle base.
I was also hoping to collect my Astra/Zafira blue speedo needles from the post office yesterday but didn't finish in time . I reckon the blue needles will make a significant difference .
A quick pic of the speedo wiring.

The result of the blue LEDs .

I'm hoping to completely finish the speedo next weekend with a few other minor changes..........

 

[Dave One]

Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats Illuminated Needles Finished.....
I ordered some blue Astra G/Zafira A dial needles from eBay to complete the illuminated needles part of the conversion. Apologies for the pic but the phone and camera didn't do the illuminated pics any justice at all .
The blue Astra G/Zafira A dial needles from eBay...

The Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats with the standard red needles...

The Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats after the blue Astra G/Zafira A dial needles were fitted...

Needle illumination with the Innoparts Plasma Dial Mats fully dim (off)...

Night Pic of the dial mats fully working...

Whilst I had the dials apart I took the opportunity to complete the blue theme by replacing the 'Car PC on' and 'Cruise Control' indicators from green to blue .
The green 'Car PC on' and 'Cruise Control' indicators (pic taken prior to mileage correction of new unit)...

The blue 'Car PC on' indicator...

The blue 'Cruise Control' indicator...

Both together...

I just need to refit the prespex cover and surround now (5 min job).
New Car PC Microphone Fitted
I've also fitted a new microphone for my Car PC. It has superior noise reduction and directional array to the previous desktop microphone I ripped apart. Its an Andrea Sound Max Superbeam Array mirophone, and fitted prefectly on the lip of the speedo surround (it can be seen in the above pics ).
I'll attempt a short video clip over the next few weeks to show the Car PC Voice Control in operation, along with the the rest of the Car PC .

 

[Dave One]

Mk4 Flip Key Conversion
A straight forward modification this time. I purchased a Mk4 Flip Key from SWC_Scotty. The key cutting cost me £6.70 and I followed MiddleTom's guide on page 3 of SWC_Scotty's Flip Key thread (worth checking out if you're not familiar with these keys ). I also changed the battery too, to save some pain in 6 months time (or however long was left....).
The original key...

New flip key...

And the comparison shot...

 

[Dave One]

ICE for Car PC (losing the head unit)
I've been 'umm-ing' and 'arr-ing' about losing the car stereo head unit in favour of an amplifier and set of aftermarket speakers - but what to go for. I sought advice from a forum member (Gazmondo) who gave advice and options. The result was:
JBL 4 channel amplifier GT5-A604 640w and JBL GT5-12 12" subwoofer with a distribution box...

JBL GT5-650C front components...

Kenwood door/rear 110w 100mm dual cone speakers...

I have also ordered an amplifier wiring kit and new distribution blocks to tidy and 'beef up' the current wiring for my Car PC.
Mk5 Wiper Arms Started
A while back I purchased some Mk5 wiper arms and blades from a VXR being broken by Plastic Bob, and Brian kindly donated a pair of Mk4 wiper arms as a donor for 'spline transplant' .
Pics:

Next I need to glue and touch up paint.
Steering Wheel Controls
With the instrument binnacle lighting just about sorted out I turned my attention to the next in my view - the steering wheel controls. I wanted to make the Car PC microphone on/off steering wheel button a different colour and opted for green, but changed it to red after the first night drive. The red colour matches the innopart dials rev range and 30 mph marker, as well as the planned conversion of the headlight switch.
The inital fit with a green Car PC microphone on/off steering wheel button (o at the bottom right)...

Then the changed fit with a red Car PC microphone on/off steering wheel button...

Aerial Change and Gasket Replaced
The aerial gasket had degraded so I took the opportunity to replace the gasket and change the aerial to a stubby. Iopted for a VW Polo aerial (part number 6R0 035 849 from ebay seller logicman32 for £9.70 delivered - great service and highly recommended).

Aerial gasket pics...

New aerial pics (prior to gasket change)...

Rear Interior Light Fitted
I bought a GSi rear interior light from TurboChris last year. I only got around to fitting it whilst the headlining was dropped. Chris had kindly included the wiring loom and the metal surround to finish the hole in the headlining.
I reluctantly made the first incision in the middle of the rear bench, between the grab handles...

Offered up the metal surround as a template...

'Piggy-backed' off the near-side rear grab handle...

Pics of the GSi rear interior light fitted...

 

[Dave One]

Illuminated Sunvisors Wired Up
There's not much to say really. I've connected them to ignition live so as they can't drain my battery if inadvertantly left open. White 6 LED bulbs were a must .

Thought I'd also try and capture the rear interior light fitted yesterday (this needs white LEDs - on order )

 

[Dave One]

Headlight Switch Prototype
The dash conversion continues..... . Unfortunately the camera doesn't do the lighting justice .
The headlight switch prototype...

A dash progress pic...

 

[Dave One]

Landmark Mileage
The poor old motor hit a landmark mileage of two hundred thousand miles on 7th May...........

Shortly followed by two hundred and two thousand, two hundred and twenty two miles on the 16th June........

A couple of random headlight shots

Blue Dash Continued....
At long last I got around to sorting out my MID conversion display to blue. I used the Quad SMD from CrazyLEDs. I ended up having to swap the filter too
.....

The overall dash looks like this (unfortunately HTC and night shots don't combine very well )

The Heater Control Panel followed two days later (again the HTC shots are real bad - sorry!)

A couple of nights shots too.......

Illuminated cigarette lighter surround ordered

 

[Dave One]

Irmscher Pedals fitted

I've had these pedals for a while from Turbo Chris and finally got around to fully fitting them today. Ideally I would have had the brake and clutch pedals at the same height but unfortunately there was now amount of carefully alignment that was going to alter the alignment. That said, I'm really pleased with the outcome.

A pic before...

And a couple of pics after (the car needs a hoover and the drivers mat needs replacing - PM if you know of any Opel RHD mats please )

Mk5 wiper arms progressed a little too. I shall hopefully fit them this week .

 

[Dave One]

Update Time - Mk5 Wiper Mod
At last, Mk5 wiper mod complete. I'd already decided to go down the hard route and use a set of donor Mk4 wiper arms (thanks Bri ). After some messing about I managed to flush, glue and paint them.
The finished article looked like...

I initially purchased some Mk5 wiper arm caps but the Mk5 is securing point is M10 whereas the Mk4 is M8, so I ordered these to finish it off (despite the bonnet extension covering it up)...

To look like this...

And completed with the bonnet extension back on...

I haven't needed to trim them at all yet but the drivers side is very close to the top of the screen and will need trimming a touch .
Steering Wheel Controls Colour Change (again....)

I decided I don't like the red steering wheel control that identifies the mic on/off button, so I changed it to white. Here's the pics from the initial green, to red, to white....

I think I'm happy with the white one, for now........

 

[Dave One]

Car PC Switches Incorporated into the Pillar Pod
I've been hunting down some decent switches for the Car PC and finally found some black switches with a blue LED halo. With a relay I can use the switching so the Car PC is completely off, ignition following or permanently on.
Whilst setting about installing the switches into the pillar pod I decided to make some room under the dash and relocate the two double throw relays and timer delay relay used for remote and 'refuelling'. To hide these in the pillar pod I needed to use smaller enclosure.
The massive box that was under the dash...

The relay PCBs...

Neatly enclosed and labelled ...

Pillar Pod in...

Prosport Smoked 52mm Evo Gauge added to pillar pod (I sourced the gauge from R-Spec Performance Products Ltd - Top Guys and very highly recommended)...

Outside view...

Dash view...

Night shot showing both black switches with a blue LED halos and the Prosport Smoked 52mm Evo Gauge working without the Car PC on...

Car PC reconnected ...