Car Computers

[explorethis91]

I am looking to build a computer inside my car. Build a box in front of my armrest. I was wondering if anybody has done and knew how to hook it up.

 

[jimbo74]

why? just use a laptop... modern day laptops are sometimes better than many modern day desktops....

 

[explorethis91]

i can build a computer for probly $400 and to get a laptop to compare to that with sound quility would cost well over $1000, plus would need a bulky mount for the laptop and only have a 20 or 30 gb hard drive. Dont need a super fast machine for MP3s.

 

[falconace]

I have done this. I removed the computer from the case and put it in a toolbox in the back of my truck so that it would be invisible to the common eye. I then used an x10 rf remote for control and have the video routed to my 5.5" soon to be 7" screen up front. Audio is going in through my aux input on my headunit. I cant imagine driving without a carputer anymore. If you havent already found it, mp3car.com has some great info. PM or email me if you have any questions.

Matt

 

[DocVijay]

Check out this company. THey make small PC's just for cars. Pretty cool.

Dead Link Removed

 

[gerry]

Matt,

What did you use for the power supply? Did you go the inverter route? I'm very interested in this also.

Gerry

Originally posted by falconace
I have done this. I removed the computer from the case and put it in a toolbox in the back of my truck so that it would be invisible to the common eye. I then used an x10 rf remote for control and have the video routed to my 5.5" soon to be 7" screen up front. Audio is going in through my aux input on my headunit. I cant imagine driving without a carputer anymore. If you havent already found it, mp3car.com has some great info. PM or email me if you have any questions.

Matt

 

[reichhartkg]

You can pick up a laptop that will be much more powerfull than you need for mp3s on ebay for a few hundred. True that you'll only get 30 or 40GB but that's still a lot of music if you can deal with the low quality of mp3s.

 

[Daps]

www.mp3car.com has all the info you'll need for hooking up your carputer...

When I get a hold to a dig. cam I'll take some pictures of my setup

for power you can use a power inverter but hook it to your battery instead of the cigarette lighter..but there is a DC-DC PSU you can buy if you want to go that route think like $200 or so. I went the Inverter route, and put a switch in to turn it off from up front...

 

[Alpha_Geek]

You might consider a Toshiba Libretto 50CT off ebay. It's about as big as a paperback book. Since it's an older pentium (75 mhz, overclockable to 133 safely) They're going pretty cheap.

I use one to play MP3's and to do GPS maping. It is a little underpowered to both concurrently, especially if the mapping text to speech is enabled.



FALCONACE: So you're the guy driving by my house and causing all those false X-10 signals on my Homeseer setup! *chuckle*

 

[explorethis91]

The problem with a laptop is the sound card. The quality of sound from a laptop compared to a top end sound card is day and night. Maybe if i was to only run the music through a stock system or sligtly mod system, but i have a pretty high end system and i want it to sound good.

 

[Howard]

Build a system based on the "shuttle" case

As you can see there very small.

 

[falconace]

I went the inverter route. I hooked it up to the battery, well to my power cable to my amps. I then cracked open the inverter case and tapped into the switch so I can turn the inverter on from the drivers seat or the back if I'm back there and need power for something. I also tapped into the pc's power switch and have one up front and on the computer itself. I ran these and some other low voltage switch things through some cat5 i ran from the back to the dash. It works great. Oh and Alpha_Geek, sorry about those false signals. That is the only thing I dont like about the x10 remote is that sometimes it picks up false signals and changes the song.

 

[reichhartkg]

mp3s are pretty low quality to begin with and most laptop sound is more than enough. So, unless you're going to be playing shn or flac files, you don't need a great sound card. If you still think this will be a problem, you can get a high-end USB sound card.

If you do go with a desktop, you should either use laptop harddrives or make sure you give the box really good padding. Desktop harddrives aren't make to operate when not completely stationary.

 

[explorethis91]

I don't mean to be a total a$$ here, but I started this thread on help setting up an in car computer. I have stated many times that im not going use a laptop and all you guys keep telling me to use one. I know a whole top about computers and a full size computer hdd will do just fine. Computers are shipped all the time and I am sure they suffer more than what I am going to put it through in my truck. Secondly, what would me real easy to steal, somthing attached to the car or a laptop? I have said once before that I can build the whole system for probly half what it would cost me for a laptop, except for maybe the soundcard. I really like the ideas that I have got from some of you and I always am open to suggestions, but dont keep telling me the same thing when I say no I am not going to do it. One vary misleading thing about computer is that you have to "nice" to them. Computers take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. I know this for a fact. So pleace, if you have any ideas on how to build a computer please send them, I enjoy reading them and they help me out alot.

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by explorethis91
Computers are shipped all the time and I am sure they suffer more than what I am going to put it through in my truck.

That may be, but it's much different when the drives are operating. When they are shipped, the drives are not moving around. If you are driving, the head moving over the platters can bounce and make small divots. Eventually this will ruin the drive. Laptop drives (not the whole laptop, just the drive) ar emore durable.

 

[falconace]

I mounted my drive sideways so that the vibrations would case the heads to move between the platters instead of hitting them. I have been running this setup for 2 years w/ the same hd and have yet to have a problem.

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by falconace
I mounted my drive sideways so that the vibrations would case the heads to move between the platters instead of hitting them. I have been running this setup for 2 years w/ the same hd and have yet to have a problem.

Good idea. Minimize the effects of vibration any way you can.

 

[explorethis91]

I like that idea, would have never thought of it.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

I'd recommend a 2.5" laptop drive even in the case of building your own homebrew enclosure. They are indeed more forgiving to the forces of inertia while running.

Then again, 1 gig compact flash cards are getting pretty cheap, too. No moving parts at all to be affected by bumps, potholes, ricers caught in the fenderwell, etc.

As for "how to hook it up" as per your original post, you're pretty much stuck going the inverter / standard PC power supply route unless you can either find for a reasonable price or design and build a nice 12 volt powered switching power supply that delivers +5, -5, +12, and -12 volts DC.

 

[Brian97V8]

One of these might work

http://www.littlepc.com/products.htm