Hey guys, I've been thinking about doing a carputer in the near future and been planning it out in my head for awhile now. I just ran into a problem. How are you guys powering the system? Is it off an external battery or is it off the existing car battery? Either way, can you explain to me how you would run either setup? PM me or post in here, I would like to know.

Plus I have a few other little technique questions to ask too but just dont know who to ask.

 

What kind of computer did you have in mind?

 

run a power line directly from your battery into a DC to AC converter. A good 300 watt one should only set you back $70-100, though you might want to go one step further if they carry it, depending on the computer you are running. Make sure to make a good connection on the battery, and clean your battery terminals often.

 

clean your battery terminals? wtf? what about an inverter

 

As Chicken said:
run a power line directly from your battery into a DC to AC converter. A good 300 watt one should only set you back $70-100, though you might want to go one step further if they carry it, depending on the computer you are running

 

here's one link I have bookmarked for when I make mine that you'll appreciate: http://www.opussolutions.com/modules...pic_id=3&sid=4

This one is also good: http://www.xenarc.com/product/index-pc.html

 

I, personally, would go with one of these: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=11#vkmpk12

That, or another mini-itx system from that site. They sell DC-DC power supplies that are plug'n'play for automotive applications. If you already have a computer that's going in, you might want to try google for a DC-DC PSU; they are, by far, the more efficient than a DC-AC-DC setup (inverter).

If you have any interest in running the computer w/o the engine on, you might want to consider a spare battery for that; it would really suck draining your car battery and being stranded somewhere. If you're going with the inverter, you could get away with a small UPS.

 

Well I was planning on going with one of those Shuttle computers. A simple one would be fine.

Wouldn't it just drain my battery fairly quickly because I also have a system in my car (1000 watt).

So I should get one of those DC > AC converter that goes into my cig lighter? I'll possibly hard wire it to hide all the wiring. If I were to use a UPS battery, would the power order go like DC>AC Converter => UPS Battery => Carputer?

The last thing I would want happen is if I accidently left the computer running on or use it too much, I wouldn't want to be stranded with a dead battery.

 

I don't know about putting a UPS on there; I guess that could be something to look into. I do know that the Opus computer power supplies have a small internal battery that allows the computer to go through a full and proper shutdown sequence when the ignition is turned off and it automatically boots up when the ignition is turned on. I think that's a pretty good way to do things.

Where were you thinking about putting the Shuttle? I know they are small form factors, but I doubt you could get one under a seat like some of the car-specific cases would allow you to do.

 

everyone has seen the Fast and the Furious ... when Paul Walker gets in his Eclipse for the first race he has a ghetto computer in his dash. Is that Hollywood or can you actually extract stuff like that ... I think it would be cool just to see it on my own car ... not nessarily mount a laptop but just sit it on passenger seat or something.

 

I wouldn't mind securing it down in the trunk like behind the back seat in one of the corners. That's a pretty smart feature on the Opus computer you are talking about. Do you happen to have a specific link?

I was just thinking about doing a UPS battery for when I shut the car off or want to power it on w/o the engine running (ie: parking in front of Starbucks and surf the web from my car). And plus since I am not using the resonator on my stock intake and it is sealed off, I might be able to put the UPS battery inside the air box below the car battery or possibly even put the Shuttle computer there (I haven't checked the size of the box yet).

 

You can hook up a cable to your OBDII sensor and run it to a laptop to check all the sensors in your car and other features as well. Another way is you can also possibly tune your aftermarket air/fuel management or even nitrous settings.

 

I provided that one a little ways up in the thread.

NICE!! I hadn't even thought about doing that. Haha...great idea

Don't even think about putting a computer in the engine bay. I'd be really worried about the UPS there as well. Computers are extremely heat sensitive. There would likely be issues with running the computer after it's been sitting just inside the car in a shaded spot on a hot day with the windows up.

 

WOW ... is it easy to do this? I was thinking a simple little cable from the sensor to like a USB port or is it 100 times more complex. Also where can you get software to diagnosis this kind of stuff?

 

I don't think the UPS would have any problems prone to heat in there?? I might be wrong.

Other ideas I came up while I was "studying" in class was if the carputer was fast enough, you could possibly burn CD's for friends on the road or even DVD's. If you have a fast enough processor and video card, you could even play games in your car. Pull up to a LAN party and whoop some *** w/o leaving your car. And quite possibly have a LAN party on the road with other cars that have a wireless network card. The possiblies are endless.

Take a look at AutoTap. It is just one of the many other OBDII scanners out there. I think the nitrous programing one was made by Venom Performance.

 

Ok I ran into another problem when laying this out in my head. How am I going to get sound from the carputer to the existing stereo? I figured I could use the headphone jack from behind the computer, use the little thing that splits it into 2 RCA's, then wiring that to the back of my aftermarket headunit. Problem is I don't have an AUX but I DO have a CD-Changer In. Is there a way so I can use that instead? I tried it before but I think it required a DIN plug?? Is there a way to bypass this and trick it into thinking I have a CD-Changer?

 

hmmm ... I have a 95 Max ... not sure if it is OBDII or OBDI .... obdii.com said 3 95 Maximas weren't compatible but then again my code thing didn't match the ones they listed ... oh well ... I'll check later

 

I just got done with my carputer project. I'm using a Morex 3788 Case that fits very comfortably under my seat. Powered with a M1-ATX, direct drop in replacement.

http://mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/catego...it.A/id.356/.f

Only thing I'm missing is a touchscreen and a free copy of iguidance (can anybody help me out on that?). Also check out http://mp3car.com they have a good forum base.

 

That's awesome man! Maybe I could meet up with you one day and check it out? DNE meet up at a different spot now huh?

 

Yeah DNE meets now at Chucks over in Frisco, once a month.. next one on the 12th.

Monday meets are usually in arlington, check http://www.nissanforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=129 for more info. Lemme know if you need help with the carputer. Putting it together has been a big learning experience for me.

 

I use an ISO scantool I purchased from www.scantool.net for about 90 bucks. I hook it to my Dell laptop and using software from http://www.palmerperformance.com I can monitor about 21 PIDs on my 95 Maxima. The software is still in beta testing stage but it's the best I have found. You can also reset any codes that you get in from your ECM. I will try to get pics if you are interested.

 

I also use a cheap Radio Shack inverter plugged into my cig lighter to power the notebook puter.

 

All 95 Maximas are OBD II. Even a lot of dealers don't know that I found out. The connector is on top of the ECM on the passenger side of the compartment. It's down on the tunnel by the left foot of a passenger...

 

Probably not. You can get a wireless fm modulator for $20-50 and have it broadcast to an FM station, then you just tune your radio. Radioshack stocks two models, one for $30 and one for $50 (monster), make sure that the model you get can broadcast on a frequency that isn't used near you, or else you will get a lot of interference.

 

Im planning on doing a carputer very soon. Im going to be using a computer I already have laying around, Asus Nforce board, 1.3Ghz Duron, 80gig HD and 512mb ram. Im going to go with an inverter because most of the DC-DC powersupplies are not enough and they are more expensive. The inverter I plan to use is $30 on Amazon, its 300 watts continuous, and the shutdown converter I will use is on mp3car.com.

 

Well actually they did! but not for my deck though. I was at Ultimate Electronics the other day and on the wall, there was one for the Alpine deck and another brand I forgot. So for those who have an Alpine deck, you're in luck.

Plus if I did get the FM Modulator thing, I'm pretty sure it'll reduce the sound quality to FM quality.

PS.. if anybody knows of one that works with a Panasonic deck... PLEASE PM me!!

 

FM transmitter is the ghettofabulous way. If you want to do it right, you have to use the aux input. I know for pioneers, it's a $30 cable that hooks into the back. That input is also a CD changer input. For your panasonic deck, check over at crutchfield or the panasonic website to see if they that option. Chances are the CD changer might double as aux in.

 

I was going to do the inverter idea. But consider this... you are going from 12vDC to 120vAC back down to 12vDC. It's very inefficient and most inverters are not switching power supplies. It's gonna be a drain on your alternator. Not to mention a very noisy solution. I used to run the inverter in the cabin of the car, very annoying fan. So unless you're gonna have it in your trunk it's gonna be noisy.

DC-DC supplies are getting better and better. with a low powered duron you might get away with a 250w or 200w. I've run athlon t-birds on 250w no problem.

my .02

 

At first I was set on getting the Opus 150 watt DC-DC power supply but its $200 and there is the possiblility that it will not be enough. Also, I might add other components in the future that will need extra power. I know the inverter is inefficient but right now its my cheapest alternative. Do you know of any 200w or 250w DC-DC power supplies that are affordable? I didnt really find anything when I was searching for power supplies.

 

Is it better to use a screen made by Lilliput or Xenarc or get a stereo with the flip up screen? Which screens are more prone to extreme temperatures (like New York's Winter)

 

I think both are pretty good and have been equally acclaimed. check out www.digitalww.com They've got some pretty good prices for those screens. I highly recommend the touch screen so you don't have a mouse/keyboard on your lap while driving (talk about accident waiting to happen) $450 will get you a pretty good unmotorized. $500 is motorized. It hides away and looks quite ugly (good deterrant)


JeEvE -- yeah that's the problem.... not many have such high wattage at an affortable price. Opus is really expensive and is why i opted for the m1-atx. It's got all that car functionality built in. I don't have to worry about power up/shut down or battery drainage. It's all onboard.

Going with the via m10000 motherboard (epia 1GHz) it's ultra low power, efficient and can handle dvd/mpgs no problem. I tested my box for 24hrs playing videos/dvds. The case was cool to the touch. low power is the way to go.

 

First off, for those of you contemplating using a power inverter, you should be careful which one you get. I've had a few of them, to power my notebook while in the car, and I've always had to have the inverter off while starting the car. Start the car w/the inverter on, and the inverter will shut down, forcing you to toggle the switch again. A little annoying when you're planning on embedding the system into the car.

As I said in my previous post, a DC-DC PSU is the best way to go, hands down. You should also be looking at low-power solutions as well. A mini-ITX board w/low-power CPU, a 2.5" notebook HDD...and so on. You can get a system up and running in under 90VA using these things...and 90VA DC-DC PSUs can be found for a reasonable price.

As for the heat, I wouldn't place a computer anywhere in the engine bay. I'd be too worried about the elements (heat/humidity). I'd put it in the trunk, the same way people install amps.

As for the OBDC connector, you can build/buy cables, and there was some Free software in development a few years back; that project may still be moving forward. Of course, you can buy a commercial package and be done with it, however it will cost you more, and offer less as far as customization. This may be fine for non-programmers.

As for the screens, it's suggested you get (minimally) a 200nit screen that can handle a wide temperature range. There are companies that offer screens that are up to the task, and even have DB15 (VGA) inputs. http://www.gnetcanada.com/ is one such company.

 

http://www.mp3car.com

enjoy and I will also be taking upon this project when the weatehr gets warmer. I already have the case for this project. but that's all I have

 

for those of you that have the bose system you can wire the computer straight into the internal amps and bypass the headunit. Thats what i will be doing shortly. Everything will be controlled from the touchscreen. no headunit at all.

 

I have most of my carputer together and I will start installing it soon, I just need to get some power wire. Im unsure on how to power the Lilliput screen and USB hub thats up front. I am using an inverter and ATX powersupply. Should I get power from the ATX power supply or straight from the battery, I was thinking that the ATX power supply will give me cleaner power. Which should I go with? Thanks.

 

you could always use a regulated DC to DC power supply. Check RadioShack or digikey.

 

wire your screen through the power supply of your computer. It will be much cleaner power and alot safer for your screen. Just hook up the positive to yellow and negative to black. BE SURE that it is wired up like that or bye bye lillput.

 

i forget the link but there is a company that makes a power supply that takes a 12volt input and sends it to the motherboard. it also was a wire like an amp has that lets the computer know when the car is on or off. when you turn your car off it triggers the shutdown sequence so you dont have to worry about it killing your bat.
let me ask my friend and ill get back here with a link

 

its called an opus. u can buy it at mp3car.com http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_...products_id=32. There very nice but also expensive and only 150 watts. im going with an inverter and normal matx power supply because im going to have 320 watts to play with and it will be cheaper. You can also buy startup/shutdown controllers for inverters so it will work just like an opus.

 

opus is good, but i hear some people were having trouble with it.

the cheaper and improved solution is a the m1-atx which is a 90w dc-dc powersupply, with remote on, and remote amp on.