I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Hooking a laptop computer up to my car would save me so much time and it's already put together and in one piece, and it can run off a cigarette adapter. I want CD, WAV, WMA, and MP3 playback (WinAmp), I want DVD playback (DVD-ROM drive), I want GPS ($129 for reciever and software @ Best Buy... connects through USB!). I've thought this through... sorta. I can build computers but I need to get it into a very compact case to hide it somewhere. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to hooking up my laptop to an LCD screen through A/V cables (I think i can do that). Here's the poor man's setup:





Now I don't want some big bulky laptop in the the passenger side footwell. I've thought about it and to make an inexpensive workable (translated as slow and cheap but will do that job!) PC I'll probably need:

--7" LCD --5 GB HD (have an extra) --Intel Celeron 633MHz Socket 370 w/Fan and Heatsink --GeForce4 MX 440 8xAGP 128MB DDR --SoundBlaster Live 5.1 --USB 2.0 Card --512 MB PC100 --Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks --USB Keyboard (Just in case) Already own --DVD ROM drive Already own a spare one of those as well __________________________________________________ ____
TOTAL $421


Am I forgetting anything else? Anyway, I want this to be sweet as hell... I have two concerns. One, What kind of a case can I put this in? I might be able to wedge it in the very bottem of the foot well and maybe a small or slim case wouldn't be to obvious. Two, a power source. Of course I've got the car battery but I don't know how to tap into that power. I know I can build this system no problem, it's integrating it into the Max and powering it up that it my dilemma. Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?

 

Here's a couple tips. I'm actually going to be doing this as well when I get the money Try finding a Micro-ITX (I think its micro or maybe mini) with audio and video built-in. Then just find a micro-itx case to go along with it. This form factor is really tiny and will fit in your glovebox (with some slight modification of course ) This is the route that I am going to go.

I will probably stick around the 800-1000mhz range since you can get away with passive cooling instead of noisy fans. Thats plenty enough juice to run MP3s, vids, etc.

I also thought about a touchscreen, but im not so sure about that. Kinda pricey. I have an extra remote style trackball mouse that I can hookup. It was from an old Gateway Destination system. I think Logitech makes a similar remote-style mouse. Check thier website.

Also check pricewatch.com for prices on the mobo and newegg.com is the best place to buy comp crap.

As far as power, run to wally world or target and get a cheap power inverter. They run about 30-60 buxs. Or you can try etronics.com, I think they have some inexpensive ones.

Hope this helps!
drew

 

Another thing to think about is possibly a wireless access card, so that when your car is parked in the driveway you can network with your home computer and download new files (music and movies) The touchscreen setup would be nice too, but that can get expensive unless you can find a deal on ebay. Good luck!

 

my idea is that you could stick the cpu under the armrest/center console. its pretty much a big cave down there. you just have to make sure it doesn interfere with the parking break cable. you could have the cd/dvd drive in the armrest, along with the USB port or whatever youre gonna use for uploading files. then stick a screen into the dash (you can probably go bigger than 7 inch) and stick one of those track ball mouse things in the cupholder. the only problem i forsee is cooling, but you can probably figure something out there... just stick a fan into the side of the counsole on the bottom next to the seat where no-one would see it. these new ones arent that loud at all...

custom and clean install

 

a modded xbox can do all the above except for maybe gps i had one in my car and it was great. I had 160gb harddrive in it and i run all my divx movies mp3's and games off of. fit underneath driver seat and you can access dvd drive easily.

 

This is a great idea! However, the only problem would be finding a mobo that would fit in that space. The mini-ITX is small but I don't think its THAT small. Plus, I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything around that Airbag sensor module thing that is under the console. Wouldn't want to take a chance of something hitting it.

Really good idea though. That would be cool to have the DVD drive pop out the back of the console with USB/Firewire ports out the back.

 

Xboxs are $$$$$... Plus, if I was gonna buy one I would want it in the house on a big screen anyways. The small LCD wouldn't do the graphics any justice I would think.

 

Where do you think I was quoting my prices from? PriceWatch all the way!

 

Its cheaper than building a whole pc. 179.99 for new xbox 30.00 for mod chi9 80.00 for 160.00gb hard drive . your set i played games on my 7" lcd i have in my dash and it s just as nice and clear as it is in my tv at home.

 

oooh... i didn't think of that airbag thing, but i'm sure if one did a proper install it wouldn't be that big a concern... and i think that if you did a custom case for all the computer stuff, as i belive Stringztoo was intending to do, then you really wouldnt have a problem with fitting it all in there

 

You could also have Internet. Just get a wireless modem (or something like that) from Verizon (I believe $50 of unlimited access) or other provider. Kinda costly but if you have extra $$$..... why not...

 

Are you crazy? XBOXs are dirt cheap. I also put my modded XBOX in my car with the 7" screen and I couldnt be happier. It can do ANYTHING, fine maybe not GPS but with the savings, you can buy a seperate unit because I used the EarthMate GPS USB one and its terrible on a laptop, so I wouldnt use it again anyways..

Derek

 

No point to get MX440 if you have a 633 Celeron.

AMD ownz JoO. :waLL:

I would at least get 1.2GHZ
Oh yeah, like Stringztoo said, Pricewatch.com or tigerdirect.com (ususally have nice rebates)

 

It's not like I'm going to be running AutoCAD on my computer... I need a chipset that will run DVD, GPS, and MP3's... that's it!

 

Actually, I AM CRAAAZY!!! .....

But anyways.... I just wanted a PC in my car, but the Xbox is a possibility. Can you hook up a wireless network adapter so I could DL stuff from my home network?

 

The mini ITX sounds like a great solution to my problem because it has everything I need, but I'm not sure how I would power it... This is what they have as a DC-DC convertor to work in cars, unfortunetly it's $175!


Kinda leaning towards this right now:



--VIA EPIA 800 C3 800Mhz Motherboard
--256MB DIMM of PC133 memory
--80GB Seagate 7200RPM Hard Drive
--Black Panasonic SR-8176 Slimline DVD
--Additional Flat IDE Cable

all wrapped up in a lovely Black Cubid 2688V Mini-ITX case with twin front-mounted USB ports and PCI riser card.

It's $553 but that's everything I'll need except the $190 LCD. I should be able to lower the price because I don't need the 120GB HD.

 

This mini-itx technology is amazing! I never knew it existed! Look at this!



"Onboard VIA Apollo CLE266 graphics and 1Ghz C3 Processor with Nehemiah core gives the EPIA M10000 improved 3D graphics and DVD playback, and the board has 6 Channel audio, 10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0, Firewire and TV-Out support. Ideal for the perfect multimedia playback machine. "


DAMN!

 

IMHO, anyone seriously interested in doing this project should spend a couple of weeks doing research on www.mp3car.com . . .

VGA 7" LCD displays are very expensive, especially with touch screen capability. Cheaper composite displays are difficult to use because the image can be blurry unless a special TV-OUT chip is used in conjunction with some software like TVTOOL . . . Via EPIA motherboards built in video is not compatible with TVTOOL . . . and expansion is very limited on these boards, only one PCI slot. Laptops have the power supply issue worked out but have problems with turn on/turn off. Laptops still have the same TV-OUT issue for composite LCD display. Some Laptops can't be easily forced to always go to TV-OUT or even external VGA by default . . . DC/DC power supplies for ATX motherboards are hard to find and expensive. The best is OPUS but you will pay nearly $200 for it. Worth every penny from what I've read . . .

 

why not install the computer in the trunk. run long wires. buy a HU with an aux audio in and your in buisness...i woulnd't go with a touch screen...build a trakckball into the center console!

 

A touchscreen is not necessary, building a flush trackball is a great idea... I'm not too worried about watching TV because I don't have a reciever or antenna, so TV is not in my equation. I would like audio and video to be able to be played from the DVD player, and A/V cables should do the trick. I want WinAmp to run my MP3 library, and finally I want to install a $130 EartMate GPS system to the mini-itx box. Those are my priorities. I just am not sure how I can wire the speakers to both the radio and the mini-itx.

 

From my research, having a touchscreen is highly recommended. Just think about trying to find a mouse pointer on your screen and moving a trackball to a specific part of the screen while you are driving . . . not a good idea.

In regard to hooking up the speakers, you will need a HU with AUX inputs. Just take the line out from your sound card and run it into the HU. This also gives you a CD/MP3 player up front as well as both am and fm radio.

 

long wires = interferance.

especially when it comes to video.

 

a) you will need to do alot more research on GPS software because on a composit screen, GOOD LUCK reading road names unless you find a software that increases the font size.

b) like i mentioned before, you are better off running a VGA screen. I regret getting my microvision because if i paid 100 more i would have gotten VGA+touchscreen. I might just sell mine and cover the loss. I haven't even used my microvision yet haha.

but yeah, if I do go composit screen, I have to find software that will up the font size and get a rotary control.

 

The software you want is called TVTOOL.

 

but you said it doesn't support the M10000

 

That is correct. This is one of the reasons why the M10000 might not be your best choice if you desire a composite display . . . Another option to consider could be a micro-ATX form factor in a small case. Many micro-ATX motherboards have AGP slots and a couple of PCI slots . . . Then you can choose an NVIDIA card with one of the recommended TV-OUT chips . . . With good software and the display setup correctly I've read of people having good success.

 

Correct, TVTOOL is only for NVIDIA cards/chips with external TV-OUT chips onboard. You might consider a micro-ATX form factor and a true AGP card . . . Check out these links for more details:

http://tvtool.info/index_e.htm
http://www.mp3car.com

 

Look for small form factor cases (SFF). Also baby-AT or mini-ATX mobos are smaller. You can just screw it down to a piece of plexi too, screw the case.

Or do the X-box thing.

 

hm ok. well i am set for a micro-ITX board. I'm considering the new MII but i'm not sure yet.

thanks for the links. I have been a mp3car member for almost 2 years now hehe.

 

IHO the best way to get a touchscree computer in the car w/o spending a lot of money would be to go e-bay and purchase a Fujitsu stylistic lt 2300, it is a 8'' lcd touchscreen computer, no need for a mouse and if want a keyboard you can find one with an ifrared keyboard. the 2300 runs win 98 and but only has a 4meg HD, there are always plenty for sale and you can one for around $150

 

i've seen the setup on an Audi A4. The owner claims it's a hassle.

 

I have a modded x-box in mycar..

I was thinking about gettin ghte incar pc setup..

FORGET mini-itx.. i was about to buy it.. Aside from the size, the onboard sound is not very good, nor is the CPU which is crap.. If you go with a micro-atx board with a decent chip and audio, you will be far better off than a mini-itx.

I decided on the xbox... the only thing that isn't easy to do is to get a GPS, unless you run LINUX for xbox and get a USB GPS..

But i am completely happy with my setup..

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