Carputer (basically In Car Computer)

[satanic]

Oh, most expensive thing on that list (apart from Laptop obviously) is the screen... $580 delivered.

[Michael_1882]

This thread is really interesting, can some people post pictures of there setup please.

[NathR32]

Anyone who is interested in setting up a Carputer might wanna go check out CarAudioAustralia as well, as they have a section there dedicated to carputers.

CarAudioAustralia Carputer Section

Edited May 24, 2006 by NathR32

[Nav2k]

the software is availible on the net with logo's and stuff etc.

ok unless ur gonna buy windows etc. for ur car pc.

a basic computer system costs $350 anyway if u dont have the parts lying around unless ur going shuttle style yes.

using standard parts the box u build urself will be much smaller anyway. put it in a perspex box or whatever into ur boot install..

what decent lcd touch screen costs $700 ? most ppl on mp3car.com use either xenarc or liliputs. im using a liliput 7inch which i got for $250. the mould is a bit of work, if u dont want to do it uself cost about $300 to get it professionally done.

if u dont have any pc parts lying around..

$350 + 300 for screen + say 100 for power supply = 700ish. cabling is not much. depending on how much u want to be able to tune ur audio, the sound card is the most expensive part, if u've got basic stuff, then basic card (more than inbuilt) will suffice.

i've seen small pc's built to sit behind the screen in the dash even..

wot do u mean by 'high end' carpc? i just said in my post that im using a touch screen lcd. if u want the whole specs its an amd 2400 with a 250gig hdd, slot loading dvd writer (not mounted yet in the glovebox) with 1gig of ram. basically all u need to have is a cpu, m/b and hdd. ram is shit cheap..sound card is undecided upon..u dont need a video card unless ur gonna playing doom3 or something on it.

the rest of my audio consists of

2xaudison srx2 amps

1xaudison lrx1.400 monoblock

1xfocal 33kx sub

1xfocal polyglass v2 splits

1xfocal access coaxials

thats where the money has gone into the whole setup, not the source..

if u dont beleive it can be done cheap..i suggest u jump onto both CAA and mp3car.com

[MrBurns]

I've had my carPC running for about 2 years now. Its got the touchscreen, wifi, DVD... and my own custom written software (this is where the real 'fun' starts).

Many people can throw a carPC together, but i think all that have tried would agree, few can perfect them. Its one of those things that starts out as a short-term project, but turns into a neverending hobby.

If you're thinking about starting it, u need to do some planning. If you dont already have the parts u could end up spending craploads, due mainly to the huge amount of options available - carPC's basically have no limits. I started with some old parts i had lying around, so it worked out relatively cheap. The most expensive parts (as others have already mentioned) are the touchscreen (~$750) and power supply (OPUS ~$150) as u dont want to skimp on these. Ahh yeah, you'll need a decent amp too.

Mine works nicely at the moment, although it still does weird things occasionally

CarPC's are getting really huge around the globe now, so basically, the head unit is dying if not dead.

Here's some pic's of my WIP carPC (The screen looks pretty crappy in this photo, but is nice n clear in reality):

[Liiger]

Aint it sweet how skyline provide that nice little space in the back for a carputer. Like nissan knew it was coming. Sweet setup Mr Burns.

[NO_RSPECT]

I want to utilise the R34 sat/nav lcd and link it to a carputer..

I guess my research has to begin now....oh its like starting at the tip of the iceberg... ouch..

I wanna pull the nissan cd/tv/gps unit out of the car get a replacement climate control like the R34's that come with the 3 gauges.

Then try to use the xanavi screen for the carputer..

i guess i have about a weeks worth of reading first.. in order to come up with a solution.. if anyone has done anything like this already.. post up some inspiration for me.

take care guys

[silsr]

Just a lil info.

if you ever want a keboard but dont want to carry a physical keyboard in your car,

please contact me.

i have a perfect solution for you - A Laser Keyboard

u get a little pen which can image a keyboard to any surface and u tap away

awesome for the car.

contact me as we sell this product

sidd--

[illusiVe]

laser keyboards = annoying

[ix9]

Uh oh, I detect another spending spree for me coming!

7" motorised screen is an awesome idea!

Do you guys use AUX input on your decks ? I dont think I have it! (despite it being a $1200 pioneer motorized flipdown!)

[parish]

Hey guys...

pics

[Liiger]

Niice parish, Lots of questions

how you find that Epia board?

What are the specs and whats your power supply?

How the heck did you get the console face off and nice fitting of the facia from your LCD. Hard to do?

Edited May 30, 2006 by Liiger

[parish]

Originally I just wanted SatNav, but the nice units were around $600 and I thought that I could run a computer with all the software for cheaper, and also run audio etc etc etc...

Harsh reality, it cost me more then $600... but it has been more satifying doing theis then just gluing some screen to my dash...

Did a fair bit of research on "carputers" mainly from mp3car forums... heaps and heaps of options all depends really on where you want to mount the PC... can do it a lot cheaper if you use standard motherboard and mount it in the boot or something...

Anyhow, I'll make a thread up once its all finished with most of the build...

The Motherboard:

VIA EPIA Mini-ITX SP13000

The power supply:

M2-ATX

The dash:

I bought an other dash so I could spend as much time as i wanted without having to drive around without a dash... The Lilliput 7" touchscreen pretty much fits into the double DIN area, you need to take a couple mm off the sides, and about 10mm at the bottom for it to sit nicely under the climate control.

1st attempt: Used epoxy to glue the facia to the dash... then used putty to fill the gaps and make it nice and smooth and then I got it painted.

Result: The epoxy didn't stick properly (not sure if it was my fault as in the mixture was incorrect) but this cracked the paint and looked dodge, after playing around with it for about 10 minutes the whole facia came right out (without breaking anything).. not too sure why, but yeah, the epoxy just didn't work...

2nd attempt: Had the facia "plastic welded" to the dash by some fibreglassing place... I'm now just finishing it up to get painted tomorrow...

as I said will make a thread when its all finished with all the "making of" pics

cheers..

[Primordial]

Uh oh, I detect another spending spree for me coming!

7" motorised screen is an awesome idea!

Do you guys use AUX input on your decks ? I dont think I have it! (despite it being a $1200 pioneer motorized flipdown!)

I didnt have an aux input on mine, but I found that you can buy a cable that goes from CD Changer plug to 2 x RCA. Effectively giving you a line input!

This is for JVC head units. The cable was $140 (!?) from JVC... But I got one from the US for $25...

You'll have to do some research on your particular brand, but im pretty sure every manufacturer would have something similar!

[Michael_1882]

as I said will make a thread when its all finished with all the "making of" pics

Can't wait man!

Where you planing on mouthing the PC?

[parish]

Finally got dash surround back...

(and first preview of screen connected to the pc itself... )

and planning to mount it behind the screen in the dash, its the wrong way round in the pic, should be little side at the front...

[Liiger]

Love how its looking so far parish, but wouldnt the PC be better in the boot, inside the rear compartment? Suppose you want to upgrade it or fix something on it. You'd have to pull off the whole front to get to it yeah?

What GPS software you runnin?

Front facia looks awesome tho, looks stock.

Edited June 4, 2006 by Liiger

[parish]

Love how its looking so far parish, but wouldnt the PC be better in the boot, inside the rear compartment? Suppose you want to upgrade it or fix something on it. You'd have to pull off the whole front to get to it yeah?

What GPS software you runnin?

Front facia looks awesome tho, looks stock.

Thanks

The PC would be good anywhere and your probably right in saying that it would be better in the boot. One of the reasons I didn't put it in the boot was because I didn't want to have to run VGA cable from front to back. At the moment just gonna run 3 RCA cables (Front/Rear/Sub) and thats pretty much the only thing that has to run from the PC to the boot (for the amp)...

As I said in a previous post, there are so many options... I could have put it under the seat, would have been a tight fit but would have worked... I suppose that by having it behind the dash it is going to make it hard to physically change components, but I'm planning on not needing to do that for a while... I will have access to 3 spare USB ports which should be plenty to do what need to be done... also have access to the network port, so can plug it into my LAN (for remote access for updates etc or just use a wireless USB...

So i guess its just personal choice where you want it to be...

Destinator as GPS software and FreeDrive as a front end (which intergrates nicely into RoadRunner, which is the main software)

If I have time at lunch to get the RCAs it's all going in tonight!

[Primordial]

Interesting software choice parish!

I tried roadrunner but i didnt like it.. I use Centrafuse now which is awesome! Very stable and easy to use!

There are some parts of every front end which I dont like though. It would be great to be able to mix & match between them!

[Eug]

wondering how long the hdd will last with the usually stiff suspension in most skylines.