car server

[steve09]

i've been looking about for a car computer, there are a few good ones out there, but what im looking to do it getting a car computer, BUT , hooking up my laptop to is so the new laptop is the main pc and you store everything you want to play in the car on the car pc and run it through the laptop, (tis a cool touch screen one where you can spin the screen round and have it like a tablet pc) so get a box fabricated and use the touch screen instead of buying a extra one.

[waynne]

Pgarner was looking into something like this. Why not use a USB flash drive as the main file store - it will use less power and be more portable than a laptop.

[pgarner]

1 option i did find for this was getting a docking station for the laptop fitted in the boot and touch screen up front.
Problems with this setup is:
if you dont have the laptop with you you cant play anything.
trying to fab up a box to hold a laptop somewhere thats usable ( is your centre console big enough)
and boot up times- my laptops 1.6 twincore with 1gb ram yet it takes around 2-3mins from switching on until its ready to go using vista. wifes old computer is a 650 AMD with 128mb boot up is around 30seconds until the front end is playing. hats using a nlited version of xp sp3 and i think i can remove more services from it to get it faster yet. the laptop takes so long as theres now so much stuff been installed on it

wouldnt advise going down having 2 pcs in the car, as even the low powered ones use quite a bit of power, along with the front ends ive been testing on work with drives attached to the computer itsself. What ive done is connect up the wifes computer (which was knackered, HD was wreaked motherboard has a few errors on it so booting ups a bit hit and miss ) and used that as a car pc in the house to test it.it wouldnt allow me to play even off a networked drive.

how good are you with computer, not using but building. i had a look and most carpcs were around £400-500 just for the unit never mind the screen. im going down the route of building it myself from scratch as found that i can do it for around £150 then another 160 for the screen
basically works out at
est £60 for the motherboard 1.6 twin core (single core is currently around £45, twin should be released in the next month )
£40 for the regulated DC-DC power supply
£15 for RAM
£0 for hard disc got a spare 320gb one that i never fitted
Approx £30 for materials to make the case (got some already just need to work to right size.)
£?? for wiring most has already been done with having an amp already wired in the boot just really the vga cable

[steve09]

hummm... good point with the not being able to play anything if you dont have the laptop, might just go with a pc hooked up to a touch screen.
as for building them, i used to work as a techie for a computer shop, rebuilding and fixing them, pretty handy with building them. can normally if i have all the parts of the pc get one build in around 15 mins mebe less.
do you think that a mini mac would be able to be put into a car? as i think that would be a good little media centre as its only 300odd quid and pretty small.
might be able to it into the glovebox or in the centre console.

[pgarner]

Mac mini is a good one, you can fit them in behind the screens if you mould them into the dash.

Have a look at www.mp3car.com for inspiration. think theres a nice focus thats been done up.
just remember that you need to watch the power requirements, the small in car power supply give the total output across all the rails not just on one. ie my desktops running a 2.4 P4 and the power supply that im looking at getting can only give 60w on the 12v rail and the processor requires around 70w on its own.

ive just marked out the bottom of my case for the sizes hope to get it cut to size tomorrow. ready to start sticking things on it as soon as i can get the motherboard. Im cheating until i can get the funds for the touch screen its going to reside below my TV and work as the houses mobile media centre and if that works i might look at keeping one in the house allow me to use the laptop while watch movies

[pgarner]

Have a look here for the focus build
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show...c-install.html

it is a focus your looking at wasnt it ?

[steve09]

ya it was. thats a pretty good install.. i like the fact that he replaced the radio with the touch screen in the dash, tbh you dont really need a head unit in the car as you can run the radio through the pc if you so wish.
you can get some really good software equalisers so it would prolly be better quality/sound that a standard head unit.
i would like to know how he hooked up the rear facing camara so switch on when he put the car into reverse.
thats a standard house hold mini security camara isnt it?

[pgarner]

yeah im thinking of keeping my HU but putting it in the glove box, and if i can find a scrapped version relocating the facia up into the sunvisor, so if the comp goes down then ive still got something to listen to.

Chances are the cameras on a componant lead. with a circut wired into the reversing lights. im certin my moniter can do the same. it changes from AV1 to AV2 automatically
does look like a normal IF cctv camera

[waynne]

A lot of this stuff can be bought from CPC.

[steve09]

ooooh... do you have the website?

[waynne]

http://cpc.farnell.com/

[ez64]

Did you get far with this as I want to do something similar as I also have a HP tablet that can swivel round and really want to intergrate it into the car.

[pgarner]

me im halfway through a build which is in another thread.
steve still hasnt got a car yet i dont think. still playing on his bike at the min. think his test is next month

[pgarner]

did come across some bits on the mp3car site where folk had done what im doing, touch screen fitted to the dash, and the laptop in a docking station in the boot. jst remember that you would nee to have your laptop with you at all times