You can’t use beefed-up chips because a) more processor is more power, aswell as more heat generated. More heat is more cooling needed. More cooling is more power. The limitations of this project include a low power budget. Well done for sticking to a low performance CPU.

Maybe you missed a trick – you commented that it would be good to have a cellphone-esque keyboard – maybe it would be good to write a control app for your cellphone, and send commands to the PC over a bluetooth link? Most cellphones have bluetooth now, and decent screens built in… with a cradle for the phone installed in your car I think you’re killing 3 birds with one stone. plus you could operate the PC’s functions from outside of the car. Also if you used a bluetooth headset you could VOIP over any WIFI links.

Am I pushing anyone’s buttons here?

What I would really like to see is a home-built power supply which has the necessary conditioning and capacity to actually power a PC from 12v.

Also, the comments about laptops are at times inappropriate and pointless, I mean, with a PCI slot you can install ANYTHING. USB 2.0, Firewire, WIFI et al, Soundcards, additional graphics cards for further screen capacity, need I go on?

Laptop basic board specs are pitiful, the machines are brilliant but LIMITED. However… re: “would like to use a laptop but screen is too big” – erm, laptops usually have a VGA out, and you could always hack off the screen and mount it in a useful position, and use PS2 mouse and keyboard, and still hide the laptop in a convenient place. PLUS it would run off low volts DC…. I think laptops have advantages and drawbacks, the Tower rebuild works well, but personally I ride a motorbike and honestly……… small is good.

Chris

At least hide the wire ties, ducttape, lose wires an crap and make it more presentable. I have to say that my laptop ridin b1tch with me plays plenty of music for hours over a simple FM transmitter.. If i need wireless theres over 1billion Starbucks in the world, lol.. Ionno.. Perhaps we just got different thought trains.

Well done on yours!

I build computers and do repairs for many customers but do not have the monies to spend on a custom carputer with parts from mini-itx or just micro components in general. I purchased a P-40 HP E-vectra a few months ago for $50 just to play with and I was quite suprised in its speed. Its a 996Mhz machine with 384mb pc-100 RAM and a 20Gig drive. The only downfall with this PC that I forsee having any problems with in my Car is that it only is usb 1.1 and not 2.0 altho, they make a 2.4 ghz model of the same size computer that is probably 2.0.

I’ve decided to use this as my 1st carputer and just build a custom mini later on, I only plan to spend about $900 for my carputer, but that includes my XM radio interface for my headunit, LCD 7″ GPS and Software, Computer, Backup Camera, Playstation Slim, (maybe external DVD), WiFi and Sunvisor TFT displays Pass and Driver. I could easily pay $400 for a Mini ITX machine and case, $250 for a Screen, and $300 for random PCI or usb accessories just for the computer (including GPS) but it wouldnt be as cool or have as much diversity as my system will have for the cost. I just mainly want to test it out and this is an awesome way to do it, same as you did with your install. Doesnt have to be perfect, cheap components – if they fry “oh well”. You can learn and do better with the more expensive nicer install.

I’ve spent about a week over at mp3car.com reading up on anything and everything carputer, and I must say I am so confused by that place – I’d rather go shopping on christmas eve. Dont get me wrong, its full of GREAT USEFULL information from people who’ve been there and done that, but the forum lacks good administration and guidance. It is not a place for a newb to be as most people frown on you and your ideas, they wont assist and tell you to search and it took about 3 days of searching just to find out that the lilliput monitors have a native resolution of 800×480 (not 800×600 or anything usable). Not that I was searching for that info, I just assumed the screen would be a 800×600 until I happened upon a post about how everyone was getting screwed over since their boards wouldnt display that specific dimention – altho 800×600 will work on the screens just fine.

I’ve downloaded almost every Front-end they have and for each one, I’ve got 5 – 10 skins. The only one I’ve liked so far is RoadRunner, as it was simple and easy to install. The rest have HORRIBLE threads and instructions. “(not actual quote)…You must uprade from beta 1.1 to 2.4 and run the patch for test files 1 and 2, download the zip files and overwrite the current directory files after you upgrade blah blah…” This is fine for members who have followed these projects, but it doesnt help newbs learn anything, but just makes you search more and find more information to search for.

I still have no clue what GPS software I can use with Roadrunner as I cant find the specific word to search for or the right thread to read under the GPS or Software development section (as I’ve read through 15 pages of threads).

Dont waste your time going over there unless you really do have time to waste and you want to actually research. Just go with your gut and throw something cheap together and learn from it.

Hope no one from MP3Car took offense, it was MHO since everyone else though they should thow theirs out about the site. You guys do have tons of info and knowledgable people its just that the forums are too full of unorganized worthless posts to dig through.

Goodluck with the zip ties and duct tape :P I’m backin ya